On the 22nd of September our leadership team met with the leaders of all the Kāhui Ako throughout the Wellington region. The hui took place at Matauranga house and was facilitated by Greg Jansen and Cheryl Doig. The first part of the day encouraged cross-pollination between our communities, with each Kāhui Ako pitching and running a discussion on a topic of their choosing. You can check out the pitch our ASL Maurice gave on our behalf in the video below.
The second part of the day focused on a discussion around a number of educational theories and theorists. The Across School leads focused particularly on the work of Paolo Freire. Freire’s work highlights the importance of recognising that people bring their own knowledge and experience into the learning process. With this insight in mind he proposed a four step process for implementing enduring educational change.
1. Own story (what's the issue and what’s your experience of this?)
2. Expert (let's consider this framework)
3. Critique (what makes sense in my world?)
4. How have I changed? (What’s different?)
It was suggested that this process could be helpful for our communities as a means of promoting meaningful change for both our students and teachers. It was highlighted that presenting and critiquing existing theories removes pressure from leaders who do not need to position themselves as “the expert”. It also allows room for authentic critique and greater engagement. For those of you interested in the work of Paolo Freire check out this link.
The leadership team look forward to our next leadership Hui in the new year.