Since moving up to senior management the story of school has changed for me. A school is the centre of so much activity, central to the daily lives of so many people, each with their own part to play in it. Each person sees school in a different way, everyone has their daily narrative.

My story as a student teacher was exciting. We had the opportunity to work in lots of different places, the role we played meant we were new people in classrooms and so the children would often respond warmly to us. We had the freedom to explore what it meant to put together a lesson and find exciting ways to do that. There was an amazing sense of companionship with other students as we got through our placements, each one held it’s own narrative. These school stories were very linear with an end point we often focused on. Each story was about improving and getting better – each experience shaping what I am now.

As a full-time teacher the story of school changed. Suddenly there was a greater sense of responsibility as I had my own class. All to myself. The story shifts to learning about each child and the huge part we play as their teacher. The daily narrative focused purely on my own class, of the children that may have been unwell – “Are they feeling any better?”, of those that are having a tough time at home. Our classes consume our attention and devotion. We are committed to the learning journey we are on together.

At Easter I moved to another school and so my school story had to start from scratch. The familiar plot lines and characters had changed and I needed to establish fresh ones. My role had changed too and I no longer could focus on just my own class, but needed insight and awareness of the myriad of tales from right across school. I have spent a long time establishing relationships and finding the part I can play in this new story.

The most significant new contribution to my school story is the awareness of the difficulties many of the most at risk children face in their daily lives. I am now embroiled in their narrative too, learning about the help they need and often actively providing it. This parallel, often unknown, story that occurs in every school is a new chapter for me. It has rewritten my school story with a new challenging layer of meaning.

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Photo: Petals, Toil and Business at Dadar’s Phulgalli [PHOTO 2] by lecercle

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One of my responsibilities in my new role as Deputy Headteacher is to take a fresh look at our primary curriculum. Ever since I began I have had numerous conversations about the process we are going to go through over the course of the next year.

We are seeking to build upon the successes of what we already do and make our curriculum more relevant and connected to the community it serves.

When the Rose Review was dashed on the rocks of the parliamentary washup, and then the UK coalition government put a large red line through the proposed changes, many primary teachers were disappointed. Much of what it outlined made a great deal of sense. Despite that we are continuing with our own curriculum redevelopment.

Next week we have our second staff meeting about curriculum development and I am keen to share one of three films with the staff to provoke some discussion about education change. I am unsure about which to use and I would appreciate your thoughts on which might be most effective. I will, no doubt, share all of them in time but for now I am looking for one which resonates the most with teachers about how we should better connect our curriculum with our pupils.

An entertaining talk from Sir Ken Robinson, the follow up to his “Killing Creativity” piece. I liked the way that he described the system of education conforming, as he says:

…we have sold ourselves into a fast food model of education. And it’s impoverishing our spirit and our energies as much as fast food is depleting our physical bodies.

We should build learning establishments that are more like Michelin starred restaurants than fast food chains – providing children with a locally grown curriculum that meets the needs of those it serves and not and all for one menu.

I enjoyed listening to this from Charles Leadbeater and appreciated how he outlined the need for more learning that starts with questions and not just going through the motions of filling children with knowledge. We feel that this will be central to how our curriculum may be designed. This has led me to explore Project and Challenge Based Learning and would appreciate any thoughts from those that have experienced this approach in the classroom.

Interestingly he touches upon the food outlet idea that Robinson also used. Leadbeater perhaps refines the idea somewhat in the sense that there are thousands of schools and yes they are all have the same purpose but they should be locally unique.

A small remark that was important to me was that schools,

…often hit the target but miss the point.

Crucially we need to reposition the primary curriculum so that it has a clear and unfettered purpose and that the children understand that more than anyone else.

Dan was (very recently) a classroom teacher like me. That very fact is important. His perspective was from within the classroom and not from the outside looking in. Although Dan speaks about the changes he sees vital for the maths curriculum, what he says is relevant to the whole curriculum.

He takes apart the mundane questions presented in maths textbooks and cuts to the chase. His approach is about developing patient problem solvers in our pupils. This could be applied to how we approach topics within a curriculum. We can extract a much more general theory from what Dan puts forward and once again it boils down to children being faced with problems, challenges or questions.

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In a way the three different perspectives are clear. Meyer speaks from within the classroom, Leadbeater after seeing learning in different circumstances and Robinson from a wider more systematic stance. Arguably they are at different distances from the point of learning.

Each has their strengths, but which do you think would be the most relevant to busy teachers at this early stage of primary curriculum development?

Is the sun beginning to set on a cumbersome educational landscape? One that is too rigid to quickly adjust to what leaners need and what they want from the future. A system that looks on as grass roots spread wider and wider beneath it.

I am in revolutionary mood as I return from some inspiring conversations with people at #BectaX.

Can those of us who recognise the need for change, rise above the cynicism? Rise above the barriers and the blocks. Let us be determined and positive, and make change happen in small ways, where we are, where we can.

Perhaps it is wrong of us to ever have believed this change will occur from policy. I am sure you are like me in that you have never waited for policy to define your practice. Each of us has a certain amount of influence, an ability to change 1 or 5, 30 or even 500 students’ experiences of school. If we believe it should be done, we need to make it happen in every small way we can.

I have stood in a room with hundreds of people whispering. It is very loud.

If we all make a small contribution, a small effort of change – if we all whisper, our voices will be heard. Here are some whispers:

1. Talk to your students, to your classes about technology. Find out how they use it at home and what they enjoy. Plan to do it again soon.
2. Take what you find out (formally or informally) to someone else in your institute. Better still get your students to explain it.
3. Show someone how you use Twitter or other online tools to connect with teachers. Do it as often as you can.
4. Write a blog post about your ideas. (Or even start a blog for your ideas!) Share your experiences, frustrations, successes and hopes for your work.
5. Share an interesting blog post you have seen with someone who may never see it.
6. Ask on your blog or on Twitter for other schools to connect with. Share the process with your class and give them an insight into what is happening at schools in other countries.
7. Help someone on Twitter by retweeting a request for assistance. You never know where that ripple will stop.
8. Let your children or students teach you how to use something.
9. Find ways to help parents better understand what you do in school and how their children are using technology.
10. Find out what your students think of blocking websites. What do they think is “safe” internet use.
11. Consider managing your own internet filtering. At least have the conversation.
12. Ask your local authority to unblock useful websites. Keep asking.

Whatever form your whisper takes, raise your voices. We are louder together.

IMG_9566.JPG by fabola - Attr-NonCom-NoDerivs Lic