Welcome to my blog - here are some ramblings from newsletters and speeches that may give you greater insight into how my mind 'ticks'.
What is Learning?
In a book Dr John Irvine and I co-authored, called Thriving at School, I have tried to visually represent a learning model. This model synthesises many ideas from Costa’s Habits of Mind and Bernard’s You Can Do It, as well as many theories associated with constructivism, zone of proximal reinforcement and Piaget’s work on behaviour.
We call this model the VAHS model – Values, Attitudes, Habits and Skills.
VALUES: At the roots of good learning are what we call the ‘New 3Rs’: Respect, Responsibility and Relationships.
ATTITUDES: For any learning to occur there must be one fundamental element – engagement. Having your son at the best school, with the best teachers and the best resources means very little and will not result in successful learning if a child is not engaged. Engagement is an attitude that stems from key attitudes: passion (the key to success), confidence, resilience and persistence. Eating away at these positive attitudes are the blockers for good learning – procrastination, anxiety, frustration, rebelliousness, boredom and overdependence.
HABITS: If we are developing learners for the 21st Century – a future that is unpredictable – then we must focus on the qualities that have been proven across the ages as the ‘ingredients’ of successful learners. These are habits which we should explicitly develop: responsible risk taking and having a go mentality; organisation, goal setting and planning skills; concentration, attentiveness and focus; creativity and innovation; remembering, associating and recalling key concepts and ideas.
SKILLS: The ‘skills’ (or competencies) we consider the ‘subjects’ taught as part of the NSW Board of Studies curriculum (English, Maths, Science and Technology, PDHPE, Creative Arts). The two key elements for Primary education are numeracy and literacy skills. These fly around the learner – but are not central to the learner’s success. As this model highlights, successful learners must have the Values, Attitudes and Habits to ensure their potential can be pollinated by the Key Learning Areas.Many of these qualities are defined in our Plus Scores report, which we send home twice a term. Please take the time to read this report with your son, celebrating his successes and setting goals to strengthen areas in which he can further develop.
GRANDPARENTS' DAY SPEECH 2009 (with thanks to Kevin Jones of St John's College School)
Welcome dear grandparents and friends.
You may remember from last year my love of the old loudspeaker. Well, this year I introduce you to another marvel of technology – the amplifier!
Today is a very special day – it is grandparents’ day but it is also World Teachers Day. I believe we share much in common – not just your amazing grandsons.
Before I start, please turn off your mobile phones – isn’t that a strange phrase? It is something that we never heard ten years ago. Now before public gatherings it is as common as toast.
I wonder how many of you realise that it's the 40th year since the infant internet first spoke. Professor Leonard Kleinrock, who headed the team, first linked computers online in 1969.
Have a look at what it has become! Who would have thought!!
I always wonder about phrases we use and words we usher. You see, I see the world in words of wonder. Often in my study when I interview nervous children, preparing to make a leap of faith and join our school – anxious about meeting the Headmaster, worried about ‘losing’ friends – I ask if they have ever been taught to think. Now, this seems quite an absurd question, and many leave the interview believing I am quite an absurd fellow, but it is something that we must not just take as a whimsical pondering of a big-nosed Head. I like to ponder strange thoughts.
How many bones does a giraffe have in its neck? How many bones does a mouse have in its neck? How many bones does a human have in its neck?
The answer is seven. All mammals have seven bones.
Thinking is fun! But I ask – what makes this fact interesting?
I find it strange that many schools tell, or show; fill and then measure, but don’t truly ponder.
I wonder as I wander.
Words are these amazing things – they encapsulate all that is us.
For instance in interviews I often I ask – Look around you, can you see anything that doesn’t have a word.
The parents anxiously wanting their son to impress, shift a little uneasily and nervously hope their son answers ‘correctly’. Parents – and adults – always want correctness from children, especially in front of headmasters.
The child thinks.
