Keynote presentation to the Queensland Principals Conference in Brisbane, 11 October 2022. Focusing on key themes of transformation in our education system to build resilience in our schools and better serve our learners and our communities.

1. Imagine if…
…the future?
Queensland Principals Conference
Brisbane Conference and Exhibition Centre
Tuesday 11 October, 2022
Image: Microsoft Library

2. LIVE
in the present
It is the decisions we make and
the actions we take in the present
that will ultimately determine
what our future looks like.
LEARN
from the past
Understanding our histories, and
the things that have shaped our
lives helps us see how past events
have relevance in our life now.
LOOK
to the future
While it is impossible to accurately
predict the future, we can seek to
understand the trends that are
impacting our lives at every level.

3. Just to focus our attention...
...agree or disagree?
A. Our education system has evolved over time to keep up
with what is happening in other parts of society.
B. We do a pretty good job of preparing our young people to
live in the world they will inherit.
C. Our focus right now must be on establishing stability for
our teachers and learners after the disruption of the past
two years.
D. The pace of change in our world and education system is
having a negative impact on our teachers... and students.
E. We don’t ever seem to be able to change quickly enough –
or to get things right when we do.
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

4. https://youtu.be/kyJ-B-M8VBw

5. 1994
School roll just over 300
Students leaving for boarding school
Teachers leaving
Stress on farming families
Loss of help on farms
Unable to afford farm workers
Fewer students coming to school
Social indicators:
- Increased marriage counselling
- Shops closed on main street
- High demand for social services
1996
School roll just under 500
Few students leaving to board
Normal teacher turnover
Families reunited
Kids available to help on farm
Farm workers return – with kids
More students coming to school
Social indicators:
- Decrease in marriage counselling
- No empty shops
- Normal demand for social services
https://futuremakers.nz/vln-in-nz-2/

6. So what do we learn from this?
1. Schools play an important role in the
social and emotional development of
learners
2. Academic learning needn’t be confined
to the physical site of learning
3. We cannot divorce the function of
schools from their communities
4. We cannot divorce students from their
families – and their communities
5. The presence of a school contributes
significantly to the ‘wellbeing’ of the
community – economically, socially,
relationally, culturally.
https://futuremakers.nz/vln-in-nz-2/

7. Unthinkable!
Unimaginable!

8. Global trends...
• What are the implications of
each of these drivers for
education?
• What evidence of these things do
you see in your context?
• How prepared are you for the
impact of any of these as they
emerge?
http://www.oecd.org/edu/trends-shaping-education-22187049.htm
https://futuremakers.nz/education-environment-scan/
“More frequent
and more severe”

9. What have we learned from this?
https://futuremakers.nz/covid-19-research/
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created
the largest disruption of education
systems in history… The crisis is
exacerbating pre-existing education
disparities by reducing the opportunities
for many of the most vulnerable
children, youth, and adults…
… on the other hand, this crisis has
stimulated innovation within the
education sector”. UN Policy Brief*
*https://bit.ly/3SSmzGi

10. Imagine...
• if we could design a system that had the resilience
to withstand constant change and disruption –
what would it look like? What would be different?
• if we could create an education system that truly
prepares young learners for their future – not our
past – how would it operate? What would the
curriculum involve?
• if we had the resources to achieve the change we
believe is necessary – how would we ensure
everyone is on board? And how would we deal with
roadblocks?
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
LEARN
LOOK
LIVE

11. Preparing in advance for a hybrid future
Image: provided by Ōtaki Colllege
IMAGINE IF…
• 30 per cent of students
are self-isolating at any
given time because of
exposure to COVID-19?
• A quarter of staff are
unable to be at school
in-person because they
are self-isolating?
• Staff and students are
coming and going from
school at irregular and
unpredictable times
due to the self-isolation
requirements?
• Some students are
away for extended
periods (more than a
term) due them being a
part of a large family
and so having to remain
isolated until the last
person in the family
group has recovered?
https://youtu.be/Fi7hQLb4b3I

12. Preparing in advance for a hybrid future
Image: provided by Ōtaki Colllege
IMAGINE IF…
• 30 per cent of students
are self-isolating at any
given time because of
exposure to COVID-19?
• A quarter of staff are
unable to be at school
in-person because they
are self-isolating?
• Staff and students are
coming and going from
school at irregular and
unpredictable times
due to the self-isolation
requirements?
• Some students are
away for extended
periods (more than a
term) due them being a
part of a large family
and so having to remain
isolated until the last
person in the family
group has recovered?
https://youtu.be/Fi7hQLb4b3I
Number of students self-isolating
Number of
staff self-
isolating
Business as
usual
Disrupted
teaching
Disrupted
system
Disrupted
learning
Few
Many
Many
Few

13. Planning for resilience
Resilience Planning for Schools
Provides a conceptual overview for
education leaders and communities.
Introduces hybrid as a solution.
Getting Started with Hybrid
Learning: A Teacher Guide
Designed as a guide for educators with
practical advice for moving to a hybrid
model in their own context.
Codifying Teacher Practice
Guide for schools and school leaders to
create coherent, school-wide
pedagogical approaches in a hybrid
environment.
Download from: https://futuremakers.nz/hybrid-learning
Being Resilient
Nine characteristics of resilient schools
with a framework for planning how to
develop these qualities in your own
context.

