Where's my space - learning and teaching in an MLE

Stonefields Primary School - 4 years old -  growing - passionate about driving change in learning

Theme - Trying  to replicate anything is difficult - complexity theory - you may not have all the 'ingredients' 

Theory - Cynefin Change Framework - levels of leadership - change is complex, because relationships are complex

Open space learning is about negotiating  the relationships in the spaces - not just student teacher / teacher teacher. Generally classrooms became a 'Kingdom' ( my classroom, my kids). Teacher training needs to change to address this - very soon.

These new buildings create new affordances - a fundamental shift in the way we navigate spaces and negotiate relationships.

Question - Will we ever be in our own classroom on our own in 10 years time?

The complex domain - constant change constant flux - unknown unknowns - innovative and imaginative possibilities. 

Chris called his staff brave, as did Stacey Quince - teachers need to be brave to make changes.

School Vision - 

Build learning capacity

Collaboration - students who are willing to work together when needed

Break through - spend time working on what they are good at - know what they are good at!

Why shared spaces ? What is the OECD view of the benefits? 

Professional growth

Professional development model

Differentiation 

Deprivatisation?

Inquiry?

No fluffy notion of what teachers do - if we are not creating learning then we need to know what to do.

BUT teachers need TIME to 

- meet

- plan

- reflect

- analyse

- think alone 

Even in our small model at RHS we are struggling with this.

The teacher team has many dichotomies to address - private/ public ; walled/ transparent.

What are we learning?

A real growth in incidental professional development - professional learning communitiesc are geographically located and happening in real time all the time. This has a significant impact on student learning.

Challenges

'Being in a arranged marriage' - collaboration involves some risk - the greater good 'we go' not 'ego'.

Group mind - mindset actively interrogates what is being done - always discuss them elephant in the room - tidiness, timeliness (!!!) 

What sort of teachers?

Lone star - own thing ! 

Butterfly - collaborate over everything!

T shaped worker - can do both - benefit learners.

'We not me' - our kids, not my kids - our space, not my space!

Is it working?

Feedback from students, parents, community suggest so. Student engagement suggests so.

What works together? 

Really enjoyed Chris' presentation today - lots to think about re our own building 

Connected Educator Month - Webinar - Modern Learning Practices in a connected world - 2nd October, 9am

In the chaos of the school hols, daylight saving and being 'home alone' - I miraculously remembered to log on and take part in this webinar.
However rural broadband not great for connecting - should have gone to school....

Some key questions being asked by Mark Osborne - how do we turn schools into awesome incubators? 
Being able to pass a test or 'jump through a hoop' is no longer enough - we need modern lernig practices for a connected world.
Where will learning take place?
How will teaching and learning change?
What will learning spaces look like?
Who will be participate - whose questions will be asked?

For us - this is the key MLP is about relationships, culture and best practice - just changing the space will not create real MLP - think about the pedagogy, your school vision and the learners in your school to make it happen!

Stephen Heppell - 'eyes on the horizon, feet on the ground'

Kids aren’t  just swapping ideas with each other they are designing their learning, their behaviours and their spaces...they build the protocols and the behaviours - they build the whole damn thing!! They are exhilarated to have learning in their own hands

When learning is exciting there is better cognitive engagement and reflective practice - 2 billion kids have got better ideas than 72 Ministers of Education!!

Fast lane learners - need to be able to direct learners to fast lane learning - but allow them to do that at their own pace.

Love the rule of THREE - http://rubble.heppell.net/three/

Derek Wenmouth - schools need to be places of attention not detention 

Love this metaphor from Sarah Webster -  My vision of a school is like a train station- I place where you can connect to other destinations. Learning happens anytime, anyway....hubs everywhere and 'teachers' being the tour guide and questioner along the way - ironically this article from the Herald appeared - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11277671

Janelle Riki - ako and tuakana-teina - sooooo part of the modern learning practices world - not so modern. Cutural values of caring - manaakitanga embedded. Make schools places where learning can take place any time of the day. Allow opportunities to happen.

Process to MLP  - team teaching, changing timetable that is co-constructed with the learners, learning about how to use the space - let the learners have the power

Learn the power and value of kai - basic

The connections between Art/Maths/Science and Performance mentioned - great reminders and prompts for connected curriculum -

Well that was a fascinating and thought provoking webinar - 4 excellent presenters.

