Hobart hosts Memorable Conference

For the Kiwi delegation attending the Australian Primary Principals’ Association conference, Hobart was full of surprises. If a visit to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) didn’t shock the senses, then stepping off the bus into a snowstorm on Hobart’s Kunanyi Mt. Wellington certainly did. It stands a mere 1,271 meters above the city – about a third the height of Aoraki Mt Cook – but can produce a nippy chill to bite the toughest of Kiwi beaks. ‘Prepare for snow in Australia’ is not a typical instruction for visitors, but on this trip, no one scoffed at those who had stashed an extra jersey in their travel bag. Temperatures for the Hobart stay were rarely higher than a mean Wellington southerly.

The one windless day had con­ference-goers scampering to the Salamanca markets – where soft, woolly hats and cheap, warm scarves were bought at breakneck speed. There were plenty of gastronomic temptations to warm Kiwi bellies and musicians and entertainers created a carnival atmosphere to encourage the spenders. ‘You can’t buy this back home,’ was a common refrain as another $200 leather handbag fell from the bag stand. Tourism triumphs at the Salamanca markets.

The outdoors may have chilled the body but indoors, it was all warm hearts and the best of Aussie hospitality. The Kiwi contingent was not just made to feel welcome. They were warmly embraced by their Trans-Tasman colleagues. Our collective thanks to all Australian principals who made this such a memorable and friendly conference.

The conference theme was ‘Refreshing Leadership and Inspir­ing Futures’. Optimistic themes lead to optimistic presentations and this conference had an uplifting beat from beginning to end.

Uncle Rob welcomed everyone ‘to country’ wasting no time in telling his audience that the land was stolen from his aboriginal ancestors, who were gunned down by the invaders. ‘We lost skills and knowledge, as a people,’ he said, ‘and still suffer [the effects] today.’ In his view, education in schools can address these issues best, by acknowledging the truth, and giving the Aboriginal race a second chance. He concluded by extending a warm welcome from his people.

Uncle Rob’s address was followed by a traditional welcome and ‘cleansing dance’, by Uncle Rodney and his son, to signify connection, so all can get along and be culturally respectful.

School performances began each day with polished choral, orchestral and dance routines, drawing warm appreciation from the 350 strong gathering.

The Minister for Education in Tasmania, Roger Jaensch, officially opened the conference. He thanked the principals for the work they did, especially as front-line workers during the Covid pandemic. Student absences and workforce shortages continued to be a problem post-Covid, he said. To address workforce shortages the plan was to attract, train and retain. The ‘Tasman Workforce Roundtable’, he said, listened to the voices of the sector and would respond to them. He noted changes were underway to the curriculum and NAPLAN (National Assessment Programme for Literacy and Numeracy), with three pilots in place. Improving literacy was a major goal, and all would be expected to implement the Science of Reading by 2026. Resources would be necessary to meet the target, he said. The National School Reform Agreement (NSRA) panel recommendation to support mental health and wellbeing to retain teachers was also noted, and work was underway to develop a staff wellbeing framework. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) got a mention with a focus on choosing the recruits with the right personal attributes, considering employment-based pathways to training and better understanding of future staffing needs. He concluded with a message for principals to listen, connect and share with peers to re-energize staff and schools, and to celebrate ‘Australia’s Primary Principals’ Day’.

There was much affirmative nodding from the New Zealand delegates who were clearly in accord with many of the points the Tasmanian Minister made.

The Federal Education Minister Hon**.** Jason Clare also spoke, saying to the principals, ‘You all remember your first great teacher’s name, who will remember yours?’ He listed some of the current issues as the need to assist teaching recruitment, by introducing $40,000 scholarships, with bonding; improving University training and noting there is not enough emphasis on the practice of teaching with too many graduates leaving within three years of graduation; the difficulties of managing behavioral issues and complex needs; changes to national guidelines and having teachers and principals on the panel deciding these; mentors having professional recognition; the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged eight-year-olds now extending to two years of learning and more disadvantaged students not finishing High School. The Minister concluded that full fair funding was required so the investment would allow us to catch up and keep up.

Further affirmation from delegates indicated that both countries are facing very similar issues.

MC for the Conference James Castrission had an incredible story to tell – a story of extreme adventure. He and his companion Justin Jones are extreme explorers and endurance athletes.

In 2008, they kayaked 3,318 km across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand in 60 days, 20 hours and 50 minutes (a record) and in 2012 completed the first unsupported polar expedition from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back in 80 days. Norwegian explorer Aleksander Gamme simultaneously took the same journey.

Castrission shared some of the most challenging aspects of each adventure. These included being hit by a storm of mountainous waves creating unbearable condensation, getting no sleep for 24 hours and suffering hallucinations during their kayak challenge. After 48 hours the storm broke and they discovered they had travelled just 15 kilometres in a circular whirlpool in the middle of the Tasman Sea.

Another kayaking trial were the 90 barnacles (the size of golf balls) that attached themselves to the kayak about two-thirds of the way across. They had to be scrubbed off because they attracted blue sharks which were already lurking not far away.

But the major test came with the Antarctic expedition to the South Pole and back. The two had never skied before and were embarking on doing so whilst dragging three months of supplies on a sled. They navigated crevasses; survived whiteouts; pushed through thick powdery snow for 30 days and endured pain like never before. Keeping morale up was paramount – celebrating Christmas was hugely important. The return journey was the toughest as ‘our bodies started to die around us.’ The pair had lost 56 kgs between them and they were now sleeping no more than 2–3 hours a night.

What kept them going through all this adversity? ‘Only our minds kept us going. It was perseverance, passion, grit and sticking to our long-term goals,’ said Castrission. As they approached the end, they could just make out the figure of the Norwegian explorer, who had waited for them, so they could all finish together. ‘It was an act of humility, of love, to give us all a sense of collaborative achievement, because, in the words of the Norwegian, it was better together.’ Principals immediately recognized that the qualities required to achieve these feats are also important to success in life.

APPA President Angela Faulkenberg addressed her audience with a powerful message, inspired by a quote from Marcel Proust who wrote, ‘The real journey of discovery consists not in seeing new sights but in looking with new eyes.’ Her message of leadership was about refreshing and inspiring oneself. It was a message of positivity, honesty, and reality.

‘Diary quarantine time,’ she urged, ‘to reflect and gain insights. Have questions like “When did I last make someone smile?’’’

Quarantine time, she said, was necessary to bring balance to school life. ‘It can’t all be about NAPLAN,’ she said, ‘there are other qualities to children.’ She encouraged the principals to keep photos of good stories and focus light on those things that are going well.

Her next message was to ‘refresh your social capital’. ‘This is the glue that keeps us together and gives us a sense of belonging,’ she said. ‘We are hardwired to be connected.’

She moved on to say we always remember the positive amplifier, saying some people spread joy wherever they go, and we would all do well to be that positive force ourselves.

Analysis paralysis was not un­common for principals, she said, and we must recognize this as a barrier to progress. We must also stop adding things to our already stretched diaries, she cautioned, because that leads to multi-tasking which does not work.

‘Less is more – reduce your emails and meetings,’ she said. ‘Remember this mantra: Pull it tighter and make it shorter – whether report writing, policy making, or conversing.’

Her final message was to make ‘time for me’. ‘Take a look at your workplace and give it a refresh – add some plants, maybe paint it green and add some environmental pictures,’ she suggested. ‘Then think about the concