After a little break due to illness, Dean and I are back with a great interview with Tom Barrett. Tom shares his journey from humble beginnings as a Primary teacher in the UK to becoming an education consultant running his own business, Dialogic Learning. Through Dialogic Learning, Tom helps schools get better through dialogue and deep thinking. In this episode, we discuss how we can create the conditions for great meaning through shared language and so many other great topics.
 
Leadership: the need to broaden our definitions of what it means to lead and to not compromise on our beliefs.
 
Tom shares his experience of writing a Masters of Education (Innovation and Change) course from scratch for Torrens University. 
 
How language and habits can enculture innovation, including the exploration of where our language around innovation comes from.
 
How we need to redefine our relationship with failure
 
Tom shares his experience working as the education consultant to two architectural studios in Sydney. This continues our ongoing discussion into the impact of learning spaces on learning in schools.
 
 
About Tom Barrett
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombarrett1/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/tombarrett
Director of Dialogic Learning - http://dialogiclearning.com/
Email: Tom@dialogiclearning.com
Blog: http://edte.ch/blog/
Lecturer and content developer for Torrens University Australia - http://www.torrens.edu.au/courses/education/master-of-education-innovation-and-change
 
 
Shownotes 
 www.jamesclear.com
http://jamesclear.com/failure-scientist

Ep 12: Interview with Tom Barrett

A podcast all about education, technology, innovation, pedagogy, design and creativity. Hosted by Steve Brophy and Dean Pearman.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Dean and Steve dive into a rich conversation about the spectrum of creation. Is the technology in our schools active or passive? Is it a set and get or do we put low floor, high ceiling technology opportunities in front of our students? These questions get mulled around as we talk about the relationship between knowledge transfer and knowledge creation. We explore the power of using deconstruction to explore everyday complexity and how this exploration leads to increased curiosity. Deconstructing everyday items and systems helps students to see how parts interact with other parts and the complexity of the interactions between them. This helps students to find areas where there is friction and helps them become better at problem finding. This conversation then leads us to a conversation on information and sensory overload. How are we shutting off in an age of information abundance? We finish off our great chat with a discussion on how might create online learning opportunities that create community inspired action.
“Learning is a consequence of experience.” - Piaget
“Technology is humanity’s accelerant.” - Kevin Kelly
Shownotes
Pi-Top
Agency by Design Thinking routines
Third Space
Float tank - Sensory deprivation
Flow Performance
Flow Genome Project
Microsoft Teams
Lego Play

Consumption vs Creativity

Where have we been? Steve begins by sharing the behind the scenes of the new University Campus at Ivanhoe. Year 9 is traditionally recognised as the year where students provide the most challenges in terms of disengagement, behaviour, and lack of direction. But is Year 8 the new Year 9? Dean and Steve talk about how their collective schools approach this challenge.
Design thinking pops up again (it does in every episode!) and Dean reflects on his human-centred approach to learning and schooling after appearing at the Leadership Exchange. Networking is a key factor in this approach and Dean and Steve talk about their respective network development journeys. The lone genius is a myth as the greatest ideas of our time have come from people bouncing off each other. Dean proposes 5 key stages of networking from his own experience. 
Stages of networking
Reach out
Twitter - Twitter chats, hashtags, following thought leaders. LinkedIn
Blog - evolve thinking
Giving more - connect with people on a deeper level and work together. Reading
Outside networks - bringing ideas from outside education
The Design and Play podcast began due to a desire to do deep work together. The learning that we do within our networks needs to evolve. We also jump into design inspired archetypes to help break our assumptions about schools and leadership. Do you have a bias towards actions or do you embrace ambiguity? Finally, we discuss 1:1 programs and our questions and worries about the current state of our own programs. The wicked problem - how do we best serve our students’ needs with technology? Is our current approach enough?
Show notes
Ivanhoe Grammar University Campus 
Leadership Exchange
David Eagleman
Creativity in the brain podcast
Lauren Sayer
Stephen Heppell
Design Thinking for School Leaders - Five Roles and Mindsets That Ignite Positive Change
TransTech Conference
Steve Glaveski
VUCA

