Teacherpreneurs, Twitter and Transformation

Teacherpreneurs are considered to be highly effective, connected and resourceful educators who actively seek opportunities to grow their skills, collaborate, share best practice, ideas and research. They have a passion and determination to improve education in their setting and beyond. What excites me is that teacherpreneurs  can develop leadership opportunities to influence positive change  to education systems  for the better. With the incredible rise in technology and more demand for student agency the teacherpreneur can enable change to determine a more relevant curriculum for learners. These leaders create opportunities for educators to connect, share, grow their knowledge and expertise and influence education systems to be relevant to our students future roles in their communities. Teacherpreneurs cross oceans and cultures to make connection with other educators and advocate to transform curriculum. Their focus is to co create new learning that is relevant, authentic, personalised and technology rich, building on the diversity and strengths of all learners

October is Connected Educators  month globally and in Aotearoa, New Zealand. 
Connected Educator Month supports educators to thrive in a connected world. Sharing and collaboration centred on personalising learning needs and strengths across our country and global networks.

Thinking about Connected Educators month has prompted me to update my reflective blog and share my own personal experience about the power of connecting on Twitter and how Twitter has facilitated amazing learning and  incredible experiences for me. Through Twitter I have connected with teacherpreneurs and innovative educational leaders from all over the world.

In 2013 I was a  new Twitter user. I only had a vague idea what it was about – but I set up an account for Freemans Bay School. I received a tweet from Lene Jensby Lange asking about our e-learning model at Freemans Bay School. Lene had checked out my principal’s blog and followed up with a couple of questions about our e-learning model

Lene is a founder of Autens Educational Design Consultancy in Denmark. This consultancy facilitates and leads innovation to support educational leaders to align their school vision with new and renovated school design.  I asked Lene if I could meet her in Denmark to discuss links between learning design and school design as part of my travel fellowship in 2014.  Not only did Lene agree, but she showed me around a whole lot of schools and organisations and I was able to stay with her and family in Copenhagen – where the conversations flowed into the night.

Since then we have been great twitter mates!  We often have tweet or Skype, problem solving and sharing perspectives and experiences. Networking with Lene led to being invited to become a member of the Global Schools Alliance.

GLOBAL SCHOOLS ALLIANCE (GSA)

The vision of GSA was developed by a group of global educators:

• David Price, OBE (member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire)
• Andrew Raymer (Founder and former Head of Matthew Moss UK)
• Dr. Steven Edwards (White House and World Bank advisor)

GSA aims to have innovative schools collaborate and be part of a learning community that will influence education systems across the world.

Lene Jensby Lange Co-ordinator Global Schools Alliance	Dr. Steven Edwards Co-founder Vega Schools Washington D.C., USA	Sandy Hooda Co-founder Vega Schools New Delhi, India

The GSA Founding members selected and evaluated progressive schools from for the Alliance. Member schools are considered highly effective and innovative in their respective countries. These schools agreed to bring their experience and knowledge to work together to improve the standards of education globally.

The vision of Global Schools' Alliance is to ensure children experience a better quality of education no matter where they live. Our mission is to collaboratively improve education that engages and empowers learners within the context of their culture and language.

The founding school leaders are from eight top-rated schools internationally.

• Muriel Summers, Principal, A.B. Combs Magnet Elementary School, Raleigh, USA
• Mark Moorhouse, Headteacher, Matthew Moss High School, Rochsdale, UK
• Natalie See, Principal, Hilltop Road Public School, Merrylands, AUS
• Allan Kjær Andersen, Principal, Ørestad Gymnasium, Copenhagen, DNK
• Sugandha Mathur Anand, Head of School, Vega Schools, Gurgaon, IND
• Sandra Jenkins, Principal, Freemans Bay School, Auckland, NZ
• Carl Jarvis, Executive Headteacher, EOS Teaching Alliance (Hartsholme & St. Giles Academies),    Nottinghamshire, UK

• Barbara Cavanagh, Principal, Albany Senior High School, Albany, NZ

The  GSA first symposium was held in October in New Delhi and was hosted by Vega School founder Sandy Hooda.

