Developing the BC learning agenda: innovation and improvement Part 3: Practice

1. BCSSA:FALL CONFERENCE 2010 Victoria, BC 18/19 November Developing the BC learning agenda: innovation and improvement Part 3: Practice Valerie Hannon and Tony Mackay Innovation Unit, UK

2. What do we know about learning? Which next practices hold most potential?

3. OECD: research-derived principles An effective learning environment is one that: Makes learning central, encourages engagement, and learners increasingly understand themselves as learners (‘regulation’) Is acutely sensitive to the individual differences among the learners including their prior knowledge, and is demanding for each learner but without excessive overload Is highly attuned to the learners’ motivations and the key role of emotions Uses assessments that are consistent with its aims, with strong emphasis on formative feedback Promotes horizontal connectedness across activities and subjects, in- and out-of-school Is where learning is social and often collaborative. The Nature of Learning: using research to inspire practice (OECD 2010)

4. A new scientific paradigm emerges “when a small group of pioneers makes a breakthrough sufficiently unprecedented to attract adherents away from competing modes of scientific activity – but sufficiently open-ended to leave all sorts of problems to be resolved….” Thomas Kuhn The structure of scientific revolutions 1962

5. Case Study 1: High Tech High Schools San Diego County A new yardstick in education?

6. Origins • Frustration of culture of state schooling • Dissatisfaction with existing metrics • Desire to create radical new model • Charter school movement allows freedoms to determine to success criteria • 1 - > 9 small schools in San Diego County

7. video

8. Charter Schools • No selection - postcode ballot • Socially mixed intake • Charter renewable • Autonomy in staffing, curriculum and budget

9. Three Axioms of Schooling • Separate students according to perceived academic ability • Separate hands and minds and disciples • Separate school from the world A new yardstick in education?

10. Three Integrations at HTH • Integrate students – no tracking • Integrate the curriculum • technical and academic • academic disciplines • Connect school with the world • AND NOW..... • Integrate K-12 with Graduate Ed

11. HTH Design Principles • Personalisation • Common intellectual mission • Adult world connection • Teacher as designer

12. Personalisation • Limit grade size and teaching load • Teaching Teams • Advisory groups • Home visits • Students pursue passions via projects

13. Common Intellectual Mission • Common core learning goals • Habits of heart and mind • No tracking • Promotion and graduation linked to purpose

14. Adult World Connection • Internships and field studies • Community projects • Visiting professionals • Mentor relationships • Online connections

15. Teacher as Designer • Hiring bonanza • New teacher ‘odyssey’ • Credential program • Daily morning meeting time • Mentoring, collegial coaching • Planning and study groups • Graduate programs at HTH GSE • Total adult learning community

16. Results to Date • 100% qualify to apply to Ucal • 100% college admission • 82% college retention, higher for first generation • 38% major in STEM fields

17. A Different Standard • What matters? • Completion of secondary schooling • College/University admission • Community service • Students help set the criteria for effective learning – and assessment

18. Distinguishers (from UK) • Open culture (physical, intellectual, social/personal) • 60% of curriculum project-based, located in ‘real work’ • Commitment to: staff development; human scale; integration; ‘beautiful work’; community and parental support • Judge quality of teaching by quality of student work produced, publically presented • Engagement precedes learning – get that right, results look after themselves.

19. Compared with State • 35-45% of HTH students become first-in-family to go to college • High spread of income & ethnicity • 37% of CA students complete SATs/95% @ HTH • SAT scores well above state/national averages • 80% have graduated from college/university

20. Project-led, Cross disciplinary, Public Judged • San Diego Bay Project • San Diego Blood Bank Project • Economics illustrated

21. Video (4)

22. At your tables……. • What struck you as powerful elements of practice evidenced at HTH? • Where are there in your district similar examples? What might make them stronger? • What would you like to learn more about?

