A change of tack

Once upon a time this blog was 'adorned' with the mental meanderings of one whose corporeal self was prone to much the same.

The body has settled - as well as any body might - but the mind still wanders in perpetual search of insight and inspiration. Inspiration and insight into the world of education and the wonders found therein. A picture may tell a thousand words, but sometimes words are the most powerful tool we have and these are mine.

My literary sustenance this week has been - how do I say this without sounding sycophantic? - inspiring.

I consider myself very lucky to be working in a school in which I am able to do pretty much exactly as I want and am permitted to develop as the teacher I want to be with the support and encouragement of some very experienced people. In such an environment I have been allowed to try things out myself but also try them out in other classes, albeit indirectly.

This week it has all been about creativity prompted and encouraged by the words of Ken Robinson and the results have been surprising in the best possible sense of the word. By narrowing viewpoints in art and design the children in my class achieved the most complete folio of work that I have yet witnessed and by widening the viewpoints in maths, the children were able to play to their strengths in a way that I never thought possible.

It has been truly inspiring to witness and hasn't stopped there.

Sugata Mitra's presentation on the work that he has done has similarly inspired and made me rethink what many people perceive as an ICT deficit at school. We don't have a deficit, we're just not very good at using it properly and we're neglecting the broader skills that collaborative working, even in front of a computer, necessitates.

There's so much I want still to do, so much to try and I haven't even started on the uniquity file.

The show has only just begun and therein lies the excitement. For the children in my first ever class, much of what we're doing is un-school-sual. They are only the beginning ... who knows what next year may bring.