About:

This week we meet Diana-Grace Morris, Assistant Principal at Ridgway School, Wellington. She’s passionate about futures thinking, complexity and challenging some of the norms and assumptions of teachers work. Today she shares her doubts about what raises achievement and offers some new approaches to student and adult learning.

Key Points:

• Warmth of interaction as a priority

• Focussing on student experience, one student at a time

• Collegial vs congenial relationships

• ‘Commoning’ as a way of learning together in public

• How ‘getting it right’ can sometimes be the wrong focus

• How to move into uncertainty

Other resources and Links Mentioned:

• Diana Grace on Twitter

• Diana Grace’s blog

• Simple Habits for Complex Times

Music courtesy of  http://www.bensound.com

About:

This week we meet Betsy Corcoran, CEO and founder of Edsurge.com. Betsy was in New Zealand as the international keynote for the Education technology Summit at Massey University. We caught up to talk shop and to take a tour of a couple of Auckland schools. Edsurge write reviews on education technology and bring teachers and Ed-tech companies together to talk about what teachers need. Today Betsy talks about teacher agency, and how every school should choose the tools that best fit their context.

Key Points:

• Teacher agency

• How teachers and ed-tech leaders communicate

• How teachers decide what technology to use

• Why learning needs to be fun

Other resources and Links Mentioned:

• Edsurge.com

• Edsurge podcast

Music courtesy of  http://www.bensound.com

About:

Jeannie is the National Library Adviser for the Far North Region, where her passion for reading, and her drive to help create great libraries has her constantly on the go. She has a deep understanding of how reading can bring a community together, and today she shares her experience helping teachers, school leaders and communities find connections through their libraries.

Key Points:

• The library as a central space for community

• Reading dogs as great listeners

• How do schools show that reading is valued?

• How can parents participate?

• How libraries can learn to ‘let go’

• The role of e-books

• How reading develops empathy
  
   

Other resources and Links Mentioned:

• Jeannie on ‘Why we need libraries’, in the Campbell’s Bay school newsletter.

• Miranda McKearney OBE - from Empathy Labs

• ‘Compassion is the heart’s imagination’ - Wislawa Szymborska

• Jeannie’s blog

• Wayne Mills - Kids Lit Quiz

• National Library blog. Including Jeannie’s work.

• Ruawai Primary

• Ohaeawai School Library blog. (reading dogs)

Music courtesy of  http://www.bensound.com

About:

Nick Pattison is the STEM Science and Innovation Hub Director at Rongomai School in South Auckland. He has a knack for applying for grants that lead to his students getting involved in their community and learning to become leaders in STEM through inquiries that make an impact in their world. In this episode, Nick shares his approach to introducing STEM, and talks about Rongomai School’s journey so far.

Key Points:

• How to start in STEM - new sources of funds and resources
  
• Making the most of your community  - getting involved in projects that make connections
  
• Learning through trying and failing
  
• Why we shouldn’t compare ourselves to Finland
  
• Choosing citizen science projects that meet learning needs
  
• Helping kids feel ‘smart enough to do science’
  

Other resources and Links Mentioned:

• Nick on Twitter
  
• Article about Nick
  
• Curious Minds - Funding for school Science projects
  

Music courtesy of  http://www.bensound.com

About:

This week we meet Tanya Gray, coordinator and lead presenter at Gather Workshops. She’s on a mission to increase the uptake of programming in secondary schools. With a professional background in web development, Tanya is now applying her real-world experience to classroom learning and bridging the gap between schools and industry. In this episode she shares her passion for teaching people to build the web for themselves.

Key Points:

• Teaching people to build the web
  
• Focussing on student achievement
  
• Why teach code?
  
• Programming and the New Zealand Curriculum
  
• Letting student interests lead
  
• What is professionalism?
  

Other resources and Links Mentioned:

• Tanya on Twitter
  
• Tanya’s Site
  
• Gather Workshops
  
• Gather Conference
  
• Gather Workshops on Twitter
  

Music courtesy of  http://www.bensound.com

About:

Margaret Thorsborne is a leader in restorative practice and workplace conflict resolution. Margaret’s work has transformed how many schools approach what we often call discipline or behaviour management. As a teacher or parent, if you’ve ever caught yourself nagging, or raising your voice about the same old things, then restorative practice can really help. Today Margaret talks about how her work began, and why we need to look at things differently if we want to really help young people build good relationships.

Key Points:

• The history of ‘consequences’ as behaviour management
• The school to prison pipeline
• How to be the adult in the room
• The dark history of parenting
• ‘Code switching’ to read the play
• The ‘quick fix’ is a myth
• How the Police use RP
• The risks of outsourcing behaviour management
• RP with adults in the workplace

Other resources and Links Mentioned:

• Margaret on Twitter
• Margaret’s site
• Nathan Mikaere Wallis - Getting kids to behave (Radio New Zealand interview)
• Norman Doidge
  • The Brain That Changes Itself (Book)
  • The Brain’s Way of Healing (Book)
• Robin Grille: Parenting for a Peaceful World (Book)
• Carol Dweck: Mindset (Book)

Music courtesy of  http://www.bensound.com

About:

Fabiana Kubke is a neuroscientist and lecturer at Auckland University. Fabiana has taught at all levels of education and is passionate about open science and collaborative learning. Today she talks about her studies on the brain and how we learn and, she shares some of her many insights on teaching and learning.

Key Points:

• What animals can teach us about emergent properties of the brain
• How we practice while we sleep
• Brain/machine interfaces
• How assessment influences sharing
• Resources constraints to encourage collaboration
• The infinite value of curiosity in learning
• How history still drives current pedagogy
• Comparing tools of engagement

Other resources and Links Mentioned:

• Fabiana on Twitter
• Fabiana’s science blog

Music courtesy of  http://www.bensound.com

About:

This week we meet Tony Burkin, leadership coach and Director of Leadership and Learning at Interlead. Tony works with leaders and teachers all over the country and he’s passionate about the power of dialogue to bring about change. Today he shares his experience in supporting educators to stay curious and offers some great ways to grow professionalism and critical thinking in schools. 

Key Points:

• It’s not only about the kids
• How to promote transformational learning
• The power of staying curious
• Teaching as a profession
• Teaching strategy vs teaching practice
• The value of journalling for teacher reflection

Other resources and Links Mentioned:

• Interlead  Tony
• Professional practice versus teaching practice - blogpost

Music courtesy of  http://www.bensound.com

About:

This week we meet Mike Chunn, founding member of the iconic Kiwi band Split Enz and CEO of the Play it Strange Trust. Play it Strange was established to encourage young New Zealanders to get involved in songwriting and musical performance. Today Mike talks about the power of songwriting; how it can provide confidence, power and purpose to young people, and how schools can it happen.

Key Points:

• The importance of a competitive environment for young songwriters
• What makes a great song?
• How to build a songwriting school?
• How songs empower us to face challenges
• Mental health and music

Other Resources and Links Mentioned:

• Play it StrangeTrust - Look for a link to the new ‘Strange World’ student community in June.
• Mike Chunn
• Split Enz
• Mike Chunn & The Long Black Cloud (Documentary on mental health featuring Mike)

Music courtesy of  http://www.bensound.com

About:

This week we meet Philippa Nicoll Antipas, former Head of English who has taken her career and her thinking in new directions working with the good people at the Mindlab, and most recently, with the Connected Learning Advisory giving schools unbiased advice on integrating technology. Today Philippa talks about design thinking, teacher agency, and how the language of change management influences how we see our colleagues.

Key Points:

Do we really need to disrupt education?

Implementing design thinking in education

How do we apply empathy to hear minority voices

Coming back to why we became teachers

The language of change management

Feeding teachers to grow capacity

Teacher agency

Other resources and Links Mentioned:

Connected Learning Advisory

Philippa’s Blog

Music courtesy of  http://www.bensound.com