21st Century Learners

Holding different perspectives together in tension

We are bringing our children into a pluralistic world in which they will encounter many perspectives different to their own (as continues to be underlined by cultural clashes around the world). How they engage with these perspectives will make huge differences to their learning, their wisdom, their relationships – and even their safety. Teaching through and for dialogue can help children to make the best of an encounter with ‘the other’.  Here are some ideas that support this view: Continue Reading »

Biesta’s model of the multiple purposes of education (see previous post) provides a framework for exploring big questions about the aims of schooling.  But can it usefully be adapted to help the leaders of individual subjects to explore the purposes of their provision, and ultimately to develop a driving vision?

In recent meetings with science subject leaders (at KS2 and KS3) I have suggested the following model as a starting point for discussing the broad purposes of science education and then for developing a set of more specific aims and a vision statement. Continue Reading »

In a postmodern view, ‘truth‘ can be thought of as an event that disrupts our thinking; if we are open to it it can lead us into a better future (Caputo, 2013).  Such events are happening all the time in the world of education; the challenge is to remain open to them, to avoid identifying too strongly with one paradigm – not to become a card-carrying ‘traditionalist’ or ‘progressive’, for example.

The work of Gert Biesta can support this ‘openness’.  Biesta helps us to a wider view of education by focusing on the question of purpose – putting the ‘why’ of education before the ‘how’.  He suggests three broad domains of educational purpose which are represented in the Venn Diagram below: Continue Reading »

I know a little boy (quite well as it goes) who cries as he lines up to go into school each morning.  His class is loud and unruly and his teacher is struggling to ‘crack them’.  I think they are disengaged – struggling to see the relevance of the majority of what they are asked to do. But I expect they will be cracked in the end – assimilated into a system that will push them through a sequence of graduated steps to a distant goal of success in paper-based examinations, like so many action figures on a production line. They will be assessed and ‘tracked’; ‘interventions’ will be put in place for those who do not progress along the conveyor belt at the expected rate. And when they reach the end, having been made compliant by the system, they may well be no more adaptable to the world that waits for them than those action figures would be. Designing tough, paper-based examinations to ‘sort the wheat from the chaff’ and then allowing the demands of these to drive the agenda for thirteen years of schooling seems to be a questionable approach to preparing our children for their futures. Continue Reading »

Re-housing

The first truly Spring-like Saturday morning of the year, and I spent it in a drama studio!  Fortunately it was an incredibly rewarding morning of learning with the magnificent Nantwich-based drama company, ‘The Young Actors‘. We came together to trial our ‘Re-housing’ project with an invited audience from the local community.  This journey began when Geoff Smith (Director of the Young Actors) wrote a fascinating piece of process drama to explore the concepts of ‘home‘, ‘family‘ and ‘community‘.  Geoff then approached me, curious to find out whether Philosophy for Children (P4C) could add depth to his latest piece. Continue Reading »

I have been writing my ‘Level 3 Assignment’ for Sapere as I work towards becoming an accredited trainer in Philosophy for Children.  In the process I have encountered some fundamental questions: ‘What are the purposes of education?’, ‘In what ways are children distinct from adults?’ and ‘What are the implications of our answers?’  Heavy going! Continue Reading »

I attended a ‘New Trainers Information Day’ at Sapere last weekend and encountered more examples of people using P4C to great effect.   I’m really interested in the Building Communities through Dialogue project run by DECSY in Sheffield.  Looks like a great example of how P4C can be used to build understanding and trust between people of different backgrounds – a great approach to transition too!  Also, Sapere’s School Award Scheme looks like a great model for developing P4C practice.

I started to lead my 3^rd Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) hub last week.  This project (a collaboration between the Association for Science Education (ASE) and the Science Learning Centres and funded by Wellcome) has a lot to commend it.  It provides truly developmental training for subject coordinators and helps them to establish a cycle of improvement through pro-active and reflective leadership.  Well worth a look!  Contact Neil for more information.

I (and, I know, many of you) have felt for some time now that we need to get off the school treadmill and take a long, hard look at what we are doing in education. What do our children really need from the education system as they prepare for life in an uncertain future?   I know that the prevailing political climate around education is perceived as being all about getting back to the basics of core knowledge, and that many colleagues feel constrained and stifled.   But we – teachers everywhere – remain responsible for the learning experiences we create in our classrooms, and I can’t believe that we don’t have the opportunity, and indeed the responsibility, to raise our voices and help to shape the future of learning. Continue Reading »