Keynote presentation to the Masterton Schools Cluster Teacher only day, 1 April, 2021

1. Inspiring the next generation of leaders, thinkers and problem-solvers
derek@futuremakers.nz
@dwenmoth
www.futuremakers.nz
http://www.wenmoth.net
Future Focused
Learning
Masterton Schools TOD, 1 April 2020

3. 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.
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.

4. LEARN FROM THE PAST
To know something about someone's
past, and how it has shaped who they
are today, so enriches your
relationship. We share a rich tapestry
of history, as tangata whenua and
tangata Tiriti. A knowledge of that
history is the basis of mutual respect
and understanding, and a rock-solid
foundation for national unity in all our
cultural diversity.
Sir Pita Sharples (2012 History Matters).

5. Standardization
• Frederick Taylor 1856 – 1915
• Introduced ‘scientific managment” –
placing systems above man
• Provoked standardization of education
• Thorndike – “the main goal of education
is to sort young people according to their
ability”
Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F._Taylor_1856-1915.jpg

6. Industrialisation of schools
“These educational Taylorists pointed out
that while it was nice to think about
humanistic ideas like educational self-
determination, at a time when many public
schools had a hundred kids in a single
classroom, half unable to speak English,
many living in poverty, educators did not
have the luxury of giving young people the
freedom to be whatever they wanted to
be.”
Todd Rose; “The End of Average”, p.50
Image 1 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:France_in_XXI_Century._School.jpg

7. Industrialisation of schools
“These educational Taylorists pointed out
that while it was nice to think about
humanistic ideas like educational self-
determination, at a time when many public
schools had a hundred kids in a single
classroom, half unable to speak English,
many living in poverty, educators did not
have the luxury of giving young people the
freedom to be whatever they wanted to
be.”
Todd Rose; “The End of Average”, p.50
Image 1 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:France_in_XXI_Century._School.jpg

8. Beyond the conveyor belt…
I believe schools have a vital role to play in
helping young people explore the new ways
of thinking and working. All of the schools I
visited spoke of the need for transformation
in education. Leaders in these schools all
believed the traditional model was beset
with stressed students, over-worked staff,
university dropouts, conflicted parents,
subject silo-ization, and conveyor belt
schooling.
Maurie Abraham, HPSS

9. Education Exposed
https://wenmoth.net/2020/07/18/why-innovate-teaching-and-learning/
“The global COVID-19 pandemic has pulled back the curtain
on what our kids are doing at school and exposed
weaknesses in many of the philosophical understandings
that guide our work (both explicitly and implicitly), and in
the structures and processes that define how we work with
our students and the expectations we have of them etc.”

10. Some positive
experiences,
some not so:
Not-so positive experience for
many...
● Lack of digital access, poor
connectivity and/or no device
● Loss of immediate (f2f)
engagement with peers
● Demands placed on many parents
● Family responsibilities – care of
siblings
● Focus on content over connection
● Failure of schools and the system
to address context of learners
● No space to study in peace
● Lack of parent support or feedback
● Variable teacher capability and
capacity
● “Edutainment” vs. learning
Students speaking positively about...
● Flexibility of learning
● Freedom to manage themselves
and their time
● Increased use of online learning
platforms and digital tools
● Timetables (lack of)
● More free time to read, think,
engage in own activity
● No (or fewer) distractions
● Being able to learn
what/when/where they wanted to
● More relaxed, comfortable settings
and contexts
● More time to think and do the
work
● More time with family

11. Continuum of lockdown learning experiences
Accessible internet and device
Sufficient skills for online study
Quiet or suitable study space
Relevant materials
Quality curriculum
Flexibility, choice or tailored activities
Clear communications between school and family
Self regulation and time management
Less distraction
Regular engagement
Visible progress
Enhanced wellbeing
Limited access
Limited skills and training
Crowded or noisy home situation
Inappropriate or insufficient materials
Busy work rather than deep learning
One-size-fits-all activities
Difficult access and unclear messages
Students struggle with managing time and focus
More distraction, loss of focus
Intermittent or no engagement
Lack of progress, slipping back
Anxiety, stress, mental health concerns
Source: Carol Mutch, Auckland University

12. LOOK TO THE FUTURE
He pai te tirohanga ki ngā
mahara mō ngā rā
pahemo engari ka puta te
māramatanga i runga i te
titiro whakamua
‘It’s fine to have recollections of the past,
but wisdom comes from being able to
prepare opportunities for the future.’
Image: Derek Wenmoth

13. The Future…
• Food/water supply
• Climate change
• Cryogenics
• Nano-technology
• Pandemics/global health
• Cultural assimilation
• Human rights
• Poverty
• Religious intolerance
• Economic collapse