23. Chain of Independent Schools with a Common Educational ConceptFounded in Sweden 1999

24. The Vision The Vision “An outstanding school where every student, through personalised learning and clear goals, will stretch their boundaries and learn morethan they thought possible”

25. Independent Schools in Sweden Number of Voucher financed schools for students age 7 to 18 • Voucher system introduced in 1992 • License from the National Board of Education • Voucher payment from local municipalities • Tuition fees not allowed • In 1996/97:29,000 studentsIn 2006/07: 135,000 students • 10 per cent market share Number 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 2006/07 1992/93 Source: The National Agency for Education, Sweden

26. 21 Secondary Schools (ages 12-15) 9 Upper Secondary Schools (age 16-18) 9,200 pupils 700 staff Kunskapsskolan Today Täby Saltsjöbaden Falun Kista Uppsala Spånga Enköping Skärholmen Västerås Nacka/Orminge Internationella Norrköping Nyköping Globen Enskede Fruängen Göteborg Hägerstensåsen Gamleby Tyresö Botkyrka Helsingborg Lund Landskrona Malmö Ystad Trelleborg

27. New Structures We replace the structures of the tradititional school which had limited means for a personalised education… … with new structures for coaching and supervising each student individually

28. Static National Common fram of reference Limited options Collektive Homogene Hierarchical Predictable A constantly fast accelerating change Globalisation Individualisation Unlimited options Heterogeneity Increased complexity A ”hurricane” of information Unpredictable

29. Goal year eleven Semester goal Goal for the week Personalised Education:Towards explicit learning goals • Student focus • Goal-oriented learning • Variety of study forms • Individual tutorials every week • Personal timetable • All learning materials and goals accessible through a web-portal

31. The Curriculum

32. Performance appraisal Individual tutorials Individual study plan Logbook Individual Tutorials: For coaching and follow-up

33. Logbook

34. Knowledge Portal

35. TASKS

36. March 2008

37. March 2008

39. A normal day in Kunskapsskolan Kista

40. The morning Meeting: 8:30 to 9:10

41. In the morning we have a meeting with our class, the class is only together at the meeting and some lectures. At the gatherings we first watch the news and discuss them. After that we make our own individual schedule for the day, we also plan our goals for the day. On mondays we plan the goals for the week.

42. The studying Social Science: 9:10 to 11:15 (with a break at 10:00)

43. When I work with Social Science today, I work in a small room with computers. Up to three people can work in a room like that. There are rooms in all sizes here and there in the school. From the size of one person to big rooms for up to 25 people. In the big rooms we have the gatherings and sometimes lectures.

44. We eat lunch 30 minutes between 10:45 and 12:30. Every student chooses which time he or she wants to eat each day. You adjust the time for lunch if you have a lecture or something else important you most go to. On the way to the dining room.

45. Lecture Lecture about Social Science: 12:00 to 12:45

46. Lectures are in a room or in the room we call the arena. The lecture on the picture is in the arena. About 50% of the lectures are there. In the arena there is a computer and a projector, so the teacher can show Power-Point presentations or Word-documents. So he or she doesn’t have to use a white-board.

47. English lesson English: 12:45 to 13:45

48. I work with English on one of these many computers. We use computers instead of books, the school has its own website with all facts and tasks we need to finish the job. We get different tasks depending on how good you are in the different subjects. In some subjects we work with steps, step one is the easiest and step 35 is the hardest. You are on the step that the teacher thinks is right for your knowledge in that subject.

49. Afternoon meeting Meeting: 13:45 to 14:00 In the afternoon we have a second meeting. The only thing we do there is to write an evaluation of the day. Then you can write if you worked good on the day, and why you worked so good etc… We don’t finish the school-day at 14:00 every day; it differs between 14:00 and 15:00.

50. The Logbook In the logbook we write our schedule for the day, and our goals and evaluations. We use it a lot! We write one goal in each subject for the week, and one goal for every lesson on the day-goals. One day-goal can look something like this: Maths: Today I’m going to learn about volume in a cylinder.