Everything we believe about learning starts with a strong positive image of the child, as competent and capable, with the capacity to own, reflect on and drive their own learning.

Our ongoing goal over the years has been a shift away from teacher centred learning towards starting from the child, inquiry as a stance, learner agency, responsive planning, cultivating action and more…

You could sum this all up as unleashing the learning.

In 2016 we had our first Unleashing Learning conference which was a huge success and contributed to further provoking our thinking about how school and learning could be different from old models.

Unleashing Learning #2 is on 28 -29 April, 2019!

Our vision is to empower our own and other educators to believe in their capacity to share and present their learning, rather than being passive recipients of knowledge. So there are no keynote speakers, but rather a combination of short inspirational talks, longer interactive sessions and plenty of time to connect and reflect.

External presenters include familiar and less familiar faces…

Stephanie Thompson, one of the team instrumental in the dream behind the first Unleashing Learning conference, is a teacher at Nexus International School, Singapore. A passionate advocate for making learning powerful, authentic and engaging, she has also taught in elementary and middle schools in New Zealand and South Korea. You might remember her from last time and many of you read her blog.

Sarah Martin is the Foundation Principal of Stonefields School in New Zealand. She is a passionate, educator, committed to improving outcomes for all learners, not just those within her school community. As both a teacher and leader, her strengths lie in collectively building change momentum, enabling collaborative high functioning teams, future visioning, embracing student voice and re- imagining learning.

Lisa Burman sees herself as an ‘every-day researcher’, fascinated with childhood and learning. Her highly regarded consultancy business is based in Adelaide. Lisa is passionate about pedagogies that see children as capable and competent learners who are skilled in researching life and constructing meaning. Her favourite work is side-by-side with children and educators in their learning settings.

See the website for more.

So far at least 15 Scopus educators have expressed an interest in presenting in some way. Others are onboard to help with the organisation behind the scenes. And, of course, enthusiastic participation is definitely a form of action!

What action will YOU take to get the most out of Unleashing Learning #2?