Deeper Learning 2023 - My big takeaways

As Deeper Learning 2023 comes to a close it's important to reflect on the key takeaways. As with every conference it delivered a mixture of new learning and affirmations for what we already do. Below is what I have taken away after three full-on days of listening and learning as much as I can.

1) New Zealand is already doing amazing things

So often I feel like we look overseas, whether it is Singapore, Finland or the USA we tend to think that others are somehow ahead of us. Well, I can assure you this isn't the case. We have an incredibly flexible education system (at least we do at the moment), we have a national curriculum that calls for localisation and personalisation, and we have a flexible assessment framework (at least we do at present) that allows us to meet the needs of individual learners and when I think of the learning we deliver at both Hobsonville Point Secondary School and Albany Senior High School, we are already doing what many of the schools in the USA aspire to do. Impact Projects, advisories and increasingly integrated and self-directed learning is already happening in Aotearoa, and I know it isn't just limited to HPSS and ASHS, it is happening in many schools. What this conference highlighted is that this mix is what brings people flocking to this conference. It is what High Tech High and Big Picture Learning are world-famous for. Well, I've got news for them, little old New Zealand is doing it and not only are we doing it, but we are also smashing it. 

I have come away from this event thinking DisruptED actually needs to be an international conference, because not only can a number of our schools talk about the power of projects, advisories and personalised learning we can also share the journey we are on with decolonising our curriculum. This was very much an area that schools here are only just touching on, I think Aotearoa has some very real learning that we should be sharing. 

2) Projects, advisories and personalised self-directed are the ingredients for the secret sauce

Building on the last point, this conference really did highlight what I have grown to believe over the last ten years since beginning at HPSS and now leading ASHS - projects, advisories and personalised self-directed learning really is the holy trinity of genuine 21st (and probably 22nd) Century Learning. This also reinforces my frustration with the direction the NCEA Change Package and co-requisites are going and absolutely reinforces my mortification as to where National would like to take us. I'm sorry folks, I know you are already shattered, but really do need to "gird our loins" and get ready for battle to protect the flexibility we currently have. I am all for Te Mātaiaho and our focus on Mana Ōrite mō te mātauranga Māori but I am not sold on much else and I am certainly not sold on the "back to basics" rhetoric we are hearing from the opposition. We need to do whatever we can to ensure we continue to have a system that lets us be responsive, lets us personalise and allows us to privilege project-based learning. 

3) We need to create a credential and formally recognise project-based learning

Many of you will know I have been campaigning for this for a long time. The fact that the NCEA Change Package didn't take the opportunity to recognise generic or cross-curricular skills is criminal. If NZQA isn't going to reward project-based learning as an entity in and of itself, who else can? Could the industry offer up a credential, or could the council or some other community or tertiary body step up to the plate?  In New York, their district created the Seal of Civic Readiness that recognised student projects that made an impact on their community. What could we do to make this happen in this space? The reality is, we value what we measure and we should celebrate what we value. 

4) We need to let the students "leave to learn"

On more than one occasion at this conference, I have heard stories and examples of senior students being encouraged to be out of school one or two days a week. Whilst I absolutely believe in the value of face-to-face learning, this week has reminded me that schools around the world are encouraging young people to manage their own learning outside of school, are encouraged to do uni papers, do internships or projects outside the school for one or two days a week. And you know what, the sky isn't falling, these young people are thriving! We really do need to get over this idea of physical attendance five days a week, particularly for our Year 13s. They need to have the training wheels taken off, we need to give them space to try and fail, to manage themselves, albeit in bite-size portions. We really do need to recognise the power of learning to learn!

5) We need to get better at making learning visible

One thing that High Tech High is very very good at is the physical displays of learning everywhere you look. I'm not sure if it's a Kiwi thing but I just don't think we show off and visually shout about learning the way Americans do and to be honest we need to do better. Whether it is literal exhibitions of learning out in the community, learning hanging on every wall in the school or the publication of beautiful newspapers, magazines and books, High Tech High, Big Picture Learning, PBL Works and Open Way Learning all know the power of sharing and celebrating student learning however they can. The creation of beautiful and often collaborative artefacts makes a real difference. I think maybe we need to get over our national coyness and get better at embracing being the tallest of poppies and showing off the learning any way that we can. We often talk about the power of high expectations and exhibiting learning only builds on this idea - we have high expectations, and then, goddamit, we are going to celebrate when that learning happens. One of the things I really appreciated, it often wasn't about sharing shiny polished outcomes, messy learning was shared as well. 

Finally, thanks to anyone who has engaged with these posts. To be honest, the live blogging thing is as much about me forcing myself to process and take notes as it is about sharing, but if you have taken the time to come along with me for the ride, I do want to say thank you!