Shine without polish

So after promising to upload young people's work onto the Shine 2010 website and get involved in celebrating the talents of our children, I receive a message today notifying me that the DfE has withdrawn funding so no website, no upload, and no home access for parents to see their child's work.

Which begs the question, How to shine without polish?  I guess we've all got used to 'free' web-based services and organisations supporting our work through gov't funding.  But times have changed.  One day there's a site to upload to; the next day it's gone.

I try to be optimistic and look for the positive in most situations, and am reminded of the old 'necessity is the mother of all invention' line.  Sounds good but many inventions come out of expensive R & D labs, so there might be a rose tint to that one. . .

Nevertheless, there could be some potential here for a real change in behaviour where at last young people are encourage to become creators not only of content but of the hosting technology itself.  The drive to shine a finished product can overcome the absence of on off-the-shelf solution.  By experimenting and asking around we can generally find the key components and move from dependent consumer to empowered producer/hoster.

Back to basics

Here's Mr. Gelsthorpe stood by the lovely praise pod at Marlcliffe Primary School.  The space theme was chosen by pupils, animated letters on wire the idea of a wonderful teaching assistant, and all-in-all a brilliant team effort.

And this in a week when I hear of governors elsewhere saying 'We have enough praise already in school' in response to a new praise initiative. . . makes me wonder why we bother to commission reports such as Lord Elton's and Sir Alan Steer. For the last ten years the consistent message is one of a 5:1 ratio of praise and rewards to sanctions.

Sometimes words fail me, and I have to look to other references to remind myself of the basics. Invariably these references come from early relationships:

Take a look at an infant held in their parent's arms and count how many positive words of praise and encouragement are spoken. . . probably dozens in a very short space of time.  Now try telling this parent that they need to curb their instinct and see their reaction; "I think you've told your baby they are beautiful too many times now. You need to stop."

And if it doesn't feel good to praise children? I guess that's a whole new post.

Behaviour change lag

Okay, so who's been looking at these pictures and thought something along the lines of,
"Oh yeh, just wait till the first real test. Then we'll see if they can get on so well. . . "

And isn't this so often our reaction when a child manages to change their ways. Many sceptics just sit back and wait for 'The real Johnny' to re-emerge, and then smugly tell you, "See. Told you it wouldn't last!"

Seems getting on is the new falling out.  Where will all this end up I wonder?

Dedication and then some

Now the dust has settled after Manchester's TSL Education North exhibition I'm reflecting back to the Saturday in particular when so many teachers, students and parents took it upon themselves, in their own time, to find new resources and ideas to make school that bit more engaging and exciting for pupils.

This level of dedication really should be recognised:  it's hard to imagine another profession filling such a massive exhibition hall on a Saturday simply out of the love for the job, and the desire to make a difference.  We had some lovely conversations with visitors to the Praise Pod stand about the importance of recognising achievements, and not only for pupils. . .

Core Values for politics

Having spent a lot of time this week in conversations with teachers about core values it seems timely to consider the political process.  If the house of commons had a praise pod, (and why not) what would both sides of the house agree as keywords?

"I've been sent to the praise pod for listening carefully and keeping my ballot papers still until the speaker had finished."

So as schools work hard to encourage teamwork, sharing, co-operation and thinking about others through tons of labelled praise, what do we see in the house of commons. . . belittling of others' ideas, put-downs, insults, fault finding, and an endless and senseless focus on criticising opponents for no other reason than they are 'the opposition'

So here's a thought:  let's give a school council the chair in a parliamentary debate, and set up some positive behaviour rules for both sides.  Then let's see how much more creativity and problem-solving results.

Seems the principle of modeling needs revisiting.  Anyone who works with children knows that without leading by example our words are meaningless.

Cross phase work

Lovely to see pictures of Upper Shirley High students painting the praise pod backdrop for one of their feeder schools.  USH's vertical tutor groups make this kind of activity so natural. . . why wouldn't you take care of younger pupils and help them look forward to what's going on at secondary school once you think of them as part of your family?

Here's to a time when 'transition work' is a concept from the olden days when schools were separate and did stuff to try to soften the edges.  We have the tools now (and have always had the will) to move from transition to true togetherness.

I'm yet to meet a family that has separate sittings at tea-time based on their children's age. . .

Common Values

What a wonderful morning at Arbourthorne Community Primary School.  A group of staff from Sheffield primary schools chatting on-line with professor Stephen Heppell, finding common themes by sharing a global and local perspective, all topped off with a pupil speaking proudly about his maths work.

And was the young man in question phased by being live on videoconference?  Far from it- he was quite ok with the whole thing and soon get into the content.  The most lasting impression from this encounter was Stephen's model yacht.  Which is what technology is all about: not getting in the way, but simply being there in the background to help people communicate:

Connection is about widening horizons and helping people see new possibilities.  We're a long way from the sea here in Sheffield, but dare to dream and you can go anywhere.  Did the sight of Stephen's model yacht spark an interest in sailing for life?  Maybe, be even if not, that isn't the point.  It has to be everyone's responsibility to give hope, confidence and encouragement to our children to dream big and wide and far.  After all, it's our children's solutions to the problems that we don't yet know about that hold the key to OUR futures. . .

Digital Divide

Postcode lottery is only the start of it. If we really are citizens of the world then let's do something each and every day to bridge a divide by forgoing wants for others' needs. £500 builds a whole school library in Namibia.

Food for thought. And with that thought come ideas and solutions to build from.
We are one planet, and it's only as one planet that we can create a better future.