Although each school at the symposium was from a uniquely different part of the world we all shared a vision  of working together to promote rich, innovative and personalised education. You can see from the following table of participants the diversity represented. It was humbling as well as inspirational to be part of this GSA symposium.

Ni Putu Tirka Widanti (Ika) President Yayasan Kul Kul (Green School) Bali, Indonesia	Green School is located in Bali jungle. It focuses on fostering green/ enviro school thinking.
Jeffrey Holte Learning Coordinator Liger Learning Center Phnomh Penh, Cambodia	The Liger Learning Center, in the jungle in Cambodia, has one goal - to create change agents within their own country
Allan Kjær Andersen Principal Ørestad Gymnasium in Denmark	Ørestad Gymnasium (upper secondary school) has a framework for cross-disciplines and an extended use of IT-based learning by revolutionizing educational space in a structure without traditional classrooms
Melissa Daniels Founding Director High Tech Middle Chula Vista USA	High Tech High is a group of schools in San Diego, USA. These schools focus on effective use of technology and digital learning.
Andy Raymer former Head of School Matthew Moss High School Vega Schools Board Member Rochsdale, UK	Matthew Moss is the "most radical school in England" according to Professor David Hopkins and was featured in Innovation Unit's influential publication "10 Schools for the 21st Century". a highschool in UK Mathew Moass  has a focus on child centered education through project work.
Barbara Cavanagh Principal Albany Senior High School Auckland, New Zealand	Albany Senior High School has a focus on project based learning supported by coaching students to ensure the development of dispositions for learning and life
Sandra Jenkins Principal Freemans Bay Primary School Auckland New Zealand	Freemans Bay School has a curriculum design is focused on engaging, enriching and empowering learners.
Pawan Gupta Board Member Vega Schools Dehradun, India	http://www.ilpnet.org/PawanGupta Pawan Gupta is a historian, thought leader and expert on the spirit of India. Pawan has established village primary schools in the Himalayas utilising cultural and historical perspectives relevant to these school communities

During the conference we visited the Vega School construction site and will be watching the development of these schools with interest.

On the final night  of the symposium  we attended a large meeting where Vega Schools had invited parents, politicians and media from Delhi to hear about schools in Global Schools' Alliance. The meeting also included the state of Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma.

The sharing of each other’s school vision was inspirational and refuelled our shared commitment to lead education that ultimately builds on learners’ strengths and diversity to equip them to contribute positively to their communities.

My twitter journey has connected me with a range of committed  primary and secondary educators  from all over the world. Twitter has enabled me to be meet and be involved with inspirational educators and projects across the globe.

These global leaders of education are committed to  transformation of  education in their countries. Student agency is the common thread of these schools’ curriculum – all engage in projects in some form or other.  All are advocating  to break down the homogenous systems of education, based on ranking and one size fits all models and developing systems that will strengthen diversity and learners talents in an increasingly globalised world. All are from very different cultural, social and political contexts. They have a shared mission to influence education systems to give our learners the skills and dispositions needed for their future lives.The GSA leaders  have taken the concept of teacherpreneur to a new level.

Reference:

http://www.touchapp.co.uk/blog/2014/04/25/teacherpreneurs-the-leaders-of-future-education/

http://www.globalschoolsalliance.org/

Personalising learning at Skapskolan.

