Why Studio Schools Might Be Worth a Look!

Over the past year I have had the privilege to work in a small school in the Western Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It models a unique teaching and learning environment with a constructivist/nature based philosophy operating in a multi-age/multi teacher classroom. The school has ensured that all College students have opportunity to pursue their own path of academic excellence which has included WACE Courses, Nationally Accredited Certificate Courses through TAFE, Endorsed Programs and a partnership with Distance Education.

Our Workplace Learning (Careers) has been through significant change; over the past year we have sought to find the best model for authentic vocational partnerships. Last year, we stumbled across a pocket of educational brilliance that inspired us to reconsider many portions of the traditional workplace program we offered.

In 2011, STUDIO SCHOOLS were launched in Great Britain – schools (initially three) which focused around engaging students into “authentic partnerships with local businesses”. The school had an immediate and significant impact on student outcomes and in just 12 months has grown from 3 schools to over 60 with plans for the project to be available as a mainstream model for education in the UK and the full endorsement and funding of the British Government.

The more we examined this model, the more excited we became; because many of the unique features of the Studio School were already imbedded in our teaching and learning practices – Accredited Academic Excellence, Personalised curriculum, Practical based learning, Focus on Employability & Job-Readiness, Requirements for an intimate Small school setting and Student cohorts of mixed abilities.

The piece that has been missing (for many WPL programs) is the relationship with the business community. We have established some fantastic workplace learning experiences for students with some big name operators; however, the focus of these partnerships has been to meet the criteria for the accredited Workplace Learning Course. We were inspired to trial a model which gave the work placement a more “central role” by which there is a richer and more INFORMED, inter-relationship with the rest of the school curriculum.

Workplace Partnerships have GREAT potential; especially in a post compulsory education setting. They could/should offer;

• Employer Projects that are integrated with at-school learning in partnership with the teaching staff.
• Ongoing Mentorship and Coaching (INTER-RELATED not INDEPENDENT OF the child’s school goals).
• Like-any-other-employee expectation (though this isn’t a unique property – it is foregrounded)
• Paid work placements! Because payment is also an authentic part of our working life.

For example: Angela is a local business owner who runs a large furniture import & distribution business. She has expressed interest in partnering on a project with a student (Mary).

Angela prepares a brief “advertisement” for the position. Let’s say “Import Researcher”.

Mary’s first task is to apply for the position; Her Cover Letter, Resume and Selection Criteria are authentically seeking the position but also double as an assessment item for her English Course. Ideally, Mary could be interviewed and “appointed”. Mary works on her first day in the storeroom with Gavin and Doreen. Her assignment for the week is to profile the range of furniture pieces that the import company offer for distribution (these could be photographed and added to Mary’s portfolio).

Back at school, Mary researches where some of these pieces are sold in Perth and for what price. Mary is also asked to identify five places which offer similar stock pieces to Angela’s. Mary is required to produce a written report of her findings and present it to Angela and a member of her Sales team by week five.

I believe that this kind of unique partnership allows a shift in our focus from merely delivering a workplace learning ENCOUNTER to an integrated and comprehensive work-readiness program that is unique in delivery and function. A curriculum that allows us to broaden our skill development to include Communication, Relate-ability, Enterprise Planning and execution, Critical Thinking Skills and the development of Emotional Intelligence. Isn’t this what the business community SAY they want from young people emerging from the education system?

Employers have consistently raised concerns that young people are leaving education without key employability skills and a general awareness of the world of work. Many are frustrated by the failings of the traditional two-week ‘work experience’ block, and share the view that more must be done to improve the authenticity of work experience and the quality of employer engagement in education. Strong links with local employers lie at the heart of these ideas. Employability skills need to run through most aspects of our vocational curriculum, from the way students learn to the qualification and accreditation they achieve.

VET can’t remain an independent, extra-curricular consideration of our schools if we are to fairly service this growing school market. Thanks for showing us another option STUDIO SCHOOLS!

Taylor Mali – Need I Say More?

If you liked this; you’ll LOVE this: WHAT DO YOU MAKE?

 

Imagining English 2020

As a subject, English inspires its own controversies; from text choice to the ”goals” of English education in a modern curriculum; from use of spell checkers to ”whole language” and ”phonetic” reading practices. Everyone has an experience to share and an opinion to express.