Translation+

Is the learning in the meaning, or the meaning in the learning?
As Hucklow Primary gear up to go live they have translated the school's positive values into some of the languages spoken in school. Here's the Urdu version.

And here's the interesting thing; as we start to discuss whether the Urdu translation has EXACTLY the same meaning as the english words we start to uncover hidden meaning, and hidden clues. 'Keeping Calm' translates more like 'keeping yourself in one part (not falling apart). With all the languages in the world, is there, I wonder a word that means EXACTLY the opposite of 'Bully'?

And if there is, then let's start spotting that behaviour and using the word.

All together

I've just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell's 'Outliers'. The penultimate chapter shines a light on the importance of all year round learning. This means a 52 week calendar and active support for all children through those long periods out of school.

Gladwell cites test scores which show low income household children actually outperform their high income peers IN TERM but when the vacation comes they fall far behind. No more comfy academic years for school advisors and local authority consultants if we mean business. . . check out this link: http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html

What became clear reading Outliers is the importance of someone having belief in you as a young person, and in them gently offering you experiences to develop abilities in subtle ways (such as the ability to express your needs in front of your GP) If only every child were afforded such a start in life. And that is exactly what Gladwell says is possible.

Who links here?

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Tag Clouds

Not quite the early innovator, but wanted to test out tag clouds for a city-wide project. Planning to put tag clouds to a good use. Watch this space as things progress. . .

tag cloud

It's in the detail

Hucklow Primary school are gearing up for a launch in the new year. Lots of love and care going into the process. Children have an uncanny ability to know when people around them really care. Parents, staff and school council all working together to make something special. Can't wait for January.

Leadership in action

At last I get to see the wonderful Leadership academy pupils at Sheffield's Parkwood Academy in action. What a fabulous experience; peer-led activities throughout the school, pupils clearly respecting their peers and having a great time in the process.
'Living our values' gets a bit over-used these days as a phrase, but here for sure every one of the school's values were in evidence. Brilliant stuff.

Giving gets the thumbs up

6th form students at Bishop Challoner college in Birmingham are loving being Praise Pod interviewers, and their demand for more sessions is testament to the positive spirit of the college, and their embracing of new ideas.

Big thanks to Sonya Thomas for playing an instrumental part in introducing something new, and to all the staff who have embraced this new technology to compliment the outstanding work of the college.

Not long ago there were only blackboards. Then a few brave educationalists tried out interactive whiteboards. Now they are the norm. As for stickers, come to Bishop Challoner and you'll get a glimpse of the future: a sticker that talks, and can be shared with family and friends.

Cor, what values!

What an uplifting morning at Arbourthorne Primary school; the formal launch of eight core values which connect throughout the whole school community. An amazing assembly celebrated staff, pupils and parents alike, and all with an infectious energy that inspires dreams.
This is the school's main entrance, complete with wonderful display (and a perfect location for the praise pod)

Mind blowing power

Now this might be a lot of nonsense, but somehow I doubt it. At a click of a button the Praise Pod website gets translated into any language - this one is in Hungarian. Now the question is, do we take it as given that the translation is accurate and not misleading. Just as we might take it as a given that a Google search (or any other search engine for that matter) generates an accurate result. . .

I'd worry if there wasn't an option to 'offer a better translation.' That's what open source collaboration is all about. If only more people saw it as their right (and even their duty) to contribute to an open source conversation. And not just about software development. This is about domocratisation of every subject; technical or not.

connect, connect,connect

Was the BBC right to give Nick Griffin air time to voice his views?
Was he bullied by a non-representative panel?
Should we feel reassured by the free speech that we heard?
Or worry that it will fuel fires?

One thing is for sure; the more we connect with people who come from different backgrounds, or have different perspectives, the more we are able to find common ground, harmony and understanding.

I had the great pleasure of visiting Hucklow primary school today and hearing how they are forging links with a school in Karachi. Looking forward to hooking up praise pods in both schools to learn about life from another point of view.

Pen pals is still a lovely thing to get involved in, but why not harness Web 2.0 to connect and give children a real global perspective. Check here for one source of funding. . .

It's all about motivation

It's antibullying week soon, and the focus is Cyber-bullying. So let's not lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of people use technology for good reasons. I'm not inserting 'young' before 'people' because let's face it, bullying is not just a youth issue.
I recently re-connected (via Facebook) with an old school friend by the name of Toby Tanser. 25 years has passed since we knew each other, and without the internet there's no reason why I'd have known what he was up to. Turns out he now runs 'Shoe4Africa.' They are raising funds for the first Childrens Teaching Hospital in Kenya. A few e-mails later and a proposal is ready to put something together in the UK to raise a shed load of cash for this great goal.
Without social networking tools this kind of thing would hardly be imaginable, but now all I can think about is squeezing the last ounce of connective power from the internet to help Toby make that particular dream a reality.
Yes, bad things happen in cyberspace, but many, many more good things happen, and fast! Which is important if you you live in Kenya and have a sick child. Check their website and get involved. Blatant plug? Absolutely!

Praise backlash

Thankfully recent dabate is not about what size cane is the more effective but what constitutes meaningful praise versus fake, coercive forms. Alfie Kohn's examination of praise identifies golden rules for avoiding falling into invisible traps, and losing sight of what really matters.

If we need to consult to avoid any doubt then let's take more time to listen to children. They invariably know when someone is genuine, and will respond in kind. And let's not ever lose our sense of intuition; going with a gut feeling and doing what feels right. Yes, let's make sure we label the behaviour not the person etc, but let's not become too mechanical or forget the fact that positive attention is infinitely better than negative attention, or else a self-fullfilling prophecy might just knock on our doors.