Webinar archive can be found here - http://connectededucator.org.nz/starter-resources/archives/ 

The collaborative notes for the session can be found here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q835d7hfa_AtVBD5QTWcl9r_iew4ex1RmnJanUDnKG8/edit

The journey - MLE and P - Meeting 2

Key Questions

What is the endgame? Where will the heart of the school be? What is the quality heart space?

What happens to the spaces between the new build and existing buildings ? Flow across the school - where will the central entrance be? How do the memorial trees locate in this? Do we move the memorial trees ?

How do students flow through the building?

Connecting the old and the new - 

How do we get the old and new to 'interact?' - Ministry driver is the provision of teaching spaces - not what goes into the commons. 

Relocatables 

What will KBlock look like? How many science labs? Will there be space for staff work in the 'transitional build?' 

Science have produced a detailed plan of what it could look like. 

Legoland - Jasmax model 

Possible footprint - very early working drawings - collating ideas 

How do we want a student commons to integrate to the rest of the school around it - between Arts and Technology?

The pedagogy 

Focus on an integrated junior curriculum - with specialist electives out of the building - senior Science then brought in.

The pedagogy has to match the space.

Good question - What will a big glass space be like on a hot North Canterbury day? High ceilings and top line heat radiation. 

The learning whare - simple clean lines - make it more interesting inside. 

The Journey - planning for our rebuild

The meetings are ramping up as we really get on a roll regarding our 'rebuild'.

Planning meeting with Jasmax Team yesterday asked the key question -

What is the essence of the project? I guess that is our vision - which we need to firmly articulate very soon.

Other points and questions raised that we will need answers to very soon...

Subjects framed differently

-Yr 9 - integrated approach - begin with the AOs

- technology - how did effect the delivery?

- what does Sci look like in - numbers in labs? Physics / chem/ Bio focus ?

- how big are the break out spaces?

- hinged screens

- poles in the middle

- Julia Aitken - agile spaces

 How will work be displayed ?

- community projects

- digital archive

- glass whiteboard

- desk whiteboard

The team that went to HPSS had some clear ideas around this.

They asked us to think about buildingin what glass walls that are part of the main building - cost effective

- flexible - how the space is being used - how will you dress the space?

- what are the must haves?

Supervision - lots more teachers in a space to keep and eye and help manage this

The key thing is to focus on pedagogy - not space - don't make them an area of ownership.

At HPSS we saw students self select spaces to work in - quiet if needed - there were many spaces for this to occur in.

Locker spaces - need to be in useful space - easy to get too - safe space - certainly liked the idea of the locker spaces as social spaces at HPSS

Furniture and equipment fund -separate and generous :)

Peter Fenwick to ask about PD funding - 25% of school rebuild

Pastoral care - model if best practice investigated

How will it connect to existing buildings?

This is a key concern - as we need it to be 'connected'

How do we get around the big building to get across to G block ?

What flow will exist between and around the buildings?

Relocation of prefabs to KBlock -

The more we spend here, the less to spend on the new build - so this has to be carefully thought through.

9 relocatables - access ways  - simple wide and safe! How many Sci labs? What else is going there? How do we refit the Sci labs? How much money for relocatables ?

Exciting and busy times!

Small module - Sci + Eng combo

Having to do some work with the kids ....

Starting point - what keeps you awake at night?

Science and English AOs drive the programme.

Debunking the myths of what poets and scientists look like!!

Unit outline is here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yaMt_kJodYSHPy0OGkS1wsmfatCgN0H3Ak-joqTVN3M/mobilebasic

Student in collaborative work and feedback  - team teaching 

Some students at high tables - their choice. 

Natural transition between English and Science - in the conversations!

Conversation around flax linked to the whakatauki -

Range of seating options - 

Sharing in the circle - most important thing in your life .....

.....eek visitors have to answer too.....,

 Interesting responses from this Yr 9 group :

- family

- freedom - to think and day what I want 

- ecosystem

- existing

- relationships

- success 

- being the best

- active and enjoying and contributing

- honesty- true to yourself

- learning - wanting to build something better for myself and the people around me 

- people - who make me happy  - give me purpose 

English focus is on speaking - because that is the AO for the unit 

Which of these - poet, philosopher or scientist had had the most impact on your life?

Mini inquiry-a least one must be a female.

All individual inquiry for the rest of the day.

Next week 'hot air debate' - only 1 of each will be left in the balloon when it drops to earth?

What are the mini questions that we have to find out? 

-Who?

-Why?

"I made Einstein my wallpaper"