Networking, PLNs and Design Thinking

In our first real episode for 2018, we revisit the importance of offline time and switching off. This is always a challenge when work is something you are incredibly passionate about. How do we develop good work habits when the lines are blurred so much? We explore the third space,  a concept developed by Adam Fraser designed to help people transfer better between work and space. We once again circle back on time tracking and managing our time. We explore the value of what to measure when tracking time. Steve explains his tracking of interruptions and the use of reticular activation to intentionally manage his focus and habits. We talk about the books we read and those that just couldn’t bring ourselves to read (#blurredlines). This leads to a rich discussion on real evidence of learning and design thinking as a mental model. Student centred learning features as Dean explores his school’s new Inspire Me curriculum and the removal of the curriculum safety net. 
Shownotes
Dr. Adam Fraser - http://www.thethirdspace.com.au/
https://stevebrophy.com.au/2017/12/07/simple-strategies-to-help-you-transition-better-between-work-and-home/
Creative Schools - Sir Ken Robinson
http://sirkenrobinson.com/creative-schools-the-grassroots-revolution-thats-transforming-education/
Toggl - www.toggl.com
My Analytics - Microsoft
https://products.office.com/en-us/business/myanalytics-personal-analytics
Focus - Daniel Goleman
http://www.danielgoleman.info/books/focus-hidden-driver-excellence/
Mark Manson - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*#k
https://www.amazon.com.au/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Ck/dp/0062457713
Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555
Judson Brewer - The Craving Mind
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300223248/craving-mind
Tom Barrett - http://edte.ch/blog/2018/02/12/are-you-transfixed-by-a-proxy-for-learning/
www.dialogiclearning.com
Mental Models 
https://www.fs.blog/mental-models/

Taking the time to be offline

It is a December issue in March, oops!. We discuss Dean’s intervention regarding his podcasting sound and the palace studio he recorded this episode in. We reflect on the end of the 2017 school year and our plans for a reading break. We then take a really deep dive into 3D printing and the peaks and troughs of the approaches we have made in our schools. 
3D printing topics we discuss
Scalability of 3D printing
Process and solving the problem with the 3D printer.
3D printing isn’t rapid prototyping. It is not a plug and play technology.
How can we make 3D printing as accessible as 2D printing
The need for external partnerships
The challenges of keeping the printers running
How Might We normalise 3D printing to make it accessible for all?
Using the errors as the guideposts for future and as teachable moments.
Who is doing the thinking? Helping students to target the adjustments required for the future.
 
Shownotes
The TeachTechPlay conference - http://teachtechplay.com/
Educational Technology Consortium Victoria (ETCV) - https://www.etcv.vic.edu.au/
Ryan Holiday - https://ryanholiday.net/
Stealing Fire - Jamie Wheal & Steven Kotler - http://www.stealingfirebook.com/
Chris Ly aka the 3D Printing Guy - https://www.facebook.com/the3dprintingguy/
Makerbot - https://www.makerbot.com/
Makers Empire - https://www.makersempire.com/
Tinkercad - https://www.tinkercad.com/
e-NABLE foundation - http://enablingthefuture.org/
Stratasys 3D printers - http://www.stratasys.com/en

Episode 16 - A deep dive into 3D printing

We kick off the latest episode with Steve sharing his highlights from a recent visit to High Tech High in San Diego. Using Problem Based Learning to develop equity in the classroom, High Tech High is considered one of the best schools in the world. Steve talks about the rigor of the learning that adorns their walls, their onboarding process for new staff and how they develop shared language and collective vision with their staff. A huge shout out to Laura McBain and Randy Scherer for the time they gave up. 
Inspired by the PBL conversation, we take a deep dive into the new Year 10 PBL program at Dean's school. Context is paramount when it comes to implementing cultural change and Dean highlights how leadership helped and supported staff to embrace change. We discuss how staff have been supported to develop new mental models and how scaling lean how allowed his school to learn fast. For Melbournites interested, you can see this in action by jumping on the Innovative Schools bus tour being run by Design and Play's good friend, Trent Ray (details below)
 
Finally, Steve shares his EduChange17 experience. As usual, flow dominates the conversation but also highlight the power of podcasts to promote professional dialogue, help students debrief and develop their own understanding. We finish the show with the first series of podcasts recorded at EduChange with rich conversations with Carolyn Newell from WeTeachWell and Aaron Davis rounding out the episode.
 
Show notes
Laura McBain - https://twitter.com/laura_mcbain
Randy Scherer - https://twitter.com/RandellScherer
Inspiration, not Replication - http://amzn.to/2yzfot8
Hands and Minds PBL guide - http://amzn.to/2yzQDNz
High Tech High - https://www.hightechhigh.org/
Most Likely to Succeed - https://www.mltsfilm.org/
Buck Institute - http://www.bie.org/
Microsoft PBL course - https://education.microsoft.com/courses-and-resources/courses/problem-based-learning
Review of High Tech High blog post - http://bit.ly/2uwDRQj
Austin Kleon – Steal like an Artist - https://austinkleon.com/steal/
Adam Grant – Originals - http://www.adamgrant.net/originals
Trent Ray - https://twitter.com/ray_trent
Collective Education - http://www.collectiveeducation.com.au/
Innovative Schools bus tour - http://www.collectiveeducation.com.au/schools-tour-bus.html
James Colbert - https://twitter.com/jcolbert1980
WeTeachWell - https://twitter.com/weteachwell
Carolyn Newell - https://twitter.com/weteachwell
Aaron Davis - https://twitter.com/mrkrndvs
 
Design and Play are proud members of AEON.net.au

Ep 12: Interview with Tom Barrett

Download our free app to listen on your phone