14. Our changing world
When you think about
the future what comes
to mind?
What must we do to
prepare students for
living and working in
the 21st century?
How must our schools
and teachers change
to meet these
opportunities and
challenges?
Aufgang Weltkugel Pixabay CCO

15. “To help students address
unknown future problems,
curricula need to focus on
areas with the highest
transfer value – in other
words, they need to give
priority to knowledge, skills
and attitudes that can be
learned in one context and
applied to others.”
Andreas Schleicher, OECD
https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/preparing-learners-for-a-pandemic-and-a-more-uncertain-world

16. 20 competencies
for a democratic
culture:
What capabilities
and competence are
you developing in
your ākonga?
Council of Europe: Digital Citizenship Handbook - https://rm.coe.int/16809382f9

17. Education Reimagined
Fullan and Quinn - https://bit.ly/39sdxtG
A three – phase review…

18. A blended/hybrid
future?
Need to consider…
• Technology – what to use (synchronous
and asynchronous)
• Roles and responsibilities - teachers,
parents/whanau, community
• Structures and systems - Implications for
timetables, resources used, use of space
• Pedagogy - personalised pathways,
tracking/monitoring progress, new forms
of assessment
• Curriculum – deep learning/competencies
and wellbeing

19. OECD – 4 Scenarios for schooling
https://futuremakers.nz/2020/09/21/four-scenarios-for-the-future-of-schooling/

20. http://www.oecd.org/education/schooling-redesigned-9789264245914-en.htm
“Schools need to drive a shift from
a world where knowledge that is
stacked up somewhere depreciating
rapidly in value towards a world in
which the enriching power of
communication and collaborative
flows is increasing”
OECD Schooling redesigned: Foreword

21. Systems should…
• Make learning central, where learners
understand themselves as learners
• Ensure that learning is social and often collaborative
• Be highly attuned to learners’ motivations
and the importance of emotions
• Be acutely sensitive to individual differences
including in prior knowledge
• Use assessments consistent with its aims, with a
strong emphasis on formative feedback
• Promote horizontal connectedness across activities
and subjects, in and out of school
http://www.oecd.org/education/schooling-redesigned-9789264245914-en.htm

22. LIVE IN THE PRESENT
“The future depends on
what we do in the present.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/2398652242

23. Increased agency
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2021/03/why-learner-centered-education-is-the-key-to-meaningful-school-improvement/

24. Ten Conditions
https://core-ed.org/assets/Uploads/Learner-Agency-CORE-Research.pdf

26. “Sustained higher achievement is
possible when teachers use
approaches that enable students
to take charge of their own
learning. Such approaches do not
leave the students to “discover” in
an unstructured environment.
Rather, they are highly structured
in supporting student agency and
sustained and thoughtful
engagement.”
Alton-Lee, A (2003) Quality teaching for diverse students in schooling; Best Evidence
Synthesis

27. Digital Badges at
Ormiston Middle School
see: https://vimeo.com/361200391

29. In essence, students work together
and are responsible for one another’s
learning as well as their own.
Emphasizing thinking and increasing
higher-order learning, it has a range of
educational benefits, including an
alternative to ability grouping and as a
way to prepare students for an
increasingly collaborative workforce.
Building Blocks for an ILE: OECD – The Nature of Learning

31. Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs)
There is no more powerful transformative
force than education—to promote human
rights and dignity, to eradicate
poverty and deepen sustainability, to build
a better future for all, founded on equal
rights and social justice, respect for cultural
diversity, and international solidarity and
shared responsibility, all of which are
fundamental aspects of our common
humanity.”
Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO
https://futuremakers.nz/2021/01/11/could-the-sdgs-be-our-curriculum/

32. Global Citizenship
• Transcends political borders, and assumes that responsibilities
and rights can be derived from being a 'citizen of the world’
• Developing core competencies which allow learners to actively
engage with the world.
• Building understanding of world events.
• Take learning into the real world.
• About education for social justice1
• A better and more sustainable future for all
(https://futuremakers.nz/teachers/sustainable-development-goals/)
1
https://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/curriculum-matters/articles/global-citizenship-education-education-social-justice

33. Connecting the dots
“You can’t connect the dots looking
forward; you can only connect them
looking backwards. So you have to trust
that the dots will somehow connect in
your future. You have to trust in
something – your gut, destiny, life,
karma, whatever. This approach has
never let me down, and it has made all
the difference in my life.”
Steve Jobs

34. 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.
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.
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.

35. Photo: Derek Wenmoth
• Focus on capabilities
• Celebrate cultural diversity
• Educate for understanding and
critical engagement
• Develop learner agency and voice
• Embrace risk and failure
• Emphasize character and
citizenship
• Localise your curriculum
• Engage in social good projects
BE FUTURE MAKERS!

36. 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

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