2011 Theme and Topics

ELF11 was recently held 30 August and 1 September at the CQ Hotel, Wellington.

Learning Our Way In The World
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"Our way forward must be based on honest analysis, ditching self-serving myths, and embracing a long term vision with relentless commitment to make this a just, equitable and prosperous country, worthy of our children, and a place where talent wants to live." Prof. Paul Callaghan ELF 09 speaker, New Zealander of the Year 2011.

The ELF 11 theme weaved two strands together:

*Exploring new ways of learning and working
*Engaging education professionals in positive change processes

Education leaders have to meet the shifting needs of young people in today's recessionary environment. Leaders face the challenges of attracting and retaining quality teachers. grappling with new assessment or funding regimes and bringing about learning culture change to meet changing expectations.

Making New Zealand a place where talent wants to live and work means bringing about a step change in the education system to reflect today's intertwined worlds of learning and working.

ELF 11 explored new ways of learning and working and demonstrates the powerful methodology of Appreciative Inquiry as a constructive way for leaders to engage education professionals in positive change processes.

Exploring New Ways of Working

The role of leadership in promoting creativity and innovation
Jennifer Moxon Managing Director, IBM

"For leaders, creativity is the most important quality for success" -IBM survey

Knowledge + Creativity=Innovation. Innovation is change that adds value. It needs knowledge and a structured framework for thinking and problem solving. A culture of innovation thrives on problem solving, risk-taking, an impatience with the way things are now and a willingness to try new approaches.

An innovation nation requires an innovative education system led by innovative education leaders who engage their colleagues in productive professional development about new ways of learning and working together. Innovation is fostered when different bodies of knowledge, perspectives and disciplines interact in the pursuit of meaningful projects. Scientific understanding and technical know-how needs to combine with soft skills and know-why in a creative clash of ideas to produce new solutions to problems.

Exploring New Ways of Learning

Responding to the challenge of disruptive technologies while holding true to core educational values
Workshops

Seismic digital shifts in information and communication technologies have exposed large fault-lines between learning institutions and the communities they serve. Many students cross the digital divide more readily than their teachers.

In two decades the public Internet has radically shifted how people access media and communicate with each other. Web 2.0 enables democratic content production and interaction not just passive viewing. Web 3.0 will be more intelligent and integrated and diffuse rich media information to multiple potable devices.

What can education leaders do in the second decade of the 21st century to respond to these challenges while holding true to core values and purpose?

Building Strong Foundations

Out of the rubble: The role of Early Childhood Education in lifelong learning
Gaye Tyler-Merrick Past President, Kidsfirst Kindergartens

Recent seismic events in Christchurch have underlined the need to build on strong foundations.

The metaphor is apt for laying down the foundations of life-long learning and for building secure bridges between the non-compulsory and compulsory education sectors. The recent earthquakes have provided an opportunity for new (and bold) ways in which education can be developed in the future.

This presentation will focus on the ways in which the early childhood sector can lead this vision and change.

Leading Through a Crisis

Leadership lessons in the face of disaster and disruption, using the Canterbury Earthquakes as a powerful case study
Trevor McIntyre Principal, Christchurch Boys High School

Aligning the Talent Quest

Strengthening Education-Employment Linkages
Prof. Paul Dalziel Professor of Economics/Deputy Director AERU, Lincoln University

"A principal OECD statistic is the ratio of unemployed youth, those aged 15 to 24, to unemployed adults, those over 25 - a measure of the relative difficulty of getting a job. In New Zealand, it is nearly four-fold." OECD

The New Zealand Institute has just published a report addressing youth disadvantage. The report argues that schools, tertiary institutions and employers are each playing their part, but the system overall is broken. Professor Dalziel will lead this session in which we will consider and respond as education leaders to the proposals made by the New Zealand Institute for reducing youth disadvantage.

