My Learning Spaces

A very late February Edblognz Challenge 

My learning space for the last 6 weeks has been really different than being in a classroom or a school. The learning space for my colleagues and I has been the city of Christchurch.

While we have an office space situated at Aranui High School and we have spent some time in there

The office at Aranui High School

We have also been out and about visiting various groups and businesses. This has helped us be aware of whats available in theca its as we move into designing learning programmes for the students who will start wiht us next year. Its also been helpful to have conversations with businesses about what they really ant form school leavers, and be privileged to see the way different businesses manage their people and their workloads.

We are so quick to fall back on the way it has always been in schools and its been a real privilege to have this time to look at possibilities out there in their real world.

We've used public spaces like libraries.....

eBOT and SLT in the Aranui Library

and we've spent time on our building site...

The Building site for Haeata Community Campus

We've travelled the city looking at street art......

We've worked in Board rooms

At Sheffield Recruitment

and visited places of technology and action

Mind lab ChCh

and played in parks and playgrounds....

Margaret Mahy Park

We've visited businesses and seen them in action.

Office space at Jade

And worked in the corners of the odd cafe or two

We've talked a lot about needing to take time to unravel our thinking, to rid ourselves of the "notion" of what "school" must 'look like," before we get into designing what it might be. (Some people call this un-schooling or de-schooling)

And so when I need to reflect, and ponder on some of the things we are seeing...and discussing....and reading....

then I can sit on my porch with this view

Or walk 3 minutes to the beach and watch the sun rise.

It is an absolute privilege to have this time and be able to work in so many different spaces. What we will be able to design  through dong this will hopefully be the school of all dreams- for teachers,  but more importantly for whānau and most importantly for the young learners who will join us in 10 months time.