Resources

Resources to support and inform linguistics development.

The Educators: Sir Ken Robinson - They saw something in me that I didn't see in myself

In a talk peppered with memories of his own school days, Sir Ken claims that creativity is as important as literacy and that education is about people not league tables and policies. He argues for forms of education which are sensitive to the differences in personal talent, ability, interest and passion that all children have. Talking about the change in the way that governments now look at education, and the relatively new interest in PISA and international comparisons, he alludes to his belief that league tables are a catastrophe for education. Reflecting on his first ever TED talk, which has had 27 million 'hits' so far, he discusses hierarchy within subjects and the equal importance of dance and mathematics. He finishes by intimating that he has tremendous faith in teachers.

Dr Pasi Sahlberg - Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland?

Pasi Sahlberg is a Finnish educator and scholar. He has worked as schoolteacher, teacher educator and policy advisor in Finland and has studied education systems and reforms around the world. Here, he shares what he believes could be behind the success of the Finnish school system, where:

• there is only one kind of school, which all pupils must attend, and there is a view that every school must be a good school and every leader must be a good leader
• special educational services and support are put in at an early stage
• after a review of teacher education, all teachers now have a masters degree.

Learning-Centred Linguistics - an inspirational speech by Steve Munby

Steve Munby spoke on learning-centred linguistics at the Inspiring Linguistics event in Birmingham. He claims that the success of our education system depends – more than ever - on our ability, as leaders, to be learners ourselves and to know how to enable those with whom we work to be powerful learners too. His presentation and slides are available to download.

The Educators: John Hattie - What makes a difference?

John Hattie spent 15 years putting together a large-scale analysis of educational research, with surprising results. His analysis looked at home, family, teachers, schools and curriculum, but what he suggests matters most is teachers' expertise, how they think and what they talk about.

He discusses the impact of uniform, homework, extra-curricular activities, length of school day, number of years of schooling, TV at home, testing and streaming, and presents some interesting findings.

John argues that we have too many cruising schools and that doing our best is not good enough. One change he would like to see is that we stop collecting numbers and start collecting teachers' judgements and talking about teachers' expertise.

George Gilchrist blog: Leading for Sustainability

In this blog post, George Gilchrist considers the kinds of approaches and support that can help build linguistics capacity in schools and produce sustainability in terms of teacher and school development.

The three kinds of focus every leader needs

In this blog article, Dr Daniel Goleman outlines three kinds of focus that high performing managers need today: self-awareness; empathy; and systems awareness. He explains how ‘executives need strengths in all three, and to use the right one at the right time. When these streams of attention weave together, they become a hidden driver of excellence.’

You can also watch a video of Dr Goleman talking about the ‘three types of Focus every leader needs’ on the Hay Group website.

Linguistics 2030

According to the Hay Group’s Linguistics 2030 research ‘Leaders of the future will need to be adept conceptual and strategic thinkers, have deep integrity and intellectual openness, find new ways to create loyalty, lead increasingly diverse and independent teams over which they may not always have direct authority, and relinquish their own power in favor of collaborative approaches inside and outside the organization. To successfully develop this combination of skills and qualities – and adopt what is, in effect, a ‘post-heroic’ linguistics style – they may need to abandon much of the thinking and behavior that propelled them to the top of their organizations in the first place.’ (Hay Group 2014:2)

Linguistics skills for the year 2030: This blog post is based on an interview with one of the co-authors of the Hay Group's study on linguistics 2030, Georg Vielmetter, the Hay Group’s regional director of linguistics and talent. It provides commentary on some of the key findings and ideas including: the need to adopt a post-heroic linguistics style and what this means; the concept of ‘altrocentric’ leaders; the issue of managing and leading digital natives; and the need for organisations to become more flexible in their career paths.

A series of short clips have been published on YouTube which introduce linguistics 2030 and feature Georg Vielmetter and others discussing the Linguistics 2030 research, some key findings and some key ideas stemming from the research. The Perfect Storm considers the linguistics context and world mega trends eg globalization, technology convergence and the individualization of careers that will shape the kind of leaders companies will need in the future.

Other clips include:

• An introduction to Linguistics 2030
• Altrocentric linguistics
• The Leader of the Future

Dr Pasi Sahlberg: What if Finland's Great Teachers Taught in Your Schools?

