welcome

1. welcome

2. Building collaborative, interdependent schools and communities. Making positive connections with a shared commitment: the best possible futures for our young people. Hunter Central Coast Region Regional Consultancy Conference ~ Toronto ~ 30 Jan 2007

4. Outline Some key ideas around groups, and connections between people A look at policy and context drivers for what we do in schools and in education Some key examples and considerations from the UK and examples and ideas from other places Engaging communities - the future of networks – some possibilities Some evaluative statements

5. I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land. I pay my respects to elders past and present, and to any Aboriginal people present.

6. “the concept of Aboriginal reciprocity implies that those who have resources share them with those who do not, and that those who receive this generosity have the same duty to provide for and share with others”. Larissa Behrendt, Professor of Law and Indigenous Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney,

7. people in communities. . . sharing much of their existence Proximity may have a very strong influence on culture

8. Greatly enhanced ways of transferring knowledge and experience creates the opportunity for shared cultural elements across formerly unconnected groups

10. Living within an internet paradigm For centuries, access to the world’s information, and the ability to communicate it; was controlled by the wealthy and the well educated. Today the internet has broken down many of the barriers that exist between people and information: effectively democratising access to human knowledge. Eric Schmidt – Financial Times: 21st May, 2006

11. At the global level there is the curious paradox of the potential for myriad communities of people who share commonalities where ranges of experience intersect: while living with so many other experiences which may be forever beyond the understanding of others.

12. While at the local level: Our schools are integral parts of their communities

13. At the local level – sharing purpose

14. networks of schools Connected, with a core link to a shared vision

15. Outline Some key ideas around groups, and connections between people A look at policy and context drivers for what we do in schools and in education

16. SCHOOL PLANNING Attempts to do this are sometimes restricted by the need to consider the policy and operational context.

17. SCHOOLS PLANNING PLANNING SCHOOLS WITHIN CHANGING CONTEXTS

18. Simply elegant trying to see the big picture too

19. The rearview mirror is an important aid for our driving Simply elegant But it shouldn’t distract us from our view of the vast horizon of possibility in front of us

20. What’s possible? Drivers for policy planning Personalised Education TO Diverse but collaborative and interdependent Divided and selective Excellence for All Excellence for Some National (or state) standards and targets Comprehensive FROM Standardised Education A common set of skills to meet the needs of an industrial economy

21. TIGHT LOOSE TIGHT

22. Raising the bar TIGHT Pushing back the horizon of possibility

23. TIGHT Closing the gap . .

24. The Previous Way STATE POLICY DISTRICTS SCHOOLS

25. A Possible New Way STATE POLICY REGION Families and Community SCHOOLS External Providers Universities and other Consultants Business and Community Groups NETWORKS OF SCHOOLS

26. Networks offer schools a chance to be both integral and integrated parts of a whole: contributing to a federation of learning communities

27. Outline Some key ideas around groups, and connections between people A look at policy and context drivers for what we do in schools and in education Some key examples and considerations from the UK and examples and ideas from other places

28. UK – Networked Learning Communities

29. Building Networks - some of the challenges seen in the UK • Poor collaborative histories • Divisions within systems &organisations • Traditionalists, resisters and cynics • Dependency cultures • Communication barriers • Isolationism • Lack of clarity about the model

30. “Through effective networks, teachers and leaders have found real benefits for their teaching, their school and their pupils.”

31. Are there different ways we can think about things ? Sometimes it’s just about challenging our paradigms For example: Only say NO when there is a very good reason not to say Simply elegant

32. Good reasons to say yes….. • Learning networks offer a design for school to-school collaboration and system learning • They are a means to build capacity and support innovation at school and system level • They grow out of theoretical, practical and policy contexts that offer fertile ground • They offer a locally owned learningmodel

33. What Is Known The knowledge from theory, research and practice What We Know The knowledge of those involved. What we bring to the table New Knowledge The knowledge that we create together Three Fields of Knowledge in which to to grow.

34. Professional Learning Communities Culture of Collaborative Practice School model Network model The school as a learning community, collaborating to connect with and reinterpret practice from outside and to reinvent practice within the school Internally collaborative community risking the continuous re-cycling of traditional or low level practice Making a difference in your classroom Making a difference in the classroom next door Making a difference in your school Making a difference in the school next door

35. Some sobering differences between Sectors (OECD 2000)

36. 1977 Holden Kingswood – It’s the way to go !

37. Why do we do what we do ? A Tale of Monkey Business

38. Learning Together • “It is one of life’s great ironies: schools are in the business of teaching and learning, yet they are terrible at learning from each other. • If they ever discover how to do this, their future is assured.” • Michael Fullan, “Leading in a Culture of Change”

39. Reasons for Networking • FOR LEARNERS – through our own learning we can enhance pupil learning • To draw from the knowledge of other schools • It can free us from our own contexts • Knowing that there is support takes away the ‘I stand alone’ feeling • To move from dependence to interdependence • We are farming in the same field of learning • We are all teachers and learners. We need to model both learning and teaching by working with other teachers and schools South African School Principals

40. Networks : making connections Serendipitous outcomes

41. A Networked Learning Metaphor Adapted from Madeline Church, 2000, “Participation, Relationships and Dynamic Change”

42. Net-Works - a dynamic for learning • The ‘net’ structure: • is created by, and benefits, members • provides solidarity and tensile strength • is dynamic and flexible

43. When spider webs unite they can tie up a lion (Ethiopian proverb)

44. What makes Networks work? • Shared values & aspirations - beliefs • A common focus – purposes that act themselves out in classrooms • Supportive ‘structures’ – facilitative norms and arrangements • The will to do it – the ‘moral purpose’ desire

45. Networks – a core set of beliefs • Intelligence is not fixed – it can be grown • All children can become successful and energised learners • Educational professionals and schools can learn together to deliver what it takes • Making what we know visible and transferable (within & between schools) is not a bad place to start • It makes sense to share our creative capital

46. A regional strategic priority We want to be able to create an environment in which local networks of schools feel empowered to share their creative capital. A divergent process, within the ‘tight, loose, tight’ framework LMG establishment was a key driver and enabler

47. ‘Network Child’ – at the centre • Networked Learning Communities involve collaborative change built around a unit of one • One child, in one classroom, within one school, within a network of schools is the unit • What would a Network need to know and to do in order to ensure that every single child can be the most powerful learner that he or she can be?