Compassion..... what the world needs?

One of the foundations of our new school is the power and importance of instilling compassion into our students, our staff, our parents and then allowing this 'energy' to permeate beyond the school fence. I found an organisation and vision that wishes the same for the whole world....

On February 28, 2008 Karen Armstrong won the TED Prize and she wished "for help creating, launching and propagating a Charter for Compassion." Here is what she had to say.



Since then she and many other people with the same interest have been working to develop the charter. It was a web 2.0 read-write process for anyone interested from throughout the world to come together online to communicate their stories and ideas on compassion. Over 150,000 people contributed to the process from over 180 countries.

On February 24, 2009 a multi-faith, multi-national Council of Conscience convened in Vevey, Switzerland to compose the charter using the contributions received.

Twenty months after expressing her wish, and with a lot of help from many friends, Karen Armstrong's wish will come true. A wish that many people now embrace as their own. On November 12, 2009 the Charter for Compassion was unveiled.

CHARTER FOR COMPASSION TRAILER from TED Prize on Vimeo.

A clean slate..foundations of a curriculum

Presently I am working with a 'think-tank' of wonderful colleagues to lay the foundations for a new curriculum. Just imagine the freedom and energy as we work to create a framework which will meet the needs of our students in the present and the future. For me an anchoring statement, I've been mulling over, to capture the essence of our school guides our discussions and debates;

The purpose of learning at Mother Teresa Primary is to liberate the creativity and compassion in our student's hearts by giving them the tools to become self-directed learners.

We have coined the phrase 'a curriculum based on life.' We want the learning to be based on the key questions of life... to get to the very heart of what it means to be human living in the 21st century. This graphic tries to capture our thinking.




We have tried to capture the 'big questions' we all need to ask ourselves no matter what stage of life we are at;

• Who are we?
• How do we connect with others?
• What part do we play in the world?
• How can we be of service to others?

We now have the task of expanding our ideas on the learning qualities we will cultivate; passion, creativity, collaboration, compassion and reflectiveness. The exciting discussions continue....stay tuned!

iPod touch and learning

Watched this wonderful clip of year 3 students in England using an iPod touch as a learning tool. The amazing thing is the ease at which the students take on this new technology and develop as risk-takers using the device to answer their problems. This is with 8 year olds! What excites me is the number of sites building up displaying the learning capacity of mobile technologies. This blog by Tony Vincent is a good example with many ideas and examples.

My brain is starting to imagine a number of iPod touches (I think this is the plural?) in the hands of Kindergarten children using the technology to

• record their thoughts and learning
• recording reading samples
• taking photos of their completed work and self evaluating

The potential excites me and possibly well within my budget! Any ideas or comments??

Designing schools... a vision

In this film, architect Randall Fielding demonstrates the connection between where and how students learn in the 21st century. He highlights key characteristics of the environment that aid learning;

• security



• stimulation ("..the environment is the second curriculum.")



• connection with the outside world



• real-world like
  

The video provides valuable discussion points as we design and redesign our learning spaces to meet the needs of our students in an ever changing world.

Did you know 4.0

Just as we think we are getting a handle on technology the 'goalposts' keep shifting. Change is the NORM!



What does it all mean? (Well, besides the self-referential and now self-serving answer of “Shift Happens.”) I think the fact that a simple little PowerPoint (some folks would say simplistic and they would be right – it was meant to be the start of a conversation, not the entire conversation) can be viewed by so many folks and start so many conversations means that we live in a fundamentally different world than the one I (and most of you reading this) grew up in.

I know some folks would dispute that, and that’s an interesting conversation in and of itself, but if you buy that – if you buy that on so many levels the world is a fundamentally different place – then it just begs us to ask the question of whether schools have similarly transformed from when we grew up. If your answer to that question is no, as I think it probably is for a large majority of you, and if you see a problem with that, then what should we do? What is my responsibility, and your responsibility, for making the changes we believe are necessary? What are you willing to step up and do? (quote from Karl Fisch's blog the Fishbowl )

Nurturing the inner world of children:our hope for the future

I found this simple yet insightful book Nurturing the spiritual child: Compassion, connection and a sense of self highlighting the need to 'keep the heart in the curriculum.' It states that:

Keeping the heart in the curriculum is about finding ways to create a culture in your setting where a child's spirit is recognised and nurtured as an essential part of who they are.

Authors Patrice Thomas and Vanna Lockwood suggest that children's spirituality is evidenced in their sense of self, the connections they establish with others and their search for meaning in life. They suggest that teachers can support and encourage these aspects of a child's life to increase wellbeing, compassion and inclusivity. What wonderful ideals to have for our classrooms and schools!

What is affirmed for me is that the pathways to spirituality are linked with:

• being observant and in touch with nature
• experiencing stillness, quiet and wonder
• belonging and relationships
• reflection & creativity
• an appreciation of simplicity

I believe that the purpose of 21st century learning is to liberate the creativity in children and the compassion in their hearts by giving them the tools to become self-directed learners. What is clear is that nurturing our students inner world will allow the space to make this happen!

Studios of learning

A colleague and myself had the privilege to tour the new Junior School at MLC Burwood. We were interested in the flexible learning spaces and the continuing journey the school is taking to improve student outcomes.

The main learning spaces for each Year group are called ‘learning studios’. They replace ‘classrooms’, emphasising space, light and access to technology with flexible furniture and fittings. Research confirms that students learn best when they are actively engaged, when the learning environment stimulates both mind and body. Learning Studios are designed specifically for student centred learning.




What was heartening was to listen to the professional learning journey which included times of transition and significant change. The school also has a Critical Friend from the University of Sydney and is committed to:

• School based research using a variety of research strategies and processes
• Developing and enhancing the notion of evidence based practice
• Building research capacity by engaging both teachers and students in the research processes

We are living exciting times in education and have a wonderful opportunity to transform learning for the benefit of all students.

Agile Learning Spaces

Stephen Heppell in this short video develops the principles of Learning Spaces for the future. He highlights they must be:

• agile
• playful
• in the right scale
• places of collaboration

He speaks of a term "usness" which highlights so well the need for connection, spaces which are homelike and relational.
How can we turn our classrooms into these places of engagement? The discussions we have with staff deliberating this question will challenge our thinking on the learner, the teaching process and the dispositions needed in the future to thrive and survive.