This post from a New Zealand educator has resonated with me during these times of isolation and distance learning for schools and has reflected what some students and teachers are saying about the change to online learning:

Here is a translation:

"Schools have gone from

hosts to visitors.

We are the visitors in the

homes of young people.

We are literally entering

their homes daily.

If we are visitors

we should act like it.

We take the lead from families

and work to maintain

the life force of the family."

When using online learning, there is a subtle difference for schools which I think is summed up in this quote so eloquently.  

When engaging in face to face learning, schools are the 'place' that students come to, they are essentially the 'hosts' for facilitating learning.  The school is their 'place' and when a well developed school culture is in place, all students and staff and parents feel a sense of belonging at the school and ownership of the facility.  The school buildings are the venue and the school staff are the 'hosts' for learning.  Staff behave like hosts, offering the best environment they can and providing opportunities to engage in learning.

When schools start providing learning online, this dynamic changes and the teachers who are facilitating online learning with their students become the 'visitors' in their students homes.  

I'm not sure if all schools acknowledge this difference and I wonder if school staff spent some time considering this move from 'host' to 'visitor' what it would mean for their programs and delivery.  A school leader could run a staff meeting that asks the following questions:

* if we are the visitors in students homes, what would be the most respectful way we could start the lesson?

* if parents and/or extended family are also in the home while we are delivering learning, how do we acknowledge them as we are guests in their home?

* how do our expectations of students change for online learning; are there different expectations of a host and a visitor?

I think there is value in schools exploring  these concepts and at the least considering that there could be some subtle differences.  

In the interests of maintaining student wellbeing, positive relationships with students and creating the most effective learning opportunities we can is it worth exploring this idea with your school?

There could be a silver lining here... schools who engage with their parent community and acknowledge their new role as visitors in their homes might find online learning to be an unexpected opportunity to further strengthen respectful relationships.

I'd love to hear from any schools who have had these conversations with staff and/or parents, please send an email if you'd be happy to share your experiences. 

Written by: Angela White, Executive Officer

Apologies for not providing a link to the author Heemi McDonald.  If anyone can provide a link to their work or more detail about the quote please let me know so I can update with an acknowledgement.

In October 2018 a group of 18 teachers joined Adolescent Success for a guided and robust program of school visits in Tampere, Finland.  

The tour was organised by one of our annual partners Latitude Group Travel and ran seamlessly (check out Latitude Group Travel for all your school tour requirements they are amazing to work with!)

Apart from the incredible sense of history and culture which comes from visiting Europe, the minute we arrived in Helsinki we understood we were about to discover a very different education system.  

Obviously books have been written about the Finnish education system and I could write a book about our experience but to keep it short and sweet here below are my brief, key takeaways and observations:

* Success for Finnish students is not just a product of an amazing education system, it is also a result of being brought up in a Socialist Democratic society

"Social democracy is a political, social and economic ideology that supports economic and social interventions to promote social justice within the framework of a liberal democratic polity and capitalist economy."

In other words Finnish students experience extraordinary care and protection from the state from the minute they are born.  Mothers and babies are a high priority for Finland and are treated very well.  Paid parental leave is generous for both mothers and fathers and early intervention is considerable.  Which means learning needs are identified early and care and treatment are free for parents to access.  All manner of services are free to parents and children including dental care, nutrition, all medical care including surgery and specialist, occupational therapy, physical therapy and so on.  What does this mean for teachers?  Kids turn up at school well cared from day one and any learning needs they have are not suddenly the responsibility of the school but have been the joint responsibility of the parents and the state for some time and have more than likely been identified and treated.

School Lunch in Finland

* Students start school at 7 years old... and when they start their days are short.  Play based learning is important and outside play is mandatory.  In the school we visited there were breaks every 60mins for 15 mins and they were all mandatory outside breaks (even in the snow/rain).

* Students don't bring any food to school.  Teachers who are reading this... just think about that for a minute... NO LITTER!  All schools in Finland have a cooked lunch provided every day for every student (all the way through to High School).  During the many breaks in the school day, students do not eat... they play.  I never saw a single piece of litter or a single rubbish bin at any of the schools we visited.  

* "Special education is not that special in Finland", this is a quote from one of the presentations we attended during the tour.  What he means is that Inclusive Education is so embedded and accessible in Finland, that is not that special.  Every child has access to special education if they require it for as long as needed and there is no shame for students in using learning interventions.