I was delighted to be hosted by Marcus Lighting  at Skapskolan. http://skapaskolan.se/vad/ This is a small country school that has students from6years old to 12 years old.   Lene Jensby Lange had suggested the visit and set it up for me - and it was an inspirational visit. The ride on the  train and buses were also very enjoyable as we left the  country to  green fields and farmland. Marcus and his co-teacher have mixed age group teaching in differentiated spaces for individualised and group learning. They have utilised every space available in the room - including elevated seating (mountain top) and a cave room  underneath. The room is full of options for working including quiet and collaborative spaces and making spaces. There are lots of nooks and crannies for learners to choose from.   The space challenge has not compromised the schools vision of personalised learning. The students are engaged and have an enthusiastic attitude to their the current learning enviroment. Plans are under way for a building extension creating and upper level. For the extension they will continue to work with architect Peter Lippman, from Australia. Lippman's design  focuses on environmental quality of lighting, air quality and temperature as well as a focus on  student choice and flexibility in how they learn. You could observe the older students caring and encouraging the younger students  both indoors and outdoors. This is due to  the relationship building that happens with the vertical  grouping in the classroom. The take out for me at Skapskolan is how the creative and efficient use of  space for personalising learning is aligned school design with their beliefs around personalising learning. In the literature review completed as part of my travel fellowship research there was consensus that personalising learning is a desire to give students more choice and control over what they were learning and where and how the learning was to take place. In terms of school design this means providing an environment where:  Learning is flexible - in a range of places that could support small groups, large groups or independent activities. Learning is holistic – the whole child and their learning needs supported Learning styles are acknowledged and supported. A range of learning opportunities provided where students are empowered  Students are grouped according to learning stage not age. Reflection, self-management and collaboration incorporated as part of the learning. Personalisation refers to educational systems that prioritise the individual needs of the learner. Such systems focus on an holistic approach to meet each learners needs.  Milibrand (2004,p.8) personalised learning definition is generally accepted,  “High expectations of every child, given practical form by high quality teaching based on sound knowledge and understanding of each child needs”.      The school visit to  Skapskolan and discussions with Marcus and later Lene gave opportunities to consider the literature review findings and observe and discuss how teaching and learning  and  school design reflected and supported the school vision around personalisation.  I felt really inspired by my visit to this small country school. I look forward to news of the  next iteration - I wonder how the learning from the current build will be reflected in the new build?

Flipping Learning Design - the start of the journey in UK and Scandinavia

Over the 10 weeks as recipient of the 2014 ASB / APPA travel fellowship, I had conversations with educationalists, designers and architects – during visits of twenty two schools in five countries. These schools were actively engaged in new school design and new ways of teaching and learning.  My next few posts will  explore school design and aspirations around personalising learning of the schools visited.

The school  types  visited in UK and Scandinavia , included state, church, international, independent, primary, secondary, academies and free schools. It included new school builds, remodelled schools and schools that were built in refitted commercial buildings. 

The visits in UK were arranged by Terry White. Terry is a director of UK  Learning which is the UK chapter of CEFPI  (Council of Education Facilities and Planning International).  He is  an educational design solution consultant for Nova Co-Design which supports schools through the process of designing new schools and developing  and supporting the teaching vision to be implemented in the new builds.

The visits in Scandinavia were arranged by Lene Jensby Lange. Lene is founder of Autens which is an educational consultancy that works with schools, local authorities, charities, architects and others to innovate learning spaces dedicated to personalising learning. 





Both Terry and Lene were incredibly generous with their time and hospitality. I found it really interesting that in the UK and  in Scandinavia the local authorities funded talented project leaders like Terry and Lene who seemed to have ownership / leadership over the design project at all phases. A key feature of their role  is to drive the vision around personalising learning and design.

In New Zealand the role of driving the learning vision is usually done by  the principal, whose task it is ensure that  the architect understands the learning culture of the school and how that might look in the new build. We discussed at length;  personalising learning, school design and the impact of the political, social  and local context.

What a luxury to have such design consultants funded to actively engage with schools to support their transition from old ways to new ways of teaching. 

The school visits were a  fast series of walk throughs where the  worlds of pedagogy and design, intersected and  fused with vision and concerns. They all aspired to learner led personalised curriculum and design that would drive these concepts.

The challenge in all the schools was to  embed and sustain teacher practice related to learning vision and school design so that learners will be prepared for their future world.