10 things in preparation for Headship

Reblogged from prepschhead:

It was good to be with IAPS N1 Deputy Heads this afternoon and to be invited to contribute to the programme along with Neil Jones.

The first session focussed on preparation for Headship which is something I have posted on before; see previous posts.

Today I highlighted:
1. If you are a Deputy Head you should never feel compelled to be a Head.

Read more… 447 more words

A very concise and thorough list from my friend prepschhead! Far more erudite than my contribution yesterday, this list gets to the heart of the significant points to consider in Headship. For me, numbers 3, 6 and 8 stand out as carrying the most weight and having the greatest bearing on one's personal development as a Head. Decide what your vision for education is. Network and build up a support group. Commit to the highest level of professionalism. I was privileged to be with an outstanding group of fellow Heads at an annual dinner last night in IAPS district 1N. The dinner also marked the retirement from Headship of two wonderful educators and significant characters within Prep Schools. It is clear that successful Headship will also require character - not just in the personal attributes of resilience, perseverance, graciousness, etc. - but in being a figure that the community you lead can rally around. Not everyone can be a larger-than-life and ebullient individual, but there are other "characters" that Heads can be that inspire confidence, trust and a desire for affiliation. I met many last night and it is an aspect of Headship that must not be lost. The school is you and you are the school, perhaps?

Which came first the knowledge or the skills?

It has been SATs week in the Juniors and for Infant 3.  The children have taken assessments in English, Maths and Science and this year, for the first time, a Grammar paper was included.  A great deal of debate has raged over the separation of grammar and writing assessments.  Some believe that grammar ought to be assessed within the context of longer pieces, others that pure grammar knowledge (i.e. a separate test) would underpin improvement in writing.  But then, it is countered, there is less of an opportunity to apply knowledge if it is not seen as key to writing assessment.

You could try it if you are so inclined! http://bit.ly/17DCcr6

For me, there has to be balance in all things.  We have articulate, bright children whose grasp of language is strong.  We also value the knowledge of things, Mrs Elson’s Key facts for example, that provides a foundation for further enquiry about the world.  Yet we never lose sight of the need to apply knowledge gained to practical activity and especially to investigation.  We have a trophy awarded at Speech Night each year which is all about knowledge leading to curiosity.  It is for the Junior pupil who has scored the highest over the year in the weekly Key Facts test.  It is our belief that developing a firm knowledge base gives children the confidence to enquire about the world around them, to find out whether the facts are correct and to use enquiry to develop their knowledge further.  There is no knowledge without discovery and no discovery without knowledge.

On my desk I have a paperweight with a quote attributed to Albert Einstein.  For me, it puts into perspective the place of knowledge in learning.  Knowledge is essential, undoubtedly, however there is more that must be ignited in young children that will carry them forward in their lives, never losing sight of the voyage of discovery.

Imagination is more powerful than knowledge

Just like a drug?

This week had bookends.  I like the sense of starting a week on a theme then revisiting it as it comes to a close.  Of course, schools naturally work like this, but when this is scaled up to the whole school community, it has a greater resonance.  We started on Monday with a day dedicated to eSafety.  Infant 3 to Junior 4 in Monday’s Assembly, the Junior classes, the teaching staff and parents had the opportunity to understand the risks that we are exposed to in our ever-increasing use of the internet and digital devices.  In particular, the staff and parent sessions highlighted, only too clearly, just how much responsibility we as adults must take in guiding, shaping and modelling children’s attitude and behviour, not only in general terms but specifically with respect to on-line activity or the use of digital devices.  As the bulk of this responsibility inevitably falls to parents, as a school community have to look very closely at the kind of support we can provide for each other.

My 4-year-old son is, thankfully, not quite at the stage that some children have clearly reached, with an addiction to iPads as severe as that to alcohol or heroin.  He does not have unfettered access to computer, iPad, Wii or other devices (including his sister’s ‘old’ Nintendo DS!).  Although he wishes it were otherwise.  We struggle as parents to enable him to develop the self-control and personal discipline that would prevent the tantrums and sulks if he is either asked to stop or is not allowed to play games on them.  We have no answers and know that we share a similar dilemma with other parents of small children.

I hope that we can continue to guide his social and emotional development to ensure that he understands, naturally, the role that technology plays in a balanced and effective life.  Discussion will continue for sometime and, as parents who have grown up through the technological revolution, the challenge is for us to see the presence of it from our children’s perspective.   He has known nothing else.  These devices have been in his house, used by his parents and big sister all of his life.  However, we must hold fast to certain immutable facts, regardless of the state of society or the form of media:

1. we are the adults and retain a veto
2. humans will always need to be adept at social interaction
3. an ability to communicate articulately is essential in all aspects of our lives

So when I asked in Monday’s Assembly how many children climbed a tree last weekend I was very pleased that the response was the same number as for those who had used the internet.

Balance and moderation in all things, someone once said.

Of Dragons and other myths

So I have the whole school plus a good number of parents in Assembly today.  I have told the story of St George and the Dragon (possibly not wholly as legend would have it) and, as is usual, I get hands in the air from the children wishing to contribute further and ask questions.  One in particular, lets call them X, has a hand raised and is keen to be called to speak.  Now X has a fine, enquiring mind, is articulate and insightful, so asking them to speak in Friday Assembly is bound to lead to a deep and profound discussion…I wasn’t disappointed!

“Do Dragons really exist?”

