‘Reach for the Stars’

1. The 21st Century Learning Alliance Teacher Fellowship Scheme Esther McQueen Sharnbrook Upper School ‘Reach for the Stars’

2. “We need to encourage young people to invest more in themselves to become stakeholders in, and architects of, their own learning. Affiliation, agency and autonomy are key components for developing pupils’ self motivation”. McLean, A (2003) The Motivated School

3. Our Vision We want education to be… Exploratory • Uncertain Dynamic It should be about… responding creatively Making mistakes having a go working things through We want our students to be… resilient Independent determined considered thinkers energised learners committed

4. Rudduck and Flutter

6. What Level of risk is acceptable in schools? • Watch the following clip and consider the following: • Should the facilitator have approved the material in advance? • Should the presentation have been halted? • Does the lesson learned justify the embarrassment felt by all parties?

7. Acceptable risk?

8. What Level of risk is acceptable in schools? • Should the facilitator have approved the material in advance? • Should the presentation have been halted? • Does the lesson learned justify the embarrassment felt by all parties?

9. Providing the Right Learning Conditions • We have a moral duty to provide students with the skills they will need to be successful in the real world. • Being allowed to make mistakes should be at the heart of the work we do in schools. • Should our current approach to “protecting” students from mistakes be scaled back? • Talking this step requires a belief in the notion that it benefits students to occasionally fail.

10. Next Steps… • Next year’s project will use the same kind of approach with our vulnerable students. • A number of projects already happening across the school • Our middle school students will be introduced to this way or working so it isn’t so alien to them when they come up in year 9. • Reach for the Stars impacts on our culture.

11. The Journey Begins Here…