Sabbatical

After 44 years of continuous service in Education I have been given the opportunity to embark on a ten week sabbatical in Term Two.  During this time I will be working closely with a number of schools in New Zealand and Australia to further our work around Deep Learning.  I will be focusing my attention on a number of initiatives that will build on the work we are doing at the college to actively build on our ability to support a model based on future focused education.

I will continue to look at the place of Deep Learning in the college by visiting schools that have been on this journey to build knowledge and our capacity to embed this in our teaching and learning. Below are a set of key questions I will be covering off with these schools to help inform our continued journey.

Questions for Deep Learning Schools

1. What led you to deciding on following a Deep Learning Pedagogy?

2. What does a Deep learning Pedagogy mean to you in your school setting?

3. Could you explain your journey into Deep Learning?

·         How did you effectively get buy in from staff students and community?

·         What were the road blocks and or enablers that allowed for Deep learning to be implemented?

·         How are you now sustaining this shift in pedagogy?

4. How do you give emphasis to cross curricula or project-based learning and how is this working?

5. Is there an increase in learner agency as a result in these shifts in practice?

6. What changes, if any, have occurred in your assessment practices and how bigger role/function do the rubrics play in this?

7. Have you noted shifts in student achievement and how do you know?

8. What are the challenges and opportunities you are now looking at to the future?

 This work leads very nicely into how we both cater for, deliver and recognise individual learning. In order to do this, I will be visiting “Big Picture Schools” and schools in Australia that offer Micro credentialing under what is known as New Metrics.

New Metrics is an opportunity for innovative school leaders to join with academic experts and international trailblazers to reimagine and influence schooling in Australia – to move away from the ‘grammar of schooling’ that continues to lock our schools into many of the distinctive features of the 20th century version of education.

Schooling is ready for a paradigm shift and the development of new metrics to assess, credential, and measure student, school and system success. Young people must now be educated and assessed in new ways so they are prepared for a very different future.

In this research-practice partnership, schools work with experts at Melbourne Assessment to access University technology to support the creation and validation of new metrics.

The partnership provides the opportunity to:

·         work with progressive school leaders who have moved away from the traditional ‘grammar of schooling’

·         generate new and validated assessment tools for complex competencies

·         generate reports and learner profiles that recognise a broader range of what a learner knows and can do

·         influence the development of new policy

·         garner the necessary support to facilitate real change in schools

·         connect with national and international networks of like-minded leaders.

I am really excited to have the opportunity to look at some very advanced schools in Australia and while the visits will be brief it will enable me to connect and build a network with Educational Leaders who are doing some very special things to revolutionise education for young people.

I will also be looking closely at how to advance our use of technology to assist in developing student centered learning along with teacher’s ability to plan and assess in a way that captures the passions of learners. There are some amazing things happening in this space and this time will assist me in building opportunities to bring this technology into our school to maximise the outcomes of students.

Staffing During Term Two

During my time away Hamish Wood will be Acting Principal and his position will be filled by our former Deputy Principal, Marion Lumley (.4) and Keremihana Heke (.6).  This is also an opportune time to inform you that Keremihana will be welcomed into the Senior Leadership Team with a focus on co-ordinating and upskilling staff and students in Raukawatanga as well as implementing Huakina Mai, which is a Kaupapa Māori Schoolwide Initiative that sits within Positive Behaviour for Learning.  This initiative focusses on a relational approach where kaiako foster positive relationships within environments that are caring, inclusive, non-discriminatory and cohesive.