I then add, “Okay – can you think of anything that doesn’t have a word?”
The child thinks ... and then you see that moment – the Aha moment – when something clicks. These are the magical moments every teacher holds dear.
You see – words make our world.
As I stand here today to convey this message – I am using words, shaped by letters, created by fingers on a keyboard, saved over the passing hours – and future years. I am time-travelling.
Here is a book that was written back in 1824 by a man named Goldsmith. In it he has written his thoughts. He writes: “Of all professions in society, I do not know a more useful, or a more honourable one, than a schoolmaster.”
Words are wonderful.
And new words enter our language every day.
Did you know the English speaking world introduced the one-millionth word on Wednesday 10 June at 5:22am Eastern Time!
The Texas-based Global Language Monitor (GLM) acknowledges new words once they have been used 25,000 times on media and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook – I’m sure you all know what these are. It predicts that a new English-language word is created every 98 minutes.
Even the most linguistically gifted person is only likely to use 70,000 words.
The new word is Web2.0
I know many of you are now wondering what the goodness is that word. It means nothing to you. And this is important. We only know the true worth of words once we have a definition – a use and a history of emotion that comes wrapped in every word we cherish. We have to ‘teach’ the meaning of words. We have to ‘use’ words. So words have to have a context.
At this school we want to place ‘good’ words in context.
Some words do stand the test of time:
"Good morning, Eeyore," said Pooh.
"Good morning, Pooh Bear," said Eeyore gloomily. "If it is a good morning, which I doubt," said he. "Why, what's the matter?" "Nothing, Pooh Bear, nothing. We can't all, and some of us don't. That's all there is to it." "Can't all what?" said Pooh, rubbing his nose. "Gaiety. Song-and-dance. Here we go round the mulberry bush."
"However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."
We Adults are fond of Eeyore and his gloom.
We adults become wary of Tiggers. But education is an act of optimism, of hope. Teachers must have some Tigger in them. Imagine an Eeyore teacher.
‘Good morning, children, if it is a good morning. There is little point in learning, and you probably won’t. Don’t be surprised when you look at the wall clock, if you see time standing still. This lesson will include phrases, pronouns, and adverbs: you may be allergic to these parts of speech and have an unusual or severe reaction. If you experience fast talking and excited feelings, or actions that are out of control, before you bother me, first check to see if you are a Little Wildee boy, for whom this is normal.’ And so on.
Bizarre as it may seem, pessimism has been rife in our education system for many years. Why does our system want to test children more than others? The pessimist tests, the optimist trusts. The pessimist sets limits. The optimist challenges. Let me read you a tender poem:
An Evening Walk
A black cockatoo
Flying across the aqua sky
A plane whining in the distance
Rose and orange clouds on the horizon
Going places
Going Home
Going no where
A trail of lights in the valley
Somewhere a wallaby thumps
I look up into the sky
To find two pin pricks
Of Light
One a planet
One a star
A sun for other worlds.
This poem was written by a Year Five boy for homework in 2009.
Wrapped within these words is something that lies at the heart of this school – and, hopefully, all schools – HOPE and TRUST. If we are a great school, these are just some of the most important words we can ‘teach’ – and we can only do this successfully with the help of our entire community.
Look at the etymology of these words and there are pearls of wisdom. Some suggest Hope has a connection with hop, as a notion of leaping in expectation.
And Trust comes from c.1200, from O.N. traust "help, confidence,"
As the kindergarten struggle with their pencil grips can we imagine they will make such words and shape such thoughts? As our little ones stumble over their letters, do we believe their reading will one day fill our Assembly Hall and Public Speaking competition with awe? Do we see, in the finger counting Kindergarten, world class Mathletes who will gain golds in the Maths Olympiad; as they struggle to speak with basic grammar, do we greet them as classicists who will write and perform a play, in French? These things occur here.
Schools are amazing places because we hold dear the hope for the future.