14. Planning for resilience
Getting Started with Hybrid
Learning: A Teacher Guide
Designed as a guide for educators with
practical advice for moving to a hybrid
model in their own context.
Download from: https://futuremakers.nz/hybrid-learning

15. A boundary-less future – are you ready?
• Starts with the physical school as the traditional
“place of learning”
• A place where individuals are nurtured,
supported and encouraged to grow
• Relationships matter
• Focus on collaboration
• Exposure to cultural, sporting and other
interests
• Access to ‘hands-on’ experiences
Class teacher
Tertiary
School, kura
CC Wenmoth, 2020 A boundary-less education system.
CoP

16. A boundary-less future – are you ready?
• Now extends to home environments
• Another place where learning
happens
• Focus on role of parents/whanau
• Need to understand the cultural
context, and environmental factors
• Creating seamless transitioning
between the two sites of learning
Remote learner
Hybrid teacher
Tertiary
Home
School, kura
CC Wenmoth, 2020 A boundary-less education system.
CoP

17. A boundary-less future – are you ready?
• Add the personal learning networks
beyond the home…
• Social media/Online communities
• Sports clubs
• Cultural groups
• How is this captured as part of the
learner’s record of achievement?
Remote learner
Hybrid teacher
Tertiary
Home
School, kura
CC Wenmoth, 2020 A boundary-less education system.
CoP
Social
PLN

18. A boundary-less future – are you ready?
• Extends further to include the wider
community and other sites of
learning:
• Public library
• Art gallery
• Museum spaces
• Marae
• etc
• Focus on a blended experience
Remote learner
Hybrid teacher
Remote teacher
Tertiary
Home
School, kura
Social
PLN
CC Wenmoth, 2020 A boundary-less education system.
CoP
Community
spaces

19. A boundary-less future – are you ready?
• Extends further to the world of
business and work
• And the world beyond…
• Distance has disappeared
• Technology’s role in closing the
gap
• Live local, learn global
Remote learner
Hybrid teacher
Remote teacher
Tertiary
Home
School, kura
Community
spaces
Social
PLN
CoP
Tertiary/Work
CC Wenmoth, 2020 A boundary-less education system.

20. Photo by Joshua Rawson-Harris on Unsplash

21. http://www.virtuallearning.school.nz

22. Roxburgh as
• Small composite (yr1-13) school
• Facing decapitation through falling roll
• Founding partner in OtagoNet in 2003
• Has sustained a stable roll since
• Every student from year 11 up enrolled
in at least one virtual class
• Innovative use of learning space and
allocation of teacher roles
• Now part of a thriving community

23. Transformation – not reform
Reform produces a better version
of the current system,
transformation produces a
different system”
(Dr Asmaa Al-Fadala, Director of Research, World Innovation
Summit for Education)
https://futuremakers.nz/2022/10/04/reform-vs-transformation/

24. Tools for Transformation...
https://futuremakers.nz/friction-free-platform-for-change/

25. What if every school was
to become an innovation
engine?
“Only a relentless pace of experimentation can build the resilience an
organization needs to protect itself from the relentless pace of change.”
Gary Hamel, Michele Zanini (2020) Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them
Photo by Kevin Jarrett on Unsplash

26. Example of far north project
• sdfgasdfg
The ability to reflect on one’s
practice when confronted by a
novel, unusual, or complex
situation distinguishes expert
practitioners from novices.
(Schön, 1983)

27. Remember these?
A. Our education system has evolved over time to keep up
with what is happening in other parts of society.
B. We do a pretty good job of preparing our young people to
live in the world they will inherit.
C. Our focus right now must be on establishing stability for
our teachers and learners after the disruption of the past
two years.
D. The pace of change in our world and education system is
having a negative impact on our teachers... and students.
E. We don’t ever seem to be able to change quickly enough –
or to get things right when we do.
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

28. LIVE
in the present
It is the decisions we make and
the actions we take in the present
that will ultimately determine
what our future looks like.
LEARN
from the past
Understanding our histories, and
the things that have shaped our
lives helps us see how past events
have relevance in our life now.
LOOK
to the future
While it is impossible to accurately
predict the future, we can seek to
understand the trends that are
impacting our lives at every level.

29. Take care of our children
Take care of what they hear
Take care of what they see
Take care of what they feel
For how the children grow
So will be the shape of
Aotearoa.
Dame Whina Cooper
Photo by Stavrialena Gontzou on Unsplash
Australia
Our planet

30. Thank You
derek@futuremakers.nz
@dwenmoth
www.futuremakers.nz
http://www.wenmoth.net