Been listening to Sir Ken Robinson's talk about creativity and passing it on to colleagues far and wide. Click here to go to the talk, as hosted by TED Here's the full web address:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
just in case this link doesn't work, or for easy cut-and-pasting. Enjoy!

As well as fully backing Ken's sentiments that the challenge for 21st C schools is to recognise and celebrate more aspects of young people than we do at present, I've also come to believe that creativity happens around the edges of teams, organisations and disciplines, and it's no suprise that I first heard of Ken Robinson via Mark Waddington, ITV Local programme manager, rather than a colleague from the local educational authority. Click here for Mark's blog. and may many creative collisions occur. . .

The value of praise?

Just recently met with a primary head who freely admits he can't think of a better way to spend his time than giving stickers to pupils and hearing about their successes. Or at least a more rewarding way of spending his time. And walking into the school you can simply feel the warmth and care this belief engenders, with that wonderful sound of happy children as a soundtrack to the day.
Yet budget management, strategy, policy, protocols, standards, target-setting and monitoring are all part of a modern school. I'm sure for many these pressures are so intense that it feels there simply isn't enough time to spend personally congratulating individual children. Sure, leadership is about more than saying well done to all and sundry, but it has to be central to all other parts of school life. Thank you Alan for keeping that flame burning brightly; it's reflected in the laughter and feelings of self-worth of so many children.

Oakwood Technology College

A big well done to all the staff and pupils at Oakwood for organising their school and setting up Praise Pod. Without individuals willing to take risks there would never be leaders to follow, so I take my hat off to Clare and the team for their belief in change. Looking forward to hearing about the results

Bafta stars

Well done Jack and Codey. What a team! Thanks to everyone who visited the praise pod and kept us all busy interviewing. Even grown ups can feel proud for simple things like ironing their own shirt. . .

Dinnington plays a mobile blinder

Dinnington Community primary school must have the most uplifting Friday assembly on the planet. My personal favourite has to be "Who's played a blinder?" which is a reward for staff each week.  Parents too were awarded certificates for completing a maths course alongside their children- we whisked one or two mums off to the praise and they took home clips of their children on their mobiles.  Great to see the  pride on their faces.

For now bluetooth technology has many benefits over data contracts for this. It does rely on parents physically coming into school, but hey, when school's such a buzzy place as this why not join the fun

Handheld Learning 2008

October 13-15 at the Brewery.  Ever had trouble arranging a few people to get to a meeting, arrive on time, keep to time and organise refreshments?  It can feel like the hardest job in the world, yet here we are; over a thousand delegates, dozens of speakers, technology galore, food, and all is calm.

I have to say a big thank you to all the handheld team, the Promethian team and to the brewery hosts; they made me feel welcome and couldn't have been more helpful in sorting out technical challenges and much much more. And thanks too to Tom, Evelyn and Andy in Rotherham- pic is of the live link that we didn't quite make happen this time.

Whilst there were many stimulating presentations the real stars of the show were those in the background.  Thanks everyone; you know who you are. 

Peer Listeners

Sept. 29th.  Thanks to everyone at Dinnington Comprehensive school for their warm welcome.  What a nice touch having a press cuttings book in reception to flick through.  My favourite had to be the pupil who administered CPR at the local ice rink to save an elderly woman's life.   How impressive is that!  

As schools aim for specialist status I wonder which will be the first to gain specialism in empathic relationships?

Anti-bullying

Sept 24th, Leeds.  Thanks to John for the invite to present praise pod and it was great to hear of initiatives making a real difference. Circle Time, SEAL, Conflict resolution all working well to create climates where there is space to stop and listen before reacting to situations.

Time to understand another person's perspective.  Sounds like it should be on everyone's personal development plan to me.

Regional ICT network.

11th Sept, Park Plaza, Leeds. Regional ICT advisors network meeting. There was a strong broadcasting theme- this slide is a quote from a student at Thorn Park school for the deaf; there's something very affirming when someone else thinks what you think is worth publishing.

As if young people aren't doing this already! (Bebo, facebook, myspace etc. . . )

In this media revolution the tools are already out there so everyone has a voice. Thanks to Mark Waddington from ITV Local for his thought-provoking talk, to Barrie for the invite, and to Tim for his warm welcome and kind words.

Learning for all ages

A big thank you to Yas and Chel from Netherfield Court for their warm reception and enthusiasm in getting involved in Praise Pod. I'm sure residents and staff will enjoy meeting pupils from local schools and learning from each other about what life is like when you're 9 and 90. A lot will have changes but I bet a lot is just the same. . .

