"Alone we are smart, together we are brilliant"

This yeah I had the great opportunity to take part in U Learn 2016 in Rotorua. Today, I heard key note speaker Karen Spencer who is the director of Education for NetSafe in New Zealand.
Below I have taken notes about what she talked about during her keynote presentation.


Karen Spencer-Here is the link to Karen Spencers website that you can visit to get more information on her.

So, what now?

• To be an educator is to yearn to be better...getting better at what we do is part of our DNA. 
• The craft of teaching would not work without spirit. The spirit isn't enough-METHOD matters. 
• The ways in which we understand out craft is at the heart of teaching today. 
• Talk the walk: profession learning. 
• Professional learning is driven by you....community driven school based professional learning. 
• A key note: note that is played before the music begins, it sets the key for the song. 

The new #1: Teachers beliefs about their collective ability and efficacy.

This means working collectively. Being together, being networked-that is just the start. Types if conversations that we are having is the most important. I have listed some significant values that Karen Spencer talks about during her presentation.

1. Immediate values
2. Potential value: I need an idea...can you help me think about that.
3. Applied value: Shared learning from you and I take it into a different context. 
4. Realised value: Have conversations with each other, talking, hearing what they say. 
5. Re-framing value: Changing an approach, checking what you are saying. 

Look at what your community and your students needs.

1. Find the urgency-agent areas that the students need the most and start that. 
2. See the story behind data:  There are stories, lived experiences, seek to hear those stories. 
3. Embrace discomfort: working collectively, leaning and designing ways to embrace discomfort. 

Hold you ideas lightly: and we play carefully before we introduce anything. 

You have a student in your class who is not participating during class discussion

• Not understanding the content. 
• Something has happened before school. 

Look for an alignment with vision for school community and what is happening with your learners. Vision statement should be able to felt, heard, and should be able to be practiced and shown by the students. 

Outcome=vision for your school. 

She showed us this video which I have included below. The video is called" My world, my view". This video talked about disability and inclusion in New Zealand.  So what is Inclusion? This is the action or state of including or being included with a group or structure.  So, what does this mean in terms of Inclusion in Education in New Zealand. " Inclusive education is where all children and young people are engaged and achieve through being present, participating, learning and belonging" (http://www.education.govt.nz/school/running-a-school/inclusive-education). As teachers it is our job to provide these opportunities for these students so that they are able to be confident, successful learners. 

Some key points that came out from this video are:

• Children know dignity is the key to a strong community. 
• Everyone should be treated equally. It is about respecting people, respecting each other and their differences. 
• If we help each other and work together as people rather than individuals it would be a better thing. This is called collaborating-working together. 
• Every child should be able to live in a world that does not limit them. 
• Children don't see disability as a barrier to becoming a leader. 
• Leaders should be people that want to be leaders and that respect everyone no matter if they have disability or not.

See the story behind the data: 

Young people more likely to talk to peers than parents

LISTEN TO YOUR LEARNERS.

Looking at your data and stories together and seeing how you can make a difference, how we as teachers can help these children succeed in their learning. 

EMBRACE DISCOMFORT. 

How we see our world is different to how our colleagues see it. 

The John Cusack Rule

To keep the fear off the set: Look at how proof learning and systems and process allow people to add their views to celebrates differences. 

1. Compare vision to your learners curriculum.
2. Let the data open up the empathy and understanding
3. Walk around your information together.
4. Agree on your strong signals before you test and trial.

Education doesn't change the world: Education changes people. 

And its people who change the world-Paul frehr.