One of our boys has great plans for the future. This boy has designed a way of removing pollutants from the atmosphere. It involves strapping bags onto the exhaust pipes of cars and trucks. When the bag is full, it is carefully buried deep in the ground.
As the Little Wildee boys line up for their first ever team event, the relay, with hearts pounding as we hold them, do we crown them as future IPSHA champions? In the first scrapings of tiny bows on tiny strings, can we hear the rich chamber music of the future; or in frail young voices the glories that will fill the school and the Chapel Choir? Can the young really shape their world so beautifully into art throughout the school?
This school is unique because we Trust beyond the political correctness of restrictions for remaining ‘safe’. Our boys are safe.
HOPE and TRUST make us optimistic.
The pessimist sees limitations and says no. The optimist imagines possibilities and says why not. Optimism liberates excellence, places no limits on what children may achieve.
This is an optimistic school. Our children achieve great things.
Optimism and pessimism are things we make. They are habits of thinking.
Sometimes our hope faces the most difficult of tests. When I speak of optimism I do not mean that we should be blind to life’s difficulties. I mean that we must face them and support each other with unyielding hope.
As grandparents you have a significant role to play for our boys... and their parents. You embellish our trust in the future. I mean, if you can make it – and you all look in fine spirits – then so can we!
Grandparents are wise – they can be cranky at times, they don’t suffer fools easily and they look more closely at you than you would probably like (I put it down to cataracts) – but you embody the belief that things work out okay.
My nieces were staying with my father – their grandfather – and one couldn’t sleep, feeling overly scared of monsters. She was fearful of her imagination. One other niece comforted her, saying “You don’t have to worry about monsters here – Granddad would scare them away!”
We have a responsibility to maintain – uphold – the right for all our children to have a childhood. We want our children to be free, to think freely – to be nurtured. In a world where adulthood is slowly gnawing away at childhood – where advertising, marketing, safety crusades, video games, mobile phones, computers, mortgages and busyness are stripping bare the freedom of youth, we need grandparents to remind us. I strongly believe you are the link with common sense.
You can remind us all that we ‘adults’ must truly trust – that if we really hope for the best – we can leave things be, we can let things grow in the garden of children – the kinder garden – the kindergarten.
My father-in-law, a great man, passed onto my family two incredible words of wisdom – Don’t Worry. I do my best to heed this advice – it can be hard at times!!
But when I do worry, I take myself back to childhood by visiting our Little Wildee boys and the playground. Here I find great faith and great fun.
I leave you to ponder and think about the brightness of our future – that radiates from the bright eyes of our incredible little boys. The future is going to be wonderful.
I conclude with a short quote –
An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again. Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly.
Thank you for sharing your valuable time with us all here today.
I am excited to announce two key developments this semester focusing on the Learning and Teaching at Tudor House.
Learning In Early Numeracy and Learning In Numeracy (LIN and LIEN)
As part of our professional development, we are targeting our teaching of numeracy. This is a major professional development focus, which will see all of our classroom teachers supported by Ms Sally Egan from the Association of Independent Schools. The result will see every one of our boys assessed individually by a teacher. Teachers will then programme their work to target the individual needs of our learners. This is a widely recognised programme that has major benefits for teaching across all Key Learning Areas.
School Improvement – our journey to excellence
I am excited to report to parents that our school has been selected to be one of two schools to trial a new school improvement programme that the Association of Independent Schools is introducing into NSW. The programme comes from the Scottish system and is being developed by a small steering group of educators. This will be a major focus for our school and will involve surveys, analysis of quantitative data and direct observations.
The intention is to start this programme this semester.
Care to Make a Difference
Another term has commenced and it was wonderful to see all our boys return with smiles and stories. There is always a buzz of excitement on the first day back. Parents also smile as they drop off their sons. I trust everyone had a great break.
Schools are empty shells without students. They are quiet and lifeless. Buildings seem to rest – lying dormant and lost – as if their purpose for being has been stripped away. School is primarily for children.