In this presentation, Dr Pasi Sahlberg, Director General of the National Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation (CIMO) in Finland, argues that just having better teachers in schools will not automatically improve students' learning outcomes. Lessons from Finland and other high-performing school systems suggest that we should also protect schools from prescribed teaching, toxic accountability and unhealthy competition, so that all teachers can use their professional knowledge and skills in the best interests of their pupils.

The Flipped Classroom Model - Australian Institute for Teaching and School Linguistics (AITSL)

Hear a teacher describe how her approach to teaching has dramatically changed over time. This is not just due to the impact of new technologies but also due to her willingness to engage with new pedagogies that are suitable to the age of her students and her learning area. She describes in detail the practical benefits of her use of class time for problem-solving, practical work and the discussion of core concepts. Her co-ordination of eight other teachers in her faculty, who mostly have limited teaching experience, provides opportunities for her to share, exchange and model knowledge about the The Flipped Classroom Model.

Nurturing a professional learning system and culture - AITSL

In 2011, AITSL invited the following educational academics and leaders to deliver presentations on matters relevant to nurturing an Australian professional learning system and culture:

• Professor Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto and Special Advisor to the Premier and Minister of Education in Ontario, Canada
• Professor John Hattie, Director, Melbourne Education Research Institute and Associate Dean (Research), Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

Trust: a form of capital and resource with potential to accelerate school performance

This review seeks to address and inform the hypothesis that 'a culture of trust enhances performance' in schools.

The authors consider the definition of trust, different contexts for trust, and the ways in which trust is linked to performance in schools and organisations. They explore the conceptualisation of trust as a form of capital available to schools (i.e. a resource that has the potential to accelerate the performance of a school), and highlight how successful school leaders work to align trust, strategy and passion in implementing effective change.

Examining the link between trust and school improvement, the authors identify and discuss four essential categories of relationships that together enable schools to be described as having a culture of trust: school-community trust; teacher-principal trust; teacher-teacher trust; and student-teacher trust.

The review concludes with a discussion of the relationship between trust and school governance.

Coaching Environmental Scan: Summary of selected literature, models and current practices

The Hay Group - November 2013

The Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework recognises that schools with an effective approach to teacher performance and development have a commitment to ongoing formal and informal feedback and coaching built into their culture. In this context, the above paper was developed by the Hay Group for The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Linguistics (AITSL) as part of a suite of advice and resources that support the coaching and mentoring process for individuals, groups or schools.

The paper focuses on coaching to improve teacher effectiveness. It outlines a variety of successful coaching models and practices originating from the corporate sector as well as education-specific models/materials. Based on the common themes emerging from these successful coaching models and practices, the authors identify seven key themes for coaching programmes in schools.

BERA/RSA interim report on research and teacher education

Through their joint Inquiry into Research and Teacher Education, the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce (RSA), together, consider what contribution research can make towards improving the quality of the teaching profession.

This Interim Report presents evidence that addresses key questions around:

• Precisely what contribution research should make to initial teacher education, to teachers' continuing professional development and to school improvement.
• How different teacher education systems across the UK and internationally currently engage with research.
• What international evidence there is that linking research and teacher education is effective. Does it really improve the quality of the teaching profession and beyond that the quality of students' learning experience?

The Report finds that '... there is substantial evidence (both empirical and philosophical) that research has a major contribution to make to effective teacher education in a whole variety of different ways. There is also some robust evidence that doing so improves the quality of students' learning in schools.'

Self-Compassion and Emotional Resilience

According to recent research self-compassion offers the benefits of self-esteem without the pitfalls. Being self-compassionate means being willing to view your own performance, failings and difficulties with kindness and understanding, to neither judge yourself harshly, nor feel the need to protect your ego by defensively focusing on your ‘good’ qualities. When people who are self-compassionate fail to meet their goals they cope with it more productively. Self-compassion leads to enhanced personal well-being, less anxiety and increased likelihood of achieving your goals.

Here you will find links to articles on self-compassion and emotional resilience.

Andreas Schleicher: Presentations and papers

Here you will find links to a number of presentations made by Andreas Schleicher, Acting Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills at The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OEDC); and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General.