Interview over the net

A big thank you to Stephen Heppell for taking the time to interview today's praise pod visitors at Rawmarsh Ashwood primary school today. It always feels special when someone gives you their time and attention; in this busy world it has to be the most precious thing we can give. Today we heard about teamwork, sharing, leadership, kindness, hard work, a great attitude to learning and wonderful achievements from our visitors. No wonder everyone felt so proud. And rightly so.

My favourite teacher is . . .

Magna was the venue for this BSF event. A thought-provoking keynote from Marcus Orlovsky kicked things off nicely, followed by a pupil presentation about their favourite teachers.
An excellent workshop from Clifton and Wingfield teachers sharing ideas from Sweden gave us lots to think about.
Key messages for me were; trust in our young people. Listen to each other. Don't look back too much, don't be afraid or look to blame and finally let's enjoy the process.

Slice up the cake using SEAL

Here at Rawmarsh Sandhill primary school the praise pod uses SEAL as a basis for its keywords. Pupils arrive at the praise pod with Congratulations! cards as a reminder about why they've been sent. With so much praise and reward going on there's very little point in trying to get the wrong kind of attention, and consequently loads of learning happens in a happy atmosphere

Filming for ITV's praise pod group intro

Here's the group of Y6 students from St. Joseph's R.C Primary in Rawmarsh taken just after filming. A big thanks to Dave from Rawmarsh CLC for today's camera work. Today we were welcomed and worked with three schools putting together an intorduction for the ITV site. It was wonderful to see such empowered learners and witness their confidence in font of camera. We asked pupils what they liked about their schools; their answers?



"Fun"
"Kind teachers"
"A place where nobody gets left out"
"It's like one big team"
"Everyone takes care of each other."

As a parent isn't that all we ask for our children's school?

ITV Local Upload opportunity

The forward-thinking team at ITV Local Yorkshire have made a space on their internet site for participating schools ready to receive their video clips. Click here to go to the Praise Pod group on the ITV site.

Schools are amazingly creative places and every day wonderful ideas are used to solve everyday problems. ITV Local now gives schools the opportunity to upload video clips to celebrate achievements and share successes with a wider audience.

If you've a praise pod running in your school why not send a clip or two; you might even find it makes the local news and helps others. If you've not got a praise pod yet in your school you can leave a comment and find out how to set one up. You first need to login to blogger before sending comments.

Rosehill Primary School are stars

Here's a picture of the wonderfully vibrant praise pod at Rosehill Primary school. Each star was lovingly coloured, cut and laminated by staff. What you don't see in the picture is the way the stars that hang from the ceiling move and shimmer. Children instinctively know when something is special; it has exactly that effect too. And shouldn't every child at school feel special?

A together community

A major component of praise pod is the way the wider community is mobilised around a common positive language. Parents, volunteers, older people, community police officers all play their part. Just like sport, praise pod unites people and builds bridges. Try digitaldivide.net for a great example of the power of community action on a school system (article is under the literacy and learning section)

We know that positive social contact protects against depression, yet many older people live in isolation from their communities. The more we look at pooling resources, the more we find mutually beneficial arrangements (such as older people using their wealth of experience and skills to spend time listening to children from local schools in the praise pod, or on the end of a remote link if they can't get to school.)

And of course learning about the latest ICT tools from the most enthusistic teachers in the world.

What skills for the future?

Okay, so praise pod is now helping schools focus more of their attention on positives. It's a good start but what constitutes 'good' and who chooses?

Alan November's website posts some interesting thoughts on the topic. Intrinsic motivation and persistence are put forward as two key qualities for success in a changing global world. Likewise 'empathy' is described as the single most important quality sought from HSBC (see Alan's podcast section for these and other discussions)

What would our schools look like, and who would be top of the class if pupils were graded primarily on their understanding of others' feelings?

And let's not forget the staff too; performance related pay based on evidence of empathy towards colleagues, learners and parents?

Dinnington Community Primary School

Stevie Hobson, Learning mentor, and the wonderful new praise pod at Dinnington Community Primary. All systems go for launch on June 16th. I Can't wait to hear all about the 'trading cards' once praise pod gets going. There's going to be a lot of visitors, including the two pupils who were covering reception and gave me a really warm welcome to their school.

Castlefields Infant school, Brighouse

Click here to see Castlefields praise pod stars. What a creative and caring group. Sounds like a wonderfully nurturing place to learn in with an amazing array of extra-curricular clubs too.

Well done Miss Booth for making it happen!