Principal's Log

Over the last week the Year 6 space has been fitted out with new furniture that enables staff and students to work flexibly through making quick changes to physical and virtual spaces. Often referred to as providing opportunities for agility, this type of classroom arrangement has a strong focus on enabling students to take increasing responsibility for their own learning as they develop skills to shape new ideas and to learn independently and in collaboration with others. These skills are among the attributes that young people will need to thrive. If you asked a group of contemporary educational leaders what attributes young people would need in 2017 to be successful in a rapidly changing and evolving world, the following would be among the list.

• Passionate about what they are doing
• Having confidence, capacity and desire to drive their own learning
• Having a sense of curiosity
• Courage to try new things and to innovate
• Respect for people and having the capacity to collaborate without boundaries
• Perseverance and resilience to learn through mistakes and disappointments
• Having a desire to serve others and make the world a better place

As part of the next phase of the Finnish education system, there has been increasing focus on growing the creativity, curiosity and innovative capacity of their young people through engagement in the exploration of the bigger questions of learning.  

At the various parent information evenings over the past fortnight, parents will have heard how the Teaching for Understanding and Visible Thinking frameworks provide the opportunity for young people to grow their curiosity, wonder, innovation, perseverance and courage to take risks as they drive their own learning independently and in collaboration with others. Parents will have also heard how important social and emotional and spiritual capacities are grown through engagement with the learning of positive psychology and developing an understanding of Christianity from a Lutheran worldview. Through engagement with these programs within increasingly agile spaces young people have the opportunity to grow the attributes to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

An important part of this growth is the willingness of teachers to be engaged in ongoing learning. Next week another group of our teachers will be involved in professional development with international educational consultant Mark Church.

Greater growth occurs where parents are in tune with the learning experiences of their young person. Information evenings provide an important opportunity for parents to grow in this area and we thank all parents who have taken this opportunity including our middle college parents and staff in this last week.

We pray for the wisdom, courage and compassion to enable us to grow together in a culture where trust and personal responsibility abound.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal