Co‑constructing Visions for the Future of Teaching

Annex A. “What if…” statements and Ambitions loops per Enabler of change

 

“What if…” statements	Ambition loops
Policy makers
What if... we create space to collectively think about the future and develop new ideas?	Policy makers promote and invest in leadership within schools to help foster and implement partnerships with families and the local community Policy makers set up collaborations between different ministries to promote key partnerships for schools
What if … a healthy work environment was a priority for supporting teacher well-being?	Policy makers respond to the specific challenges of teaching in different contexts by focusing on a healthy working environment (especially for beginning teachers working in schools in less advantaged communities)
What if… we start thinking about diversifying career opportunities for teachers?	Policy makers and school leaders support the continuous development of teacher’s content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and classroom management skills to enhance teacher authority
What if… curriculum empowers teachers (individually and collectively)?	Collaborative structures have clear governance processes that include decision making to ensure ideas can be developed Policy makers create time and space for interested schools with similar micro-innovation ideas to share development of their approaches by collaborating together Policy makers create time and space for interested schools with complementary needs to share development of their approaches by collaborating together and with support from researchers
What if... we form partnerships to strengthen teachers' professional identity throughout their careers?	Policy makers, together with teachers and other education partners, develop partnerships that enable teachers to further develop their interests and expertise
What if... we support interdisciplinary learning and working that are of interest to particular teachers? (e.g. climate change, digitalisation, student well-being)	Policy makers create space for interdisciplinary relationships between education partners
What if… All stakeholders took responsibility for growing a professional?	Policy makers co-construct with all partners, ways for teachers to exchange ideas directly with each other and through sharing of curated resources from teachers, researchers and the system
What if… we value external expertise from across society to broaden learning experiences in school?	Policy makers support collaboration between teachers and wider community partners that build on mutual expertise Policy makers, together with teachers and wider community partners, develop partnerships that enable teachers to further develop their interests and expertise Policy makers work with other partners to ensure that the purpose of education evolves to develop people who can thrive in a complex and rapidly changing world
Cross-sectoral collaboration
What if... We consider student earning being a combination of formal education and other learning opportunities that exist outside of the school?	All partners adopt a cohesive and coherent approach to support collaborations between organisations and accompany children and young people through their learning journey
What if... we form partnerships to strengthen teachers' professional identity throughout their careers?	School-university partnerships provide mutual benefits to help focus on teacher development throughout their career Policy makers, together with teachers and other education partners, develop partnerships that enable teachers to further develop their interests and expertise All partners value the opportunity to connect with each other to build joint professional knowledge and skills
What if... we support interdisciplinary learning and working that are of interest to particular teachers? (e.g. climate change, digitalisation, student well-being)	There should be more focus on developing collaboration skills to current and future professionals in the education sector to benefit cross-sectoral/ interprofessional collaboration in their work Policy makers create space for interdisciplinary relationships between education partners
What if… every school had space and time to collaborate with higher education	Policy makers facilitate a flexible environment providing for teachers to engage in research in different ways
What if... we create space to collectively think about the future and develop new ideas?	When exploring new ideas for future thinking, schools ask for the opinions of multiple partners to get richer insights Policy makers promote and invest in leadership within schools to help foster and implement partnerships with families and the local community Policy makers set up collaborations between different ministries to promote key partnerships for schools
What if … a healthy work environment was a priority for supporting teacher well-being?	Local authorities and school leaders ensure that teachers have the opportunity and are comfortable to participate in decision making on relevant school issues
What if… curriculum empowers teachers (individually and collectively)?	Collaborative structures have clear governance processes that include decision making to ensure ideas can be developed
What if… we value external expertise from across society to broaden learning experiences in school?	Teachers value their professional role in making connections to support formal and informal learning for children and young people Partners within the broader societal sector collaborate with schools to extend learning opportunities outside of school buildings Policy makers support collaboration between teachers and wider community partners that build on mutual expertise Policy makers, together with teachers and wider community partners, develop partnerships that enable teachers to further develop their interests and expertise Policy makers work with other partners to ensure that the purpose of education evolves to develop people who can thrive in a complex and rapidly changing world
What if… we learnt from the most successful professional industries?	All partners co-construct opportunities to partner with successful professional industries who can support teacher professional growth (working in groups and sharing learning to system and schools)
School community
What if... we see schools as centres for learning and connecting with the community?	Wider community partners value and contribute to developing the role of schools as community hubs Wider community partners and schools develop a common understanding to clarify the value of possible partnerships for learning and teaching Wider community partners work together to address specific, complex needs around the school community
What if... we value schools as a physical place for community interactions and student learning?	All partners recognise the value of being physically together on site to have personal, physical and social interactions Schools seek out external experts in the community because they appreciate that they can bring valuable knowledge and skills to help students The capacity to work with families and other partners is an important feature of the teaching profession Teachers have the opportunity to participate in 'community outreach' activities where they can experience working together and contributing to community outcomes Teachers and schools develop a pedagogical vision that includes valuing the unique knowledge families have about their child Schools and community partners look for ways to strengthen links with families, culture and facilities within the community (e.g. libraries, sports clubs) All partners around the school recognise that all adults have a role to play in caring for children and young people
What if … a healthy work environment was a priority for supporting teacher well-being?	Policy makers respond to the specific challenges of teaching in different contexts by focusing on a healthy working environment (especially for beginning teachers working in schools in less advantaged communities)
What if... We consider student learning being a combination of formal education and other learning opportunities that exist outside of the school?	Teachers connect with other professionals within the educational community to support a child-centred approach to learning and teaching.
School leadership
What if... we create space to collectively think about the future and develop new ideas?	Policy makers promote and invest in leadership within schools to help foster and implement partnerships with families and the local community
What if … a healthy work environment was a priority for supporting teacher well-being?	Policy makers respond to the specific challenges of teaching in different contexts by focusing on a healthy working environment (especially for beginning teachers working in schools in less advantaged communities) Local authorities and school leaders ensure that teachers have the opportunity and are comfortable to participate in decision making on relevant school issues
What if… we start thinking about diversifying career opportunities for teachers?	School leaders are supported to foster individual teacher growth and harness a combination of diverse teacher profiles as part of the school of the future Experienced teachers who wish to provide support to novice teachers are facilitated to do so Policy makers and school leaders support the continuous development of teacher’s content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and classroom management skills to enhance teacher authority
What if… curriculum empowers teachers (individually and collectively)?	Collaborative structures have clear governance processes that include decision making to ensure ideas can be developed Policy makers create time and space for interested schools with similar micro-innovation ideas to share development of their approaches by collaborating together Policy makers create time and space for interested schools with complementary needs to share development of their approaches by collaborating together and with support from researchers
What if… All stakeholders took responsibility for growing a professional?	School leaders co-construct with all partners, a shared understanding of the school leader’s role