20+ staff, 30+ parents, 160 children from 3 to 11.  I am asked to comment on something that relates not only to Dragons but to the fundamental belief in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, God and whatever it is that lives under your bed!  I paused for a moment…

I’ll leave my personal religious, Scientific and spiritual beliefs aside for now.  Fundamentally, I am a primary educator and a parent. So I answered as best I could:  ”Perhaps they do,” I said, realising that this is too easy a way out and would not satisfy X’s need to understand.  X is 9.  So I went on: “We don’t know for sure that they DON’T exist, so there is enough doubt for us to believe that dragons might exist.  There is a grain of truth in legends and it is impossible for us to know the true origins of the story.”

I could tell that this was unsatisfactory   X raised a hand again.  They spoke: “Perhaps they didn’t know what the creature was and so they gave it a name to help the people understand what they didn’t know.”

I certainly could not have said it better myself.

On duties…

We are preparing to host a day devoted to esafety. In doing so we will be inviting our parents to an evening session devoted to the knowledge that they need to possess and the role that they play in shaping children’s attitudes towards the use of ICT and mobile technology in school, home and family life. As a primer, this BBC news piece highlights important tensions and useful resources in the ongoing debate about very young children and their engagement with tech.

Recent discussions with staff at schools about defining duties within Education for Social Responsibility, of which more anon, lead us to recognise what is needed is a more honest appraisal of the roles and influence of teachers and parents in the lives of our children. And when it comes to the newness of digital tools at our disposal, we need to open our eyes to the possibilities and the pitfalls and not shy away from debate. Reason, good sense and centuries of sound educational theory will not be blown away in the sweep of a gesture across a tablet screen! So, crucially and inevitably it is adults – parents and teachers – that must model the appropriate behaviour and level of engagement. No mean feat, either for adults who themselves are keen and enthusiastic users of digital technology for work or leisure or those who abhor or who are even ambivalent to its subtle charms!

I am a parent of a 4 year old (boy) who can and does use iPhone and iPad. From an educator’s point of view I know he can engage with it ‘cleanly’, clearly developing skills and knowledge when using good ‘apps’ or watching, for exmple, Sesame Street on YouTube (carefully monitored). However there is also a good deal of wailing and gnashing of teeth – ours and his – about moderating access. Yet we know, we hope we know, that we are balancing this access with all that is good and right and wholesome in the life of a 4 year old such as his books, bikes and buddies.

And perhaps this is what has always vexed parents, the eternal question: am I doing the right thing? Ultimately this question cannot be answered, yet it must be one we remain unafraid to ask, either as parents or educators. Of ourselves or each other.

First ESR in-service training

Just over a week ago, I had the opportunity to visit Barfield School near Farnham to facilitate training and familiarisation with Education for Social Responsibility (ESR). I met an incredibly engaged and enthusiastic staff team, who exemplify the unique blend of knowledge, experience and diversity of views found independent schools. This was the first time that we have been able to present ESR to a whole school and so the feedback is both insightful and valuable, allowing us to recognise more precisely what ESR can mean.

Two key questions arose which are important to reflect upon as we share experiences across IAPS. It was exhilarating to be able to debate and discuss deeper issues about the purpose of education and it only serves to clarify the purpose of ESR.

What is “new” about ESR?
The strapline to the presentation on ESR is “one day they’ll call it education”.  Because what we do, everyday in our interactions with the young people at our schools is all about this incredibly important, incredibly divisive concept of “education”.  So what ESR is built on is a legacy of and continual research into what makes education effective in preparing future citizens.  What is new is the opportunity to hold a dialogue within our schools and across our association about the purpose of education, it’s relevance and efficacy for children facing a rapidly changing world.  Of course, there is inherent danger in naming any initiative as our tendency is to categorise, sort, label and compare. So a core purpose of ESR is to enable us to recognise just what our core purpose is.

How is this different from what I have done for years?
Excellent practice and pastoral care is immutable. There are, as was pointed out in discussion, ways of enabling children to develop and learn that have not and will not change: good relationships, effective language, reliable pastoral care, the involvement of parents, and so on.  What is different is that schools are being asked to consider the function of the organisation in its entirety; to engage in an approach to systems thinking that draws together the curriculum, resource management and activity beyond the classroom in the context of the social, environmental and economic challenges ahead.  The benefits of years of experience can be brought together with contemporary, innovative approaches, resulting in a stronger and more effective preparation for children and young people.

Its no small thing and I would like to thank the Headmaster, Robin Davies, and Staff at Barfield for their time, their candour and their wealth of knowledge. Education for Social Responsibility is stronger and more focused because of their input.

It’s good to talk

A couple of years ago, Ian Yorston concluded an exhilarating and challenging presentation at the IAPS conference with the chilling statement “Create the software or be the software”. His assertion was that our teaching of ICT has to develop beyond using programmes to creating programmes; understanding how to create software so that our students will be better equipped to relate to the world. After 4 days of a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) diploma course, it has dawned on me that there is another way of looking at Ian’s statement. Not with the attention on ICT but on human communication and relationships.

Learn the programme or be the programme. With a science background, I’m not given to hyperbole and remain healthily sceptical until proof is available. That is why I wanted to explore NLP further. I now recognise that it has received very poor PR largely due to its misuse and promotion by “trainers” and “consultants” who lack authenticity and indeed, in some cases, the necessary training. Whatever the criticism of it, at a fundamental level NLP provides tools to understand how we process our experiences of the world around us through our perceptual systems (senses, neurological preferences) to create “programmes” with which we interact with that world. It also enables us to better understand other people and communicate with them more effectively.

By continuing to improve our understanding of others and of how to form more effective relationships we will become better as both individuals and as a society – humans are inherent,y social organisms. The tools of communication (both verbal and non-verbal) are available to all of us as are the frameworks for development, whether this is NLP or otherwise. We need to learn to use these tools and then perhaps we will be better at interacting with our increasingly complex world.