October 29, 2024

E107 | The Connection Curriculum with Matt Pitman

58 minutes

In this episode of the Ed Leaders podcast, hosts Luke Callier and Mathew Irveng sit down with Matt Pitman, the senior program lead at Global Village Learning and author of The Connection Curriculum, to explore the importance of building strong community ties and fostering relationships in education. Matt shares his journey from teacher to leader, discusses his work with Global Village Learning, and offers actionable strategies for increasing student engagement and ownership in learning. They dive into the challenges of the current education system, critiquing passive participation and emphasizing the need for shared decision-making among all school stakeholders. The conversation touches on ways to transform school leadership, with Matt advocating for breaking down silos and flipping traditional leadership models to create more inclusive environments. The episode wraps up with rapid-fire questions, offering insights on educational narratives and resources for professional development.

Tune in for an engaging discussion that inspires educators to rethink leadership and community in schools!

Tune in now!

Highlights:

(02:033)Matt's journey in education: from gap year in UK to various roles in Catholic, government, and independent schools

(04:30)Matt's focus on building community and relationships with students and parents

(07:11)Global Village Learning for personalized learning approach

(08:11) Matt's book: 'The Connection Curriculum'

(20:25) Focus on practical application of research in education

(22:28) Book structure: first three chapters research-heavy, later chapters more personal voice

(25:12) Importance of belonging and relationships in schools

(27:10)Importance of involving parents in educational journey

(28:29)Shift from traditional control to partnership in education

(31:23)Importance of allowing disagreement and critical feedback

(45:37)Need to involve all community members in school decision-making

(38:12)Addressing 'bored' students and staff as an opportunity for growth

(41:11)Need to flip traditional leadership pyramid

(47:39)Importance of co-creation and partnership in decision-making

(51:01) Six quick-fire questions on education topics

(56:32)Emphasis on moving past rhetoric to action in leadership

You can also connect with us personally at LinkedIn:

Luke Callier - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ljcallier/⁠

Mathew Irving - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathew-irving-b6b91430/

Guest Links:

Website:mattpitman.com.au

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mattlukepitman

Special thanks to our partners:

People Bench - https://peoplebench.com.au/

Paperly - https://paperly.education/

Head on over to edleaders.com.au to hear more about our journey. If you'd like to know more about being a guest or would like to sponsor our show - check out https://www.edleaders.com.au/collabs

As always if you have questions, feedback, or a suggestion from a leader you'd like to hear from - send us a message! Please remember if you have a spare minute, please leave us a review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player which will help more like-minded school leaders discover us.

Go Well.

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By Luke Callier and Mathew Irving