I've been working so hard (Van Morrison)

More cheese Gromit?
Working mode profile

Sorry - must dash! Back to work today!

Have to leave Jacky home alone today - but it's okay - she's doing research on our next getaway - for the Christmas holidays.

L'amour est l'enfant de la liberté (The Rumour)

As a life-long learner, I am always looking for learning moments. 

They're always out there somewhere.

What an education it has been, staying in France for a few days.

I'm only semi-kidding when I suggest that most of the leavers who voted to Brexit did so after being on holiday in France.

There's always the vague feeling here that behind the (sometimes) smiley exterior are feelings of superiority over the British (we Kiwis clearly are mistaken for Brits over here).

If my wife and I manage to say we're from New Zealand we instantly get a different response.

Ar well - to quote Chuck Berry - "C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell".

We're back to familiar surroundings tomorrow with a Eurostar back to London from La Gare du Nord.

Who-rah! 

No more working for a week or two (Cliff Richard)

Half term.

What a great invention. Every six weeks or so, take a break! Reset! Refresh!

Some thoughts: 

• This half term has sped by at an incredible clip
• Splitting the year up into six mini terms makes it feel more like part of a cycle of learning
• Families can enjoy each other's company regularly
• Learning can consolidate
• I can go to France on the Eurostar
• Genius

Insert smiley face.

Since you've been gone (Rainbow)

If Self-Directed Learning is the answer, what was the problem?

This was the big poser from Teacher Academy's induction course last week.

The bottom row of beautifully hand crafted red boxes (above) was our group's response.

It says the problem was:

• Teacher led lessons and approaches were the norm  
• Students needed to have more focused targets and goals
• Students were leaving school and entering the business world with a limited range of life learning soft skills 
• The detrimental effects of an industrial teaching and learning model 

Because of those four things - something had to change and Self-Directed Learning (SDL) was the vehicle needed to make that change.

The yellow boxes sitting on top of the problem indicate what SDL brings to the party. 

The little Lego figure is our OneSchool Global student with her/his eureka moment.

Ta Dar!!

If only you believe like I believe, baby, (If only you believe like I believe) we'd get by (Jefferson Starship)

Primary school teachers are very different to secondary ones.

Shock!

Hardly a revelation I know, but I've been at Teacher Academy for a few days recently for induction and really enjoyed the mix of approaches when it comes to workshop/learning activities.

There were around 50 new inductees at that event - it's a big organisation!

We had to answer a big question: If Self-Directed Learning is the answer - what was the problem?

My group was made up of 5 - two secondary blokes and three female primary teachers; all different ages (I was mos def the oldest).

It was fun and the mix of approaches worked with leadership, creativity, problem-solving, laughter, mucking in and presentation attributes and skills all on display.

Thanks to that mix!

Let's go cruisin', that's all I wanna to do - cruisin' in my automobile (Jefferson Starship)

Photo by Diego Jimenez on Unsplash

As I enter my 62nd year on the third rock from the sun, you find me in Warwick.

More specifically, at an induction course for OneSchool Global's UK branch (currently called Focus).

Last night, in the bar, I opened up The Guardian and gasped as I saw the obit for Marty Balin - sometime vocalist and writer for Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship (he was a classy guy so he avoided the jump to Starship).

Yes, I gasped and let out an, "Oh No". Marty was only 76. 

Today his music, some of the best music of my youth, will be cruising around my head as I participate in my induction (thankfully not called 'onboarding' from what I've seen of the literature so far).

Thanks again Marty (and Paul Kantner who passed away in 2016).