Growing Innovations in Rural Sites of Learning: Learning Together Elluminate meeting #3 – March/ April,2012

 Introduction and opening remarks – Linda Farr Darling  Goals for the meeting – Pat Dooley

 To continue to provide a forum for sharing, learning and community-building between Growing Innovations project leaders  To hear from Project leaders about successes, connections, learning, influence on students and future plans.  To report on some themes identified by site support facilitators.  To set the stage for the May 5 Learning Symposium.  To share initial thoughts regarding movement to a demonstration learning centre concept

Tell us a bit about your project and include something on any or all of the following: - successes - connections, - something(s) you are learning - influence on students - future plans.  Comments by site facilitators

 Reports on student engagement and sense of belonging from several projects: This is one aspect of place conscious learning (enhanced sense of identity re where one if from).  Many projects are seen by districts, project leaders and site facilitators as potential catalysts for change.  Site facilitators are adding value to projects through recognition, sharing expertise and offers of support. Strong relationships are being formed.  Questions are being asked about how to identify how projects are making a difference: the power of observation,

 Important to think about “diffusion” and “influence” in relation to projects and potential for transfer and learning by others.  Project leaders continue to identify changing nature of relationships with community and role of the projects in changing attitudes toward students.  The passion of the teacher and quality of what is being done is making a difference.  Several projects are targeted at making a difference to groups of students (e.g. Aboriginal students) with a focus on ways to enhance success.  Many projects are about connecting to aboriginal culture (e.g. #48, 50, 58, 82, 84)

 Some thoughts from Michael Fullan, whose recent work is about choosing the right drivers for school reform, and  Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley, whose recent work is The Fourth Way: The Inspiring Future for Educational Change

 The key to system-wide success is to situate the energy of educators and students as the central driving force. This means aligning the goals of reform and the intrinsic motivation of participants. Intrinsic energy derives from doing something well that is important to you and to those with whom you are working.  Michael Fullan

 Consistent with current thinking about how change occurs: The Fourth Way promotes educational change through deepened and demanding learning, professional quality and engagement, and invigorated community development and public democracy. Hargreaves and Shirley

 Preparing for the seminar  Logistics and schedule  Questions?

 Please come prepared to: a) share a 5-7 minute report on your project (outline of the innovation, successes, challenges/sticking points, reflections and next steps, including impacts on students and potential for transfer of ideas to broader settings b) share a symbol related to your project: This could be a story, artifact, metaphor, or image.

 Stories are easy to remember, because in many ways stories are how we remember. Narrative imaging – story – is the fundamental instrument of thought. Daniel Pink  We are looking for your stories….  Template attached to your letter re travel, etc.  Electronic copy to Linda by May 1, 2012

*Length (up to 3 pages) A. Provide the name(s) and contact information for project leader(s) (school, district, ) B. List the names/schools of other team members C. Outline your innovation and what makes it innovative, and identify what problem or need you were addressing through your project. D. Describe your context (students, schools, setting and community)

E. Explain your nnovation in practice: 1. What we did/are doing… 2. What we learned/are learning… 3. What we noticed/are noticing in relation to students *groups of students *individual student stories of success/engagement… F. Reflect on plans to deepen and/or expand our innovation

 12:30 – buffet lunch (Room 209), with participants from the Investigating our Practices conference.  1:15 – gather in Room 205 for conference opening  1:30 – 5:30 – Learning Symposium  5:30 – 7:00 – Social  Location: Neville Scarfe Education Building, 2125 Main Mall, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.  Please send the names of those who will attend from your project to Maya Goldstein by April 15,

 Please make your own travel arrangements: You will be reimbursed for economy airfare or mileage at $0.41/km up to the equivalent of economy airfare.  A block of rooms has been reserved for our group at the Delta Vancouver Suites, 550 West Hastings Street, in downtown Vancouver. Please make your reservations personally as per the following instructions no later than April 14, (assumption that most will need the rooms for 2 nights – May 4 and 5)  Travel vouchers to claim expenses will be provided at the Symposium.  TOC costs will not be covered for Friday, May 4, consistent with our original agreement

 contact the Delta at or , or via  request your room under the Growing Innovations Learning Symposium block  sharing of rooms is encouraged but not required. Questions?

 Develop over time as a way for educators and communities to learn from one another  Concept of diffusion, spread of ideas, and peer-to-peer learning  Web site is a start  May 5 is another opportunity for learning, with potential to expand beyond for deepened learning and educational change consistent with thoughts previously shared.

 Schools are in the business of teaching and learning…and if they would learn to learn from each other their future would be secured.  Paraphrased from Michael Fullan, OISE

 The Fourth Way brings about change through democracy and professionalism rather than through bureaucracy and the market. It translates trust and confidence back from the discredited free market of competition among schools and reinvests them in the expertise of highly trained and actively trusted professionals.  Hargreaves and Shirley, The Fourth Way: The Inspiring Future for Educational Change

 Our challenge, therefore…is living as morally responsible adults who attend to the present through giving ourselves to the future within an inclusive and inspiring vision and language of educational improvement that connects the learning of individuals to the lives of their communities and the future of their societies.  Hargreaves and Shirley