Background

The acceleration of change and the proliferation of new ways of working have big implications for study and career choices. There is already a disconnect. This will be exacerbated if we can't attract enough talented young teachers to renew the enterprise of education.

At all levels the best teachers inspire and challenge learners to lift their sights and avoid soft study and career options. New Zealand won't develop its innovation potential unless we produce more scientists and engineers, as well as people who are scientifically literate and technically adept, who can collaborate in a team environment on worthwhile projects with people from other backgrounds.

Positively Engaging Education Professionals

The power of Appreciative Inquiry to strengthen a learning community's capacity to adapt and innovate and transform learning culture
Chris Jansen Senior Lecturer, University of Canterbury

"The two guiding themes of appreciative inquiry - a positive focus and collaboration - are used to frame a process for the development of a professional learning community that leading to a highly productive collaborative learning space." Jansen, Conner and Cammock, 2010

Appreciative Inquiry involves the art, process and practice of asking questions that seek answers likely to strengthen a system's capacity to adapt and innovate. Rather than focus on deficits, the inquiry identifies the best of what is happening now in order to strengthen and spread it in the future. It is cultivating the best of what we have now via the four steps Discover Dream Design Deliver.

Appreciative Inquiry encourages people to share positive stories that others can build on in designing their preferred future now. All organisations move in the direction of the topics they ask questions about; the idea that 'what we focus on becomes our reality'.

ELF 11 will introduce and demonstrate Appreciate Inquiry-type approaches to practice the key principles of a living, learning system: connecting people and stirring their passion to excel in their learning community by focusing positively on practices that are already working to achieve flexibility and responsiveness without chaos and confusion.

Learning From The Future

Learning From the Future As It Emerges: Being an Adaptive Leader
Craig McDowell Director - Leadership Learning and Development Consultant, Aspire2Lead

"Learn from the future as it emerges" Otto Scharmer (2000)

Otto Scharmer (2000) challenges us to embrace emerging new organisational environments and how as leaders we need to develop a new cognitive capability. It is the capability for sensing and seizing emerging opportunities by engaging in a different kind of learning cycle, and one that allows us to learn from the future as it emerges, rather than from reflecting on past experiences.

Schools are not exempt from such change. The mix of urgency and compliance, multiple accountabilities, and uncertainty is now the norm for schools. The flow on effect is the base for instability, increasingly complexity and continuous change. How do leaders of schools learn from such a future orientated environment as it emerges or erupts in the form of a crisis, and apply new learning capacity to actually build on this uncertainty and thrive in what Heifitz, Grashow & Linsky (2007) call the new reality? Leaders still need to lead!

Theme Weaver

Dr Chery Doig Director -Think Beyond

For more information or to register interest for 2012 in attending or contributing contact: Lyall Lukey, ELF Steering Team Co-ordinator, Phone (03) 3228293 or 021310808

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Exploring New Ways of Working The role of leadership in promoting creativity and innovation Jennifer Moxon Managing Director, IBM

Exploring New Ways of Learning Responding to the challenge of disruptive technologies while holding true to core educational values Workshops

Building Strong Foundations Out of the rubble: The role of Early Childhood Education in lifelong learning Gaye Tyler-Merrick Past President, Kidsfirst Kindergartens

Leading Through a Crisis Leadership lessons in the face of disaster and disruption, using the Canterbury Earthquakes as a powerful case study Trevor McIntyre Principal, Christchurch Boys High School

Aligning the Talent Quest Strengthening Education-Employment Linkages Prof. Paul Dalziel Professor of Economics/Deputy Director AERU, Lincoln University

Positively Engaging Education Professionals The power of Appreciative Inquiry to strengthen a learning community's capacity to adapt and innovate and transform learning culture Chris Jansen Senior Lecturer, University of Canterbury

Learning From The Future Learning From the Future As It Emerges: Being an Adaptive Leader Craig McDowell Director - Leadership Learning and Development Consultant, Aspire2Lead

Theme Weaver Dr Chery Doig Director -Think Beyond