Quality of Schooling - how do we define and refine "quality"
By John Stewart, Conductor of Living School
(no AI used)
Quality Schooling?
This week, I was presenting to prospective families considering Living School. I was sharing with Sara and Rich a presentation about ‘our’ school. I talk way too much – but that is because there is SOOOOO much, there are so many layers, underpinning the diversity of our schooling ecosystem. After nearly six years, we are a very organic, rich and broad offering.
Reflecting on where we are at present, takes me back to what the initial intention for creating Living School was all about. It was about engaging students in learning – and ensuring we have a clear definition of the purpose of school. These two foundations are the lodestone on which everything we do must substantiate.
Sometimes we miss this important understanding of ‘why’ we do things – and we don’t pause to consider ‘how’ we are progressing.
The definition of school is so important – and our culture as a community is founded on valuing “schooling”. Schooling is vital for a community – our future depends on it: school is the garden-bed for growing our society and civic responsibilities. Living School depends on a public belief – your trust – that we are ‘worth’ it.
Are we a quality school? When we talk about ‘quality’ of education. We hear ‘evidence-based’ mooted in the press and educational journals. We hear discussion around how many top bands – usually in the HSC or NAPLAN – a school achieves. We have international surveys – the TIMS and PISA – which rank countries.
So does Living School offer a quality education?
I would like to try to open this up a little so we can consider this with reflection on the diverse threads that are woven into the Living School tapestry of progressive education.
Academic Results.
We all have been indoctrinated in ‘school’ – and our experiences are the lens through which we pass judgment. Results – are the ‘outcome’ – or end product. In terms of schooling results, we often see these as the ‘marks’ and ‘bands’ at the end of a test. And usually – the end of school – the HSC mark. This is because this is deemed the gateway to a successful ‘career’. Being a new school, we are now seeing the first of our original pioneer students hitting this ‘end point’.
We have two students – from an initial combined Year 7 and 8 group of eight – graduating after being with us for six years. I am humbled to have these two – as I know the families have had to trust us enormously through very trying times. Thank you. And we have six students graduating this year. We can use statistics to highlight our quality.
32%
of our students have been acknowledged as excellent already!
16%
of our student cohort has been nominated for Onstage – in recognition of their top-level results in Drama.
16%
of our student cohort has been awarded entry into National Arts School.
That means one third of our pending graduates are acknowledged as incredibly successful already – before even attempting the HSC.
Celebrating Success
Now – statistics are great – but they do not tell the entire story. We have a very small cohort – so out of six graduates, one has been nominated for Onstage. And one has been offered a place in NAS already. I want to congratulate these students and their teachers – because that lies in the domain of ‘school’. But I also must acknowledge that the success these two have earned lies beyond our programs. I know parents – supportive, committed, caring – play an enormous part in this. I know that there are external factors – other educators who have supported these students. So when I crow about our ‘achievements’ I do so out of pride for what our students have achieved – not that we are the masters of that destiny.
But – we do offer a quality unlike other schools – and that is where I would like to direct our focus.
These students have had to manage small social dynamics – and the two pioneer students have seen other students leave – for bigger social groups or better ‘fits’ – which must be so challenging to remain trusting in what we are developing. Through this process there has been really rich and important character development – and this is ‘learning’. And we know that the number one quality for learning – for the future – is to be adaptable. On the Business Report this week – after sharing with our teachers professional learning around the AI revolution, Professor Geoffrey Hinton said – “Get an education that teaches you to think and how to be adaptable”. It can be frightening to know that Hinton was saying the estimate most experts state is that within 5 to 20 years, AI systems will have general intelligence – meaning they will be ‘smarter’ than humans. There is that term – ‘smart’ – again. And that is within your child’s – and most of our – lifetimes!!
What is human exceptionalism?
As we discussed in our staff meeting, we also know that human exceptionalism is the one thing that will not be replaced by automation or ‘machines’. A teacher’s commitment and energy – passion and drive – association and relationship – are such important factors. Our very small classes – it is more like tuition – means EVERY child is seen. This visibility can mean they are also noticed – behaviourally, socially, academically, emotionally. Our unique VAST model explicitly outlines the qualities needed for future success – the values (ethics), attitudes (capacities), skills (competencies) and the trust factor that is so challenging at times. We are not trying to indoctrinate but we are layering and tending to a collective wisdom around the values, interests, beliefs, experiences and skills – what I call VIBES (yes, schools love acronyms) we need collectively to have a caring, kind and safe community.
School is where we send our children to grow with others – a diversity of others – in the care of others – who are not our family nor our friends. What an incredible trust we must have – a faith in the quality of education, a hope in the future success, a belief in the shared support of people who are so different from our own ‘families’. We learn to evolve our social, emotional, decisional intelligence through experiences that challenge, evoke and nurture human exceptionalism. Living School offers experiences, camps, projects, problems, incursions WAY beyond other ‘schools’. I went through our calendar to tally up the number of experiences – camps, expeditions, excursions, events – we have offered students since June. The number is 79 – which includes band performances on weekends as well. And I think there are probably a few more – this tally does not include our Friday Onland Learning excursions/experiences.
79 Extended Learning Experiences since June
Living School is engineered to be uniquely developmentally appropriate. We have six-week terms, we have three learning neighbourhoods – each offering a special curriculum model, we have KeyStone themes, we have creative pursuits, and we engage the student voice to offer agency. We are not perfect but we are adaptable!
When I outline these ‘qualities’ I do know what we offer is unique. We are not for everyone – we want to offer something progressive. I do not detract that other schools offer incredible opportunities, too.
But what I am incredibly proud of is our community – and our focus on community. I could go on – as I said, I talk too much – and I write too much, too! But what an incredible world we are tending – nurturing – for our community now and in the future. That quality is something we should all feel incredibly proud of. Thank you all – for your trust and good will.
The Dash
by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak at a funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end.
He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears but said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we lived and loved and how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.
To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile…remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?