Tying it all together Or Making sense of ULearn14

I left Rotorua with a brain that felt too large for my skull. Since then things seem to have rattled around and settled into place. So after a few days what did I take away from ULearn14.

My final Breakout session, 'Coaching Conversations For Educational Leaders' had an unexpected result. While Mary-Anne Murphy was introducing her topic much of what I had experienced over the 3 days fell into place.

Some setting of the background first.

Professor Yoram Harpaz took us on a journey to unpack ideology and left us with the task of choosing one and using only that on which to base our teaching. He talked of the dissonance experienced when a teacher's belief is not in line with what they are expected to do, as well as the dissonance experienced by children when there are daily changes in what is expected and when they move from class to class. Consequently effective schools operate by one of the three meta-ideologies.

Mary-Anne Murphy introduced the mBrain model of thinking and aligned it to Dilt's pyramid, Logical Levels of Learning. She aligned the Head function, (cognitive) with the Behaviour and Environment on the pyramid, the Heart function, (emote values relational) with the Values & Belief and Capability, and the Gut/Enteric function, (core identity, who I am, self preservation) with Purpose and Identity.

Luke Sumich and his team from Summerlands School shared ways to actively encourage Professional Learning - not a reliance on Professional Development. They worked with Julia Atkin on aligning their Values and Beliefs. 

Tied in with this was a quote by Chris Clay from Mindlab that Professional Development and Professional Learning is about coming to grips with feeling uncertain - all the time. 'If innovation means we are temporarily incompetent because it is new, then continuous innovation means continuous incompetence.'

So - 
bringing these together means I now realise that my school, I and those in my team need to be sharing the same ideological platform. That Professional Development is aimed at the head (mBrain) or the behaviour and environment aspects of school life. Whereas Professional Learning is led by the gut (mBrain), the purpose and identity of Dilt (and also Julia Atkin). One is done to you and the other sought out.

Therefore are those who are 'sitting through' PD or saying 'tell me what to do and I will do it' not being touched in their gut, their purpose? Are they the people who like certainty in their life and are unable to cope with 'continuous incompetence' and so are not reaching out to lead their own Professional Learning?

There were many other things I have taken away from ULearn, practical ideas, hints and tips, relationships, etc but this linking of ideas and the questions raised has been the one that continues to provoke thought.