* There are literally no dead ends for students in the Finnish Education System, regardless of whether students undertake an academic or vocational High School

* Students can choose either a General or Vocational High School and they can swap if they change their mind.  This means that a potential engineer can garner practical experience at vocational school then switch to academic school if they want to and vice versa.  Students don't have to leave school to learn a trade.

* Craft is a subject in Basic Education and there are many hands on subjects, we saw electronics, sewing, hard materials, metal work, wood work and visual art classes.

* Finnish and Swedish are national languages so all students must learn both languages.  All students also learn English and then choose a 3rd and/or 4th language to learn as well.  Languages are important to learn in Finland and are intwined in inclusive education with policies such as; if there are 2 or more students in your school who speak the same mother tongue, it is mandatory for the school to offer this language as a subject.

Key words that are synonymous with Finnish Education for me after this visit are:

Trust

Teachers are trusted to do their job.  They are trusted by the Principals, the Department of Education, Parents and their Students.  One teacher said to us "Teachers are just left alone to get on with the job."  

Autonomy

Teachers have autonomy over their delivery and management of the curriculum.

Respect

Teaching is a highly respected profession.  Only a small number of teachers who apply actually get into teaching, it is a sought after profession.  Teachers told me this was not because of the pay but because of the autonomy and the job satisfaction.

Shame

There is no shame in taking either a vocational or academic pathway for High School, both are equally valued and both have a pathway to University Degree, Masters and Ph.d.  There no no shame in accessing special education and no shame in using services designed to help your learning process.  One teacher said to me: "In Australia it seems to me as if students are considered either readers or non-readers, in Finland our students are considered either readers or doers and both are valued."

Do you want to join our 2020 school tour of Finland?  Jump over here and find out more about how you can join us.

Not long ago I had a conversation with bestselling author, journalist and commentator, Madonna King about fathers and daughters and how they can create strong, unbreakable bonds.  It was an interesting conversation because there is such a lot to discuss but we did touch on a few topics which are dear to my heart.  In her book Madonna explores a fathers role from a daughters perspective as well as through a fathers eyes as a way of exploring this important relationship.  The book combines knowledge from leading psychologists, school principals, parenting experts, CEO's, police, guidance counsellors and neuroscientists to provide the answers dads, daughters and mums are looking for.

I'm lucky to be quoted throughout the book, you might be interested in checking it out in our store, if you know someone who would enjoy reading it.

I was struck by this image which came across my Facebook feed as it made me think about integration and how far we've progressed (or not) in the area of subject integration.  For many years Adolescent Success has advocated for subject integration in the middle years.  Why?  ... because it's better for young adolescents.  Learning which is integrated is authentic and it means students can engage in deep learning experiences which encourage problem based learning, inquiry learning, rich learning tasks and collaborative and personal projects.  

I think there is a way to authentically integrate subjects while still respecting the status of the single subject.  With the rise of STEM and STEAM and now STREAM projects there is an opportunity for us to re-invent the integration model for learners in the middle years.   I'm in awe of the presenter in this picture who has invented HAMSTER (Humanities, Art, Math, Science, Technology, Engineering, Reading/Research) because, why should we limit integration to just Science, Technology and Maths?  

If you're considering integration, these points from Tony Dowden page 186 "Teaching Middle Years" are a useful guide:

"* Establish a clear and unambiguous rationale for implementing curriculum integration.

* Design student-centred curriculum integration that helps students achieve personal development goals and build social connections (especially in Years 5-7).

* Ensure that all teachers understand developmental needs in the middle years when implementing student-centred curriculum integration.

* Implement subject-centred multidisciplinary units in instances in which two or more disciplinary perspectives are desirable and this leads to deep learning, but avoid subject-centred multidisciplinary units unless the inclusion of each subject can be justified on a case by case basis."

This book is such powerful tool for teachers and educators of young adolescents, that we decided to create a workshop around it!   This book features contributions from leading experts in the field of middle years education and is based on research.  What we love about the 3rd edition is that it includes such a comprehensive chapter on transition as well as detailed information on key areas of middle years pedagogy.  

"Every teacher of young adolescents (10-15 year olds), should have a copy of this book and also have the opportunity to collaboratively read, discuss and synthesise the vital information it contains." -  Angela White, Executive Officer Adolescent Success

About the authors:

Professor Donna Pendergast is Dean and Head of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University.  Dr Katherine Main is a senior lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University and Professor Nan Bahr is Dean, Arts, Education and Law Group at Griffith University.

You can purchase it here.