While the boys have been away, much has been happening at Tudor. Mr Burgoyne and our maintenance team have been very busy – very busy! Mrs Pell and Mrs Patterson have been working throughout, improving our communication systems. Mr Eggenhuizen and the ICT team from King’s have been upgrading our new telephone system (we now await Telstra to initiate a new 10mb line into the school). And we have had support from parents, Mr Nick Gubbens and Mr Ashley Mackevicius, who have given so generously of their time to build a new BMX track.
Changes that have occurred over the holiday break:
- Dining Hall is now completed and the result is incredible. Mr Burgoyne spent the last weekend coming in to gloss the new table tops.
- BMX Track is now completed.
- I Dorm has been redesigned to offer an upstairs common area, with reading lounge, game space and audio setup.
- New play space has been opened up in Little Wildee.
- New chicken coop has been finished – the Taj Mahal of hen houses!
- New website has been launched with a much easier way to access the newsletter download section (an email with a direct link will be sent each week to parents – so please ensure your email address is up to date).
- New marketing campaign has been launched to promote and spread the message of Tudor
It is easy to take for granted the many changes that are occurring at Tudor, but I really would like people to appreciate these things happen only because our staff give so generously of their time. Our staff give so much because they care. The catch-phrase for this year is Care to Make a Difference.
To be a quality school means that we must be prepared to go the extra mile. Quality is not something that comes from just doing enough. We must strive for excellence – and that means commitment, time, energy, tenacity and talent. As I discussed last term, if we are passionate we find enjoyment in our hard work. As my father used to say to me as we drove to the farm together: Nothing succeeds like success.
Our passion is driven by our desire to give an exceptional childhood and learning experience to our very lucky (and appreciative) boys.
At our first assembly back, I discussed with the boys our theme for this term. It is a very important value that we all should nurture and promote: Respect.
I discussed with the boys how vital it is to have respect: respect for oneself, respect for others, respect for property. This will be explicitly discussed all term via our Assemblies, our Chapel services, our Colour Family meetings. I have thrown out a challenge to all our students – care to make a difference. The concept is a simple one – but not always understood: if each of us does just one thing to make a difference, to improve our school, we will become a truly great school. If each of us cares, we will become a caring school.
There is the golden rule – treat others as you would have them treat you. The issue is that some people interpret this to be:
I’ll treat you how you treat me.
This mutation of the golden rule leads to a value of pay back and revenge. At the core is the belief is the selfish belief that “I” is more important than “you”. That “we” is controlled by “me”.
This is where manners become so important. Manners allow us to follow rules to ensure we are considerate. In seeking to support the work of parents, the School has put together a list of expectations that apply to manners:
TUDOR HOUSE'S 11 EXPECTED AND EXPRESSED MANNERS
All our children are encouraged to follow a simple wisdom:
You don’t have to be friends but you do have to be friendly
1. Greetings and responses are delivered to any adult visiting our school:
"Good morning"
"Good afternoon"
"Well, thank you”
"Yes, thank you"
"No, thank you"
2. Use of title and name, or Sir/Maam.
3. Use of “Please”; “Thank you”; "May I?”; “I beg your pardon”; “Excuse me, please”; etc.
4. Standing to greet a visitor. Take hands out of pockets when speaking.
5. Use of eye-contact; smile; firm handshake, and click of foot in Tudor tradition.
6. Taking turns; not pushing to be first; not helping oneself first; not speaking over the top of another; not interrupting a speaker or butting in; not calling out in class; not snatching.
7. Keeping to the left on corridors, stairways; looking to the needs and safety of others; standing aside to allow an adult to pass first into a room through a doorway, etc.
8. Not running around corners or along walk-ways.
9. Not belittling the answers or efforts of others.
10. No swearing
11. Listening carefully – not waiting to butt in. Understand the saying: There is a difference between listening and waiting to speak.