Global Summit 06

Posted on | October 20, 2006 | 5 Comments

My last few hours in Sydney before I head home this afternoon – just enough time to do the gift shopping that will permit me back through the door when I get home!

Reflecting on the two days, it’s not that easy to pick out the highlights given the uniform quality of the presentations and the discussion. If I had to pick out some particular moments, though, these would be:

1. Meeting Judy O’Connell and Al Upton – two superb advocates for the kind of education that we must bring about quickly if we are to serve the real interests of our young people in the years ahead – and both blogged extensively on the Summit – go see!

2. The presentation by Leigh Blackall – I know I’ve given him a hard time over a couple of posts, but his message is one that many many people in education worldwide agree with but feel powerless to implement. Leigh says it as he feels it, and that has to be admired – we just need to channel all the energy coming from so many points around the globe right now in ways that will make a real systemic difference (even if that means that the ’system’ is subverted). Educate rather than flame!

3. Meeting so many energetic, idealistic and powerful individuals from Australian education. People such as Greg Whitby, who in a very short space of time in his new post leading Parramatta Diocese Education, is already shaking up the way things are done and the way that people are allowed to think about the future. He reminds me a lot of Roger Stewart, my old friend and colleague, now sadly gone – like Roger, Greg must be a bu**er to work for though! People such as Jenny Lewis, ACEL – ‘the 5-foot dynamo’ as described by Michael Fullan (he got it wrong – she’s 5-foot and 1 inch) – Jenny has a take on leadership that is forward-looking and challenging but which is based entirely on her own successful experience in school leadership. People such Sue Mann, Curriculum Corporation – looking to meet many of the same challenges that LT Scotland is facing right now. And people people such as the brilliant group that I had the privilege of acting as a ‘thought leader’ for – genuine educational discourse is alive and well ! And this included three brilliant people all from one school – Belmore South Public School – what a place that must be to teach in with people such as the Principal, Gail Dyer, and teachers such as Kim Pericles and Alexis Desmarchelier-Clay. Gail and Kim will be in the UK in the New Year for a research trip – I look forward to seeing them again at BETT, and I will be arranging for them to meet a few key people in Scotland while they are there.

4. The superb talk from Geetha Narayanan on her work with the children of the slums in Bangalore – stunning work and humbling to catch even a tiny sight of what she has done in her photos, slides and videos.

5. And the off-the-wall presentation (a not-presentation?) from Jean Johnson of NotSchool.net and the Cademy – energy, commitment, humour and a vision that has lessons a-plenty for so-called mainstream education.

So, all in all, a worthwhile experience. And it all simply makes me all the more determined to come back to Australia for a longer stay some time soon….

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Comments

5 Responses to “Global Summit 06”

Global Summit 06 - Geetha Narayanan « heyjude
October 20th, 2006 @ 4:02 pm

[...] How do you measure the personal value of such a succesful event as the Global Summit hosted by Education.au? As John Connell pointed out so well, we had the opportunity to meet such a good group of leaders as well as practitioners, and we had the chance to engage in deep dialogue for two whole days. I was thrilled to have the opportunity! [...]
Greg Whitby
October 22nd, 2006 @ 8:02 am

thank’s for the compliments John. You’ve been ploughing the paddock for some time now and the seeds are starting to germinate. It was a challenging experience as mich for the side dialogues and discussions. There is a tangilbe energy out there and things are changing. The emerging issue for me now is the shaping and articulation of a pedagogy for the 21st century learner. What does it look like, how do we describe it and how do we implement knowing that this very process will change it ! That learning and teaching will change now is a given I think, not an aspiration. We need a powerful narrative to sustain that change
tanaya
September 17th, 2007 @ 8:42 am

Hi my name is Tanaya and do you no how to make a blog for me and my teacher has a blog But he’s veary sick and can you go on it on the 5th of may 2008 the name of the school is bel more south public school teachers name- Mr sattout

love tanaya
tanaya
September 18th, 2007 @ 5:25 am

dear mr connell
thank you for emailing my school my teachers have shown me how to blog how to keep safe on the internet.I know how to post a good comment and i have been practicing on my school blogs. i might be able to teach my class to blog on the class blog. please come and vist me.

from tanaya
John Connell
September 18th, 2007 @ 9:23 am

Tanaya,

Thank you for your messages. I would very much like to visit Belmore South School when I visit your beautiful country. I have heard so much about the school from Mrs Dyer and Mrs Pericles, so I will look forward to seeing you and all your schoolfriends soon.

John Connell