When I reflect on my own exposure to Language/English during my schooling years, I feel grateful that I was part of the phonetic reading/spelling generation; however, I recall that grammar was definitely “out” … there was no direct teaching of ’parts of speech’ as a functional tool for improving written expression (though I do recall a class on ”collective nouns”). Reading and Writing were privileged and Viewing / Speaking and Listening were inadequately marginalised.

Personally, I didn’t score so well in English Literature at school and in reflecting, as a mature-aged university student, why I chose English Teaching as a vocation - I think my motivation was really developed through my years of “dramatic immersion” - learning, deconstructing, performing and directing scripts. I found the English core units in my university major both enlightening and exciting but still lament that after four years of university, we were not taught how to use functional skills nor were we ever expected to study them – even though our mandate was to go into the classrooms of the nation. That still floors me.

I remember buying a book on grammatical rules from the Baptist Secondhand Bookshop (which was published in 1954) and studying it so I knew the “languages of language”. It was the hardest unit of study and I still think I should be recognised with a unit credit for that torturous semester break .

Reflecting on how to harvest the best practice from my own experiences, knowledge and years in the classroom and then project that into what I feel “subject English” should look like in 2020 … I would prioritise the following considerations;

• Put creativity and imagination back in the centre.
• Build bridges – Actively seek opportunity to integrate learning with the other core learning areas.
• Assess vehicles for operational knowledge of the role of functional language (I want to read adverbs and adjectives in student’s writing again!)
• Embrace the new class of digital-natives – anything to maintain and enhance the culture of reading, writing, speaking, critical viewing and listening practices.
• Debate, debate, debate.
• Consent to the marriage of English and Vocational preparedness – attend the wedding and pay for the reception.
• Question whether the role of the English language as the ”central, universal language” is outdated.
• Determine what learning should be compulsory in the realm of the functional aspects of language.
• Love your LOTE and ESL staff – you have no idea how good they are making you look!
• Ask students, business and educators what modes of assessment will be best to prepare for a 2020 future.
• Seek relevant opportunity for the use of exceptional ‘out-sourced’, digitally relevant English tools.
• Demand a culture of literacy – bribe colleagues with cake.
• Articulate and affirm the irreplaceable role of the effective 2020 librarian.

But… why wait until 2020?

Thinking Routine – 3,2,1 Bridge

21st March – As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, I will be using a new thinking routine with my Year 9-12 (combined class) for English tomorrow. The routine is explained here (CLICK HERE: 3-2-1 Bridge Routine). My class will be looking at resumes … sounds boring right? After initial responses on what CVs and Resumes ARE we will then look at ”other” examples and then investigate what a resume COULD be.

Have a look at these: 20 Resumes to Blow Your Mind. Part of our activity tomorrow will be to write down the evidence of students “thinking” and I will post their responses directly here.

24th March – As promised; here is the feedback. I found the activity quite interesting. The final box asks students how motivated they are to write their own resume – once BEFORE the activity and then a response AFTER the activity. “1″ is LOW and “10″ is HIGH. I have highlighted the responses I thought were most interesting from the students;

 

 

 

Cultural Capital or Culture Clash?

Whether it is wise to write a blog immediately after attending a fantastic Professional Development session; I don’t know. BUT… I am throwing caution to the wind (BEFORE I return to the classroom) to jot a few thoughts down about today’s (grossly under-populated) experience with Mark Church on MAKING THINKING VISIBLE. Mark is the co-author (with Ron Ritchhart & Karin Morrison) of a newly released book by the same name (some core resources from the research/book are available at www.pz.harvard.edu/vt)

I was particularly engaged with the challenge to investigate the “culture” of our classrooms. Mark drew the analogy that walking into a classroom (or indeed any SCHOOL) is like walking into a new country; we are immediately bombarded with new sensory experiences, we quickly ascertain what kind of learning and teaching is privileged, what activities and actions are rewarded or rebuked, how ‘mistakes’ are managed/dealt with. Like the sights and sounds of a new country – we quickly draw conclusions; many of which are long-standing and most acutely accurate!

