Keynote - Leading in a time of change.pdf
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Keynote presentation to the Australian Catholic Schools Principals conference in the Hunter Valley, May 2025. The focus in this presentation is on how we establish our schools as hope-building institutions, enabling our young learners to face an uncertain future with resilience and hope - as well as the academic skills and dispositions they'll need.
Keynote - Leading in a time of change.pdf
- 1. Leading in a time of change: Fostering Hope Through Systems Thinking and Future- Focused Education Derek Wenmoth www.futuremakers.nz @dwenmoth
- 3. Cost of Living Crisis Australian education faces a convergence of crises that threaten not only academic achievement but the very fabric of hope for our young people. Right now, more than 1.2 million Australian children live in poverty, with 90% of parents supported by The Smith Family charity fearing they cannot afford essential school items this year. Over half of these families report their children are missing out on digital devices for schoolwork, and nearly one in five lack reliable home internet access—fundamental tools for learning in our times. https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/how-the-costofliving-crisis-will-weigh-on-education-in-2025/286453
- 4. School Attendance Crisis School attendance rates, a key indicator of engagement and wellbeing, have not recovered since COVID. In 2024, only 59.8% of students attended school regularly, and attendance in remote areas lags even further behind. In the Northern Territory, the rate is just 76.7%. https://educationhq.com/news/alarming-opposition-raises-concern-over-new-school-attendance-data-188726/
- 5. The Disappearing Student Crisis Meanwhile, at least 50,000 children of compulsory school age are estimated to have detached entirely from formal education, their whereabouts and needs largely unknown—a hidden crisis with profound social and economic costs. https://education.unimelb.edu.au/industry-reports/report-1-those-who-disappear
- 6. The Climate Crisis Extreme heat is projected to reduce academic attainment by up to 7% in some regions, with disadvantaged schools facing the highest risks. By 2060, two- thirds of Australian schools will face high climate risk, and the compounded impact could mean a $73,000 loss in lifetime earnings for affected students— the equivalent of missing an entire year of employment. https://www.zurich.com.au/latest-news/media-releases/2025/2025-02-03
- 7. A Crisis of Hope “The ‘garbage time’ metaphor is particularly striking because it suggests young people feel they’re entering a world where the important decisions have already been made, the major opportunities seized, and all that’s left is going through the motions. They’re left feeling that they no longer have a voice or any choice in over decisions about their personal futures or the future of the planet they share with others. This perspective can be deeply demotivating for students.” https://futuremakers.nz/2025/04/12/living-in-garbage-time/
- 8. rg This is impossible. These problems are beyond my control. We'll just have to survive today and hope things improve.!
- 9. Our changing world When you think about the future what comes to mind? What must we do to prepare students for living and working in the 21st century? How must our schools and teachers change to meet these opportunities and challenges? Aufgang Weltkugel Pixabay CCO
- 10. Our Challenge In a nation as prosperous and resourceful as Australia, how do we lead through these intersecting crises? How do we foster hope— not as a vague aspiration, but as a systems-level response that empowers every learner, especially those most at risk, to see themselves as agents of change in a rapidly shifting world?" Image by Pete Linforth on Pixabay
- 11. Image by Pete Linforth on Pixabay Something must change: We know what we’re fighting against... ...but what are we creating, imagining and fighting for? What world are you dreaming about? Image by Pete Linforth on Pixabay https://futuremakers.nz/2021/08/14/nothing-short-of-terrifying/
- 12. Image by Pete Linforth on Pixabay What if we... ... see possibilities, not problems? ... share the ownership of learning? ... innovate by experimenting? ... develop learners as leaders? ... create hope? Image by Pete Linforth on Pixabay https://futuremakers.nz/2021/08/14/nothing-short-of-terrifying/
- 13. Leading with Hope Hope is defined as the perceived capability to derive pathways to desired goals, and motivate oneself via agency thinking to use those pathways. Psychological Inquiry An International Journal for the Advancement of Psychological Theory Volume 13, 2002 - Issue 4 Hope Theory: Rainbows in the Mind, C. R. Snyder, Pages 249-275
- 14. Leading with Hope Hope is defined as the perceived capability to derive pathways to desired goals, and motivate oneself via agency thinking to use those pathways. Psychological Inquiry An International Journal for the Advancement of Psychological Theory Volume 13, 2002 - Issue 4 Hope Theory: Rainbows in the Mind, C. R. Snyder, Pages 249-275
- 15. Agency Thinking • Do I feel empowered and able to do something to change? • The Will PathwayThinking • Am I committed to seeing a path forward? • Do I have a plan for this? • The Way
- 16. These are significant challenges, but I've navigated difficult situations before. My values and experience guide me. I have agency here—I can shape how we respond!
