By John Stewart, Conductor of Living School
If you have not kept up with our socials, we have students immersed in indigenous culture in Arnhem Land – how fitting for NAIDOC week! To have students challenged and supported to move beyond their ‘comfort’ zone is so important. These learning experiences form lasting memories. Learning is enriched and lives change. Our students are on country and supporting community to construct and serve. To offer these experiences is not easy – and not ‘normal’ – there is SO much attention to detail, time and effort, and giving of our incredible teachers. Some of these students just returned from our 14 day central Queensland expedition. These expeditions in Years 9 and 10 are unique to Living School.
We push boundaries and, in so doing, our students’ understanding of ‘learning’ extends beyond ‘knowing’ and textbook based ‘knowledge’ and ‘instruction’.
Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday I attended professional development in the teaching of the core subject of the IBDP – often called TOK. All teachers delivering the IBDP must be trained – and it is this professional development that ensures the teaching of the IB is rich, powerful and relevant.
TOK (Theory of Knowledge) is such an incredible core subject – and attending the training with other leading educators from QLD, NSW and Victoria – and China/Indonesia/India – is so powerful. The IB program is truly global! So what is TOK? TOK is about encouraging our students to question and clarify assumptions – to critically examine the nature of knowledge and how we know what we claim to know. This subject underpins ALL subjects (what the IB refers to as Areas Of Knowledge). It prompts students to reflect on personal bias and to consider the reliability and validity of knowledge claims.
This core is not offered in the HSC – which has a more subject-silo approach. And, from my parental experience, leads students to see the final years of schools validated by a ‘mark’ rather than a broad depth of knowledge and knowing.
For example, in the TOK, students discuss and unpack knowledge questions using a knowledge framework – Scope, Methods and Tools, Perspective, and Ethics – and reference this to concepts bound in Areas of Knowledge (the ways in which we categorise ideas and concepts, e.g. Arts, History, Human and Natural Sciences, Mathematics) and optional themes – Language, Indigenous Societies, Politics, Religion and Technology. The nature of this subject is conversational – and guided in discussion. I love that the IBDP offers this rich depth for our teenagers as they grow into life-long learners. This is one of the reasons why the IB Diploma is so universally recognised.
On Wednesday, last week, we presented (again) our plans for the development of Brown and Jolly into our Middle School campus. The process has been meticulous, incredibly expensive and overly drawn-out. But this process has also ensured we have thoroughly prepared, planned and considered all parameters required. On Monday 21 July, I was informed we had unanimous approval of the Regional Planning Committee.
Many people do not go through these procedures – and it is only when you do, you are fully aware and comprehend the detail, time required (and bureaucracy). If we want our students to be prepared for these undertakings, we have to ‘know’ the procedures – and what is required. I firmly believe our VAST model is the basis of all development – Values, Attitudes (confidence, openness, resilience, excellence, passion, patience, positivity and persistence, Skills and – most importantly – TRUST. To trust in the process and the people sustains our reason for being. Your trust in our community and our vision is vital, too! We cannot achieve anything without support – the network.
With this approval, we can now – finally – implement our plans for Middle School. And we will be launching to our parent community Emma Wilson’s unique and rigorous curriculum model – Catalyst Curriculum – that is truly progressive. Anyone who has had the benefit of Emma as a teacher will validate how amazing her teaching is – to have Emma for one year of learning is a gift! Our past Year 7 students know this.
On Tuesday 22 July we had another NSW Education and Standards Authority (NESA) inspection to register and sustain our NSW accreditation to operate as a K-12 progressive school. Unlike many schools – this is our fourth NESA inspection over the past six years – but each one takes enormous time to ensure we have all documentation and requirements up-to-date. Rest assured, Living School MUST and DOES meet all of the curriculum, governance, child-protection and enrolment requirements.