FutureMakers Update, 13 April 2024

The second of two items for my Kiwi readers as they begin their week.  This one a newsletter from my colleague Derek Wenmoth.

FutureMakers Newsletter 13 April 2024 Kia ora koutou This week I participated in an event in Wellington exploring all things digital and AI. Apart from that I’ve been working with a number of schools their planning for the rest of 2024 and into 2025. This week’s newsletter contains the usual variety of resources and links you may find interesting to read over the school break when teachers and students will be looking forward to a well earned break. Ngā mihi In this newsletter… The Tyrrany of Desire Students Decarbonising Schools AI Articles for Education Education for the Age of AI State of the Teaching Profession System of Schools – or a School System? Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy Learner-Centred Education The Tyrrany of Desire Desire plays a crucial role in motivation. It is the driving force that compels people to take action to achieve their goals. But what happens when we become captured by the desire to pursue the latest trend or technology? What if the basis of our desire is selfish, seeking personal recognition or reward over collective gain and sustainability? In this blog post I explore some of these ideas and conclude with some personal questions that may be useful to guide our thinking. Students Decarbonising Schools NZCER have recently released their report: Mana Ora: Student Decarbonising Schools, based on a 2023 pilot project undertaken by the Auckland Council’s Sustainable Schools team. The evaluation findings align with other studies that demonstrate the benefits of learners having opportunities to engage in climate action projects, including decarbonisation, as a means to build climate knowledge and understanding, a sense of personal connection, and power to make change. AI Articles for Education In preparation for the event I spoke at this week I pulled together a range of articles, links and resources that I’ve included in previous editions of the FutureMakers newsletter into a single document that you can access by clicking this link. (PDF download) There’s lots of information in this list to provide you with great reading over the school break 🙂 Education for the Age of AI There are so many books on AI appearing nowadays, but this one is worth a read. Education for the age of AI, is written by Charles Fadel and colleagues from the Centre For Curriculum Redesign. I’ve had a bit of contact with Charles over recent years as part of the GELP group, and his work, in my view, is excellent. The list of endorsements for this book leads me to think this one will be also! If you don’t want to purchase the book you can download a free PDF of Chapter Four: Impact on Education. State of the Teaching Profession (US) Teachers are dissatisfied, students are struggling, and the future of education looks grim. Those are some of the findings of the Pew Research Center’s annual look at the state of the teaching profession as summarised in this article in Forbes magazine. While the context is the US, there’s a lot in these findings that resonates with what I see and hear in New Zealand – and other parts of the world. The report does a good job identifying the issues and concerns – so the challenge is; “what are we going to do about it?” System of Schools – or a School System? I’ve worked with Steven Weber in North West Arkansas where he is an assistant superintendent. He frequently ponders some of the ‘big questions’ that we need to be thinking about on his Curriculum Blog. I thought this post titled “do we have a system of schools or a school system?” particularly relevant to some of the things I’ve been writing about and sharing in previous newsletters. Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy This report, Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence, was produced in collaboration with the National Education Policy Center. It synthesises the findings from 143 rigorous research studies on the impact of community schools on student and school outcomes. The report finds that, while community schools vary in the programs they offer and the ways they operate, four features—or pillars—appear in most community schools: Integrated student supports, Expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities, Family and community engagement, and Collaborative leadership and practices. Learner-centred education Here’s one of a series of videos recently released by Education Reimagined. It tells the story of The Met – the original Big Picture School established in Rhode Island in 1995. It illustrates how learning happens best when young people are free to be themselves, supported by a community of peers and mentors who champion their journey. The others in the series include Rock Tree Sky, FabNewport, and Iowa BIG. From the value of a caring mentor to learning in the real world, these films showcase the power of learner-centered education in action. Free Playbook Download your own copy of Agency By Design: An Educator’s Playbook from the Aurora Institute Website and use this to help guide you and your staff/school through the process of creating a learning environment where learner agency can flourish. This playbook has been designed especially to be used either personally or as a focus for your professional learning community. You can download the whole book or separate chapters, and then capture your own notes and reflections in the areas provided in the text, But wait, there’s more… At FutureMakers we use a range of forums to curate good ideas and resources. Check out the following… Derek’s Blog – regular posts available on the FutureMakers website Previous newsletters – access all of the previous editions of the FutureMakers newsletter from this one place Resilient Schools Online Community – brought to you in partnership with Transcend My slideshows from recent presentations curated on SlideShare Hybrid Learning – a collection of resources on the FutureMakers website Learner Agency – another collection of resources on the FutureMakers website If you’ve enjoyed reading this newsletter please feel free to forward it to others to read, or better yet, ask them to become a FutureMakers subscriber so they will receive their own updates delivered to their mailbox. Subscribe to The FutureMakers Newsletter I’m always interested to hear your feedback or ideas about what you’d like to see included in future newsletters – please use the link below to email me with your suggestions. Email Derek

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