• Do we develop group culture?
• How do we make THINKING (intrinsically “invisible”)… VISIBLE?
• What do we want the children we teach to be like when they are adults?
• Does our classroom culture reflect healthy social, emotional, cognitive, spiritual and functional dispositions?
• What is the “story” of our classrooms? Does it reflect the learning we enjoyed (or despised) in our OWN educational journey?

I’m sure that Mark would be horrified by my butchering of his content into a bite-sized, take home pack! Sorry Mark! The truth is after immersion in self-reflection on the values that we see communicated through our classrooms/schools – we were better positioned to answer the two cornerstone questions;

• What is learned here? AND
• What is learned ABOUT LEARNING here?

With the political mandates dictating the direction of our curriculum it is easy to see how many classrooms are a story of WORK rather than a story of LEARNING… as Mark put it; ”Curriculum has become a mile wide and an inch deep”. I didn’t find the session a “preach” against these curriculum initiatives; in fact the focus was more directed to the fact that Testing, Curriculum and Syllabus are all delivered WITHIN the context of the CULTURES we DO control (e.g. modelling, environment, expectations, behaviour, interactions, relationships, structures, opportunities, language and allocation of time).

The methods and routines suggested to make thinking visible are best packaged by the team themselves but I can highly recommend the book (complete with DVD) and the website (noted in my first paragraph) as a source for unpacking these strategies.

Related articles

• Professional Learning Communities, STAR Teachers and the Road Ahead – Part 2 (theteacherlounge.wordpress.com)

Are We Listening?

The following speech was delivered by top of the class student Erica Goldson during the graduation ceremony at Coxsackie-Athens High School on June 25, 2010. Although I filter some of the sharpness through the scope of her “youth”, I’m reflective on her argument… which; although directed at the Public School System in the US, clearly resonates in public and private school across the western world.

I have added a link to the full text version under the video.

Here I Stand Erica Goldson

Is Technology Taking Our Breath Away?

I love e-technology. I love what it aspires to deliver – especially in the classroom. I am always experimenting with new ways for students to connect with their learning even through the erratic fast pace of comp-volution (I made that word up – the spell check won’t like it).  I can confess, that I rarely feel “on top” of it; indeed, I am often its slave – and a loyal one at that.

This year, I have been challenged. In the midst of overseeing our 1:1 iPad Rollout, IT Funding Applications, LMSs (Learning Management System – for us – Schoology) and School Blogs – I’ve rediscovered an old treasure – nature. Perhaps I was suffering from NDD (That’s homework – if you type in “NDD” and “Louv” into Google you’ll know what I’m alluding to OR read here  for cheats)

I’m losing weight at the moment – a belated New Year’s Resolution. I’ve clocked off 10kg to date (don’t worry – I’m going somewhere with this – and what’s a little self-glorification between friends?). I’m walking… a lot! Last week my son and I walked to church together (instead of the normal drive) - we took a back path and found some … unexpected delights. A HUGE butterfly which was in the final throws of life which sparked an amazing conversation with Mr 6. We walked past a straight line of HUGE trees and the wind caught it in such a way as to boom its audible authority on the moment. Finally, we found a huge Community Garden right next to the SKATE PARK and only 224 steps from my daughter’s school (Yes – I was wearing my pedometer ). The Community Garden has been running for over a year and they only have 45 members! Suffice to say, we were late for church but I attest that we both felt more ready for what church might offer.

I should have captured some of those moments WITH MY iPAD 2… I had it with me!

A day later, I did stop to capture a snap. It’s not going go down in history as a “Yellow Taxi – Put-Up-A-Parking-Lot” moment but it caught me in my musings. The footpath in these photos has been closed, whilst a brand new one has been built immediately adjacent. The new pathway is faster and functional but I suspect there’s more character and grit in this one. Like I said, nothing ground breaking (and there will be no National Geographic Photographic Award) but I found some remnant of truth I could apply;

• Should I retire the school library because we have instant e-encyclopedias at our finger-tips?
• Do I only view nature through a screen?
• Can I recall the fun of being dirty, sweaty, smelly and wet?
• Am I losing the personal art of phoning/hand-writing instead of email, visiting instead of meeting, creating instead of buying?
• Do I watch the game on TV, watch the game live or attempt to play the game?
• Do I make time for time in nature like I make time to watch the West Wing?
• Do I spend as much time developing real educational experiences as I do virtual ones? At school and for own Mr 6 and Miss 7?

