communICTy

‘Raise the bar, narrow the gap’. This buzz phrase during the 4th iNet International Conference in Beijing had particular resonance in the city preparing itself for the next Olympics. For me, the main focus of the conference was sharing new ways to help all our students achieve their personal best.

Wherever the speakers came from in the world, the message was the same. If we want our school to perform better the main priority is not concentrating on what we teach, but who we are teaching it to. James O’Neil, Principal of Carmel RC Technology College summed this up really well. He explained that analysing student data is often like seeing the terracotta army. It is only when you view each soldier individually that you realise that every one is unique. At his school they have a consistent tracking system to build up a more detailed picture of each student’s progress in every subject. Students also have focussed conversations with their learning mentor to make better sense of their data and set targets for future progress.

One of the most important Olympic ideals is the need for team work to succeed. The students of Greenford High School are a shining example of this. Like all schools they have a Senior Leadership Team, but they also have a Junior Leadership Team comprising of students. Each member of the SLT has a JLT buddy and they have a wide variety of responsibilities including observing lessons and interviewing job applicants. New initiatives such as moving to a three year KS4 are also discussed with the JLT. In this way the student population not only have a voice, but are able to have an impact on the the whole school community to work together as a team.

At the opening ceremony of the Olympic games the athletes will march in as separate nations, each with their own flag. The closing ceremony brings all the participants together to unite under one flag. The iNet Conference promoted a similar message. Schools should not innovate in isolation. They need to reach out and become global enterprises. If schools are to become a model of how the world should be, it is vital that enable teachers and students to share ideas with their peers in other countries. It was therefore very encouraging to see the enthusiasm of delegates to seize the potential of the internet and websites such as www.elanguages.org to bring this about.

The motto of the Beijing Olympics is ‘One World, One Dream’. The iNet conference showed how different education systems and individual schools can come together to improve learning for all. It is now up to the returning delegates to make the dream a reality.

My presentation at the conference:
iNet07 – A powerpoint presentation that I gave
iNet07_handout – A handout of quotes and website links to go with the presentation

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