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In less than a week, we’re going to trial Open Space Technology at my school. This highly participative process, used all around the world, means that I can’t control what comes up. Colleagues can start, recruit to, attend, and develop plans from workshops of their own choosing. It means that the content can’t be predicted.

I’m privately quite worried that it might be an opportunity just to bash SLT, or whinge about behaviour. And I can’t control it (that this worries me is a criticism of me, rather than of my colleagues or anyone else). However, one of the things Ken Robinson points out is that though making mistakes (or I guess, risk-taking) is not essential for creativity, being willing to is. So there’s the potential for the best thing I’ve ever organised at any school.

Anyway, I’ve invited parents, governors (most are coming), all staff, and I’m going to invite students. It’s being facilitated by someone I have the utmost respect for, and hence it won’t be the organisation that causes it to fail (I don’t really think it will fail at all).

I have themed this day, and the follow up activities I hope to write about, as How do we develop and express our passion for learning? and I have deliberately not really told colleagues or anyone much about how the day will work. I hope to write more about it here in approximately a week.

My invitation says (this is the parents’ one, but they’re all similar):

“We need to evolve a new appreciation of the importance of nurturing human talent along with an understanding of how talent expresses itself differently in different people.” Sir Ken Robinson.

I am writing to invite you to an event on our Professional Development day on 31st January 2010 to explore your Learning and Passion at Rush Croft. I think there is a lot of untapped talent in and around our school. With the pressure we have to be better than our competitors and continually improve, we should start by recognising and tapping into the diversity of natural ability and this talent we have. By encouraging our whole community to think about and connect with the things they are good at and truly love to do; we will all reap the benefits.

My arriving at this question came from consideration of some of the discussions I’ve had informally with some of the most passionate practitioners I’ve ever met (many of whom work or learn at Rush Croft). I know that teachers, students and parents have great ideas about how to make things better for our students, but on many occasions these suggestions haven’t been put into action because we haven’t had an event to explore their thinking. Some of the things I’ve considered or heard colleagues, parents and students consider over the past few months are:

• How can students have the chance to recognise and pursue the things they love to do?
• How can we share our experiences to make us better? How do we show off our interests and abilities?
• What does “fulfilment” mean and how does talent express itself?
• How can every person be inspired to grow creatively in their own way?
• What conditions will make talent flourish or fade?
• How can we ensure the Rush Croft curriculum is the best in the world for our students?
• Are we preparing students for the flexibility of the 21st century well enough?
• How open are we to change?
• What other questions might we want to ask and answer in order to become the best?

I don’t believe that any one person has the answer to any of these (and hence, the answer to how we can be the best), but I do think the answers exist within our staff, governors, parents and students. I want to give us the time and space to explore issues that continually come up in discussions around school, and hence plan to make things better.

Structure:

We will use Open Space Technology for us to explore the pieces of the answers that we have within ourselves. This will take place at Rush Croft Sports College.

Open Space Technology is a highly participatory process which has been successfully employed in multiple situations all over the world. That is all I will say about it at this time.

You do not need to prepare extensively for this event. It will be facilitated by professionals with experience of Open Space Technology in other fields. Please just bring your experience and knowledge, your expertise and your willingness to participate, and most of all bring your passion for learning and for Rush Croft and our students.

In attending, the following will have occurred:

1) Every issue of concern to anybody will be raised, if they took responsibility for raising it.
2) All issues will receive full discussion, to the extent desired.
3) A full report of issues will be in the hands of the participants (if possible the same day).
4) Priorities will be set and action plans will be made.
5) And YOU will have taken part in making it happen.

The timings will be:

Time Event
8.45 What is Open Space Technology?
9.15 Session One
10.45 Session Two
12.15 Lunch
1.15 Action Planning
2.45 Reporting Back
3.20 Close (we are welcome to continue, but this will be the formal close)

Breaks will be taken whenever participants wish. Lunch will be provided.

Please join us to help us explore answers to questions, old and new, to any and all of the issues you may wish to raise or take some action on.

If you would like to attend this event, please contact Mr Lock

In preparation, and to calm my nerves, I’m going to an Open Space Technology event on Saturday. Looking forward to it!

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