Living Schools Lab

As we walk up the stairs to the classroom, the first observation is Petra climbing the stairs to her lesson carrying what looks like a large blue reusable supermarket shopping bag. (And it probably was at some point, but it is actually very heavy and contains the equipment for today’s lesson - 1 ipad per student.) The school has had 32 ipads for almost a year and these can be booked by all teachers. This demonstrates that for schools trying to implement 1:1 mobile learning, there is a key decision to be made about who takes responsibility for the devices.

A tour of Gymnazium Teplice in the Czech Republic leaves me slightly stunned; there seems to be something different around every corner. I am greeted by two students who are keen to show me their favourite parts of the school. Initially they are shy, but soon confidently showcase their learning spaces. There is a no clear line in this school where old meets new, the traditional and the modern blend together seamlessly. This “Living School” is an old building steeped in rich history. Beyond the entrance doors and over a walkway bridge which connect two buildings, we go deep into the basement where the student turns on the light to reveal a church which is being lovingly restored bit by bit as the funding can be raised. It dates back to the time of the Benedictine nuns. There are wooden structural supports around the edge, and a definite feeling that this is ‘work in progress.’ However, to retain the continued use of the building, there is a photographic exhibition to encourage visitors to support the developments.

• In your school, is there a specialist teacher for a particular subject who could develop a learning space with specialist resources for display and learning materials?
• How could technology influence these learning spaces?

•  If you were to review the learning spaces in your school, what would you find?
• What is the best way to review your learning spaces? #lsl_eu @DianaBannister

It always seems that we have to wait a long time for the summer holidays, counting off the days on the calendar, planning for all those things we are going to do, "when we have more time"; but no sooner does it arrive, than we realise it won't be long before we're meeting new students for the start of the year and perhaps some of the things we planned for, remain on the "to do" list.

In the afternoon at Shireland Collegiate Academy, I joined the leading teacher for the Living Schools Lab Project, Mr Moore and his year nine students for the Literacy for Life lesson. As part of their themed work on the 1960’s and 1970’s, the students were learning about the author Roger Hargreaves who wrote the Mr Men series of books.

Although I’ve been to Shireland several times before, I think the immediate observation for most visitors must be the celebration of cultures and faiths that exist as one. Shireland Collegiate Academy is based in Sandwell in the Black Country, West Midlands, UK.  

I've had several discussions with different colleagues over the last few weeks about the Living Schools Lab Project and I've decided that it is going to be an important part of my collaborative research journey to try and capture the Living Schools Lab Link Observation Visits within this blog. The Observation and Documentation of Innovative Practice all sounds rather formal and serious - and of course, it is! However, in my blog I want to try and share the journey to help me reflect on some of the observations and understanding. I also want you to come with me and see if your school or educational practice is just the same or perhaps you do something slightly different.

The challenge for me is trying to understand how the practice within an Advanced School can be replicated elsewhere. What are the STEPS that these schools have had to take to demonstrate that they make effective use of technology? It's also about helping other schools to realise that Living Schools are constantly working towards innovative practice, challenging themselves from day to day.

So, I'm sure that you will want to find out just what happened when I visited the first UK school. No plane to catch, no train to run for... just nine miles from the University of Wolverhampton where I work.  First Stop: Shireland Collegiate Academy, Sandwell UK.