Progressive schools are well in on this debate with many starting to rein-in the total e-centric curriculum (and its associated spendings) to ensure that students are the first focus of our engagement. Kate Bassett’s article, “New technology or imagination: Finding that balance” is worthy to consider for educational leaders who are in over-drive with staying at the fore of e-learning (My Holy Grail?).

As a passionate e-educator, I don’t subscribe to every point of concern but I do believe that “Balance” is the key word, particularly for the youngest in our care. At best e-technology is a catalyst to accelerated learning and a tool for documenting experience – a portfolio of personal learning in partnership; at worst a didactic tool which only seeks to reproduce knowledge-based learning with little focus on creativity.

Here is a preview from the Emmy Award Winning Film (“Where Do the Children Play?”) that Bassett refers to in her article;

What the Future Holds?

OK – I admit – American-centric but the principles are there for reflection.

Of Pendulums and Pedagogy

It is a wonderfully unique time in history for education. Learning opportunities and the breadth/depth of information access is overwhelmingly delicious. Running the Teachers’ Lounge websites/pages has been a great vehicle to document some of my own exposure to this wonderful e-world and I run with arms outflung to embrace the digital age!

I recently reflected with a friend that I recall my Dad having won a prize at his work (in the 1970s) – a hand-held calculator, with green lights! There was a huge controversy in schools about whether these devices should be allowed in mathematics classes. Similarly, the typewriter created controversy in its day, as it was seen as a ‘lazy writing tool’ ! We’ve come a long way in education.

It has been interesting to watch the evolution of the digital manifesto in our schools. Hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into 4 year turnaround devices (or less!) in order to ensure that schools are on the cusp of the education revolution – or at least – seen to be! Worse at times, is the competitive vying for digital one-upmanship which focuses little on the educational outcomes of the child, but rather the projected persona of the institution.

As a school administrator currently overseeing the trialling (2011) and roll-out of iPads (2012) in our Year 6-12 classes; I am very mindful that our curriculum responsibility does not end once students know how to use the devices and commence the interface with the virtual www superstore! But I do think this is a trap many curriculum leaders could fall into. The focus of time, energy and funding is very much on getting the digital mammoth established and packaging the pedagogy for quick sale.

… even as some parents and educators express unease about students’ digital diets, they are intensifying efforts to use technology in the classroom, seeing it as a way to connect with students and give them essential skills. Across the country, schools are equipping themselves with computers, Internet access and mobile devices so they can teach on the students’ technological territory.  (Click for full story)

I hear the concerns. It shrieks of “throwing the baby out with the bath water” and I am not immune to the need for reflection in this area. The questions are tied to other educational concerns in our community.

In the big picture, do we want students to do better academically or find and pursue their passions? I do understand that many educators would argue for both. The current educational climate is so centered on academic achievement and standards-based curriculum, I believe we need to make proactive, concentrated attempts to get the pendulum to swing towards semi-structured, open-ended, process-oriented and student-driven learning environments. Read Full Article

Re-read that last sentence… NO – read it again. Do we do that? Do YOU do that? I like to think I’m an experienced educator but really, I’ve only splashed in the pool of “… open-ended, process oriented and student-driven learning…”

For me, 2011 has shown me there are deeper waters and 2012 will be a full immersion baptism! I’m excited by the challenge. I have always had a little quote on my desk - ”Lord, your sea is so great and my boat is so small”. Apt.

Spiel Cheque

NAPLAN results are in for 2011 and WA has improved! Though SPELLING is still an issue.

Perhaps our relationship with email and sms-speak is a part contributor… perhaps we have become too reliant on our spell checkers and we have no need to self correct?

I had fun with this idea a few years ago and came up with this little ‘sample letter’ for students so they could see the fault in relying fully on ‘spell checkers’ in their work.

Deer Mr Coper

Eye rely licked hour conversion these mourning.

Eye have don a spiel cheque sew their should knot be a miss
stake in these litter.

Mr Whyteheed

Whilst my letter is a bit of fun – this clip showcases the fun I could have had with it…