- 18. 1 Redesign Teaching & Learning to Foster Learner Agency Agency is foundational to hope—without a genuine belief in one's capacity to effect change (agency thinking), pathway thinking becomes merely theoretical or technical rather than truly hopeful.
- 21. 2 Connect Education to Evolving Future Opportunities We need to be explicitly teaching adaptability, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and emotional intelligence as core competencies. These are the things that retain value regardless of economic shifts.
- 22. 2 Connect Education to Evolving Future Opportunities “Schools need to drive a shift from a world where knowledge that is stacked up somewhere depreciating rapidly in value towards a world in which the enriching power of communication and collaborative flows is increasing” OECD Schooling redesigned: Foreword http://www.oecd.org/education/schooling-redesigned-9789264245914-en.htm
- 23. 2 • Make learning central, where learners understand themselves as learners • Ensure that learning is social and often collaborative • Be highly attuned to learners’ motivations and the importance of emotions • Be acutely sensitive to individual differences including in prior knowledge • Use assessments consistent with its aims, with a strong emphasis on formative feedback • Promote horizontal connectedness across activities and subjects, in and out of school Systems Should Connect Education to Evolving Future Opportunities http://www.oecd.org/education/schooling-redesigned-9789264245914-en.htm
- 24. 3 Build Supportive Community Ecosystems Learners don’t have to feel alone in this endeavour. They can connect with adults of various ages who can share diverse life experiences and success stories that didn’t follow linear paths.
- 25. 3 It’s a System Issue 8 Steps to Revolutionise Our System: • Meaning/purpose • Belonging • Time • Autonomy • Joint Determination • Community linkage • Teachers and students together • Artificial Intelligence “It’s a bigger call: Join a movement to experience systemness change in these times. It is a power move for equity and equality. It is power with to quote Parker Follett. “ Michael Fullan, May 2024 https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-8-steps-to-revolutionize-education/2024/05
- 26. 3 Power With Mary Parker Follett, a pioneering management thinker, who challenged traditional views of power as domination or coercion. Instead, she proposed the concept of "power-with," emphasising collaboration, shared decision-making and the creation of a shared purpose. It focuses on building relationships, resolving conflicts constructively, and leveraging the strengths of individuals within a group. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Parker_Follett
- 27. 3 https://futuremakers.nz/2024/10/05/systems-thinking-mobile-devices-for-learning/ Systems Thinking How will you build a school system that meets the needs of all students, especially those furthest from opportunity? Carlos Moreno “Finding Your Leadership Soul”
- 30. 4 Reframe Success and Failure How might we replace traditional achievement metrics with portfolios documenting growth journeys, including setbacks and how they were overcome. This process enables learners to celebrate the learning that comes from setbacks, normalizing failure as part of innovation and growth.
- 31. 4 • What skills do learners need to be successful? • How should these key skills and competencies be measured? • When should learners be assessed? • Who guides assessment? • How will generative AI impact assessment? https://ncee.org/reimagining-assessment/ Reimagining Assessment Top-performing systems and global innovators are rethinking how, when, and for what purposes they test students. They are adjusting the timing, transparency, and student experience and using emerging technologies to create engaging assessment content personalized for each learner. NCEE
- 32. 4 What do we need to measure? https://www.weforum.org/stories/2016/03/21st-century-skills-future-jobs-students/
- 34. 4 https://shorturl.at/HLz3r Lifelong learning is necessarily “life-wide”. It capitalises on individuals’ ability and willingness to acquire different skills and knowledge at different stages of their lives and in different contexts. OECD Skills Outlook 2021, page 20 Why do we need to measure this?
- 35. 5 Cultivate Collective Hope Through Action Engaging learners in meaningful, action-oriented areas of learning provides the ideal opportunity to cultivate both the capabilities required to flourish in the future, and also build hope for finding solutions to what can seem un-solvable problems.
- 37. 5 Education as Hope Building We must be intentional about establishing connections between the curriculum and students’ lived experiences. And we have to regard learner agency - the belief that one can shape circumstances - as being central to how we work with learners, For unless we do so we have little chance of succeeding as hope- building institutions.
- 38. Take care of our children Take care of what they hear Take care of what they see Take care of what they feel For how the children grow So will be the shape of Aotearoa. Dame Whina Cooper Photo by Stavrialena Gontzou on Unsplash Australia Our planet
- 39. Summing up 1. Redesign teaching and learning to foster learner agency 2. Connect education to evolving future opportunities 3. Build supportive community ecosystems 4. Reframe success and Failure 5. Regard education as Hope Building