Thursday, August 15, 2013

BC and Innovative Learning Environments Internationally

This summer Linda and I were invited to attend an OECD meeting as part of our continuing involvement with the Innovative Learning Environment research study. For the past three years we have been submitting case studies from BC, participating in reviewing the case studies from the other 40 participating nations, and having our grad students in the VIU  - CIEL (Certificate in Innovative Educational Leadership) leadership program work directly with some of the schools involved internationally.

The upcoming phase of the OECD study is the development of learning labs in five countries. Each of these countries is committed to designing and spreading innovative practices with a system-wide focus. We were very pleased that BC has been invited to be one of these 'countries' along with New Zealand, Peru, South Africa and French Belgium. And, we were delighted that Rod Allen, Assistant Deputy Minister is supportive of BC becoming one of these five learning labs. We look forward to sharing more about this study as it unfolds over the next few months.

Connected to this, we were also invited to submit a chapter to an OECD publication being edited by Professor John MacBeath at Cambridge about Leadership for Innovation. This book will be available in December and we think that it will be an invaluable resource. Our particular chapter focused specifically on the design and inquiry focus of the CIEL program.

Yesterday we started our third cohort of CIEL and are very pleased to welcome 27 learners from Quebec to Korea to Kyuquot and Vancouver to the program. We look forward to seeing the impact they will have in their varied settings through their new learning at VIU.

Right now the BCSSA is meeting in Kelowna and much of the focus is on innovation and innovative practices. It is exciting to see the ways in which various provincial initiatives are becoming connected, deepened and sustained.

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