So What, Now What?

I’ve had some time now to reflect on the experiences and learning of the last few days, and as I sit on the plane returning for home, I’m going to try to capture some of the possible next steps. The following bullet points will serve as my ‘so what, now what’.

Further explore the concept of Challenge Based Learning. Investigate this in relationship to our current conceptual curriculum. Share a learnshop with Think Tank in this regard

Reflect on our vision statement. Do we want to simplify a layer across the to? At the moment we have ‘Kids on the Ridge Soaring High. I particularly like. ‘A school in which all learners are empowered to realise their own unique talents’. The vision - get it out there more. Charter development.

I have a dream... what is our dream for learning? Articulate on the walls of our school why we are here. Flags of SOTA school. Investigate putting our vision statement up, as previously discussed with Shelley. Inside and outside.

• Further leadership thinking. What is leadership? What is your vision for learners in your team? How is that vision communicated? Leadership is seeing a world you believe in and putting it in to words. Leadership by vision

• Gathering evidence of learning - our challenge - we’ve identified it... now lets move further. Investigate the potential of technology within this. IPad 2 - Online portfolios.
What evidence shows that the adults are learning in schools? Portfolios - for adults as well as students. - The importance of being able to show this. WHAT DOES OUR EVIDENCE LOOK LIKE (Teachers). My blog development here.

Try to organise a meeting (virtual or face to face with the lead programmer for Assembly. Show them our thinking and investigate building functionality into the assessment side of the programme for our learners.

Share with all staff the key messages of Dan Pink and ‘Motivation For Learning’. Encourage all staff to put a microscope over their practice and interogate the way motivation for learning and creative teaching occurs for their learners.

Learning Space design and development - ask our students/ teachers. An i-pad wall??? Share with all staff the research on classroom space set-up. Link back to ‘Personalising Learning. Watering hole, Cave, Campfire, Mountain Tops. May need to reconsider furniture - start to strategically plan further for furniture upgrades / changes across the school. Build on what has already occured. Indoor and outdoor spaces to achieve this.

• Library / Information centre - an IPAD wall. We need to revision what we believe this space is for. Who are you designing this for? Why the learning space is needed? What is being learnt?

• Further consider the place of technology in our vision of personalising learning. Next steps? I-pad 2 for teachers?

There is quite a bit to be done in considering these pathways. I come away from my short time in Singapore with a mix of feelings - I feel inspired, challenged, affirmed, determined, excited, and privileged. I look forward to further sharing my learning, and hopefully instilling similar feelings in my colleagues as we join together to further grow our learning, and the opportunities for all to be empowered to realise their own unique talents.