FM Update April 2023 – Equity and Deep Learning

The first of two items for my Kiwi readers.  This one is from the former eLearning Director for CORE Education, who has been working in the K-12 distance learning space for decades.

FM Update April 2023 – Equity and Deep Learning This month’s newsletter is dedicated to sharing some of the insights and experiences from the NPDL Deep Learning Lab in Anaheim where I have spent the past week or so as one of the invited speakers. It was a privilege to attend alongside a truly international gathering of educators like this. The conference setting was just along the road from Disneyland, so I also took the opportunity to visit the “happiest place on earth”  🙂 Global Deep Learning Lab – Anaheim This year marked ten years of the NPDL programme operating – now in sixteen countries – which made this year’s Deep Learning Lab (DLL) particularly special. The focus for this year’s DLL was all about bringing back the joy of learning – an apt theme given the experiences of the past few years of disruption in our education systems. Throughout all of the presentations there was a strong focus on equity and the things we must change at a system and local level to achieve this. A highlight for me was the inclusion of students in a range of presentations and activities in the conference – in them this joy was clearly evident! Four Pivots – Shawn Ginwright If you haven’t come across Shawn Ginwright before he’s well worth checking out. His presentation at the DLL was based on his recent book, The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves (I’ve got my copy on order!). In it he breaks down the common myths of social movements, arguing that these actually hold us back from healing and achieving sustainable systemic change. Dr. Ginwright is also Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flourish Agenda – worth checking this out too! Culturally Responsive Teaching – Zaretta Hammond Zaretta Hammond is a teacher educator and the author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain. I first came across her on an online panel soon after the first COVID lockdowns, and immediately bought a copy of her book which I have used extensively since. Her key message is that culturally responsive teaching is the antidote to inequity – in our schools, and in society. Love Builds Brains – Dr Jean Clinton Dr Clinton’s work has been incorporated into the NPDL programme for a number of years now – bringing a focus on the importance of wellbeing in the bigger picture of deep learning. She advocates tirelessly for children and youth, communicating clearly the profound and practical synthesis of combining well-being and learning. Her book, Love Builds Brains, provides a fantastic guide for any educator (or parent!) Shifting the Ownership of Learning I ran a workshop at the Deep Learning Lab with the title ‘shifting the ownership of learning’ – click here for the slides I used. The focus of the workshop was on identifying the shifts in practice we need to make to enable truly agentic learning to occur in our schools and classrooms. I also presented as one of the featured voices at the conference, sharing ideas about Deep Learning Innovations in challenging times. New Metrics for Success – Lynn Davie It was good to catch up with Australian colleague, Lynn Davie, at the event and to hear about her work with colleagues at the University of Melbourne on the New Metrics for Success project. Lynn has been bringing those ideas and experience to her work with the NPDL team and I look forward to seeing how this is used to support the future work of the NPDL family across the globe. In Memoriam – Mike Anderson It is with considerable sadness that I learned on my return to NZ of the death of Mike Anderson. Mike was principal at Waimairi Primary School in Christchurch, and only recently diagnosed with cancer that finally took his life. Through his career Mike made a significant contribution to the education scene in Canterbury in particular, always innovating and always working with great passion and vision on behalf of his staff, students and community. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. RIP But wait, there’s more… At FutureMakers we use a range of forums to curate good ideas and resources. Check out the following… If you’ve enjoyed reading this newsletter please feel free to forward it to others to read, or better yet, ask them to become a FutureMakers subscriber so they will receive their own updates delivered to their mailbox. I’m always interested to hear your feedback or ideas about what you’d like to see included in future newsletters – please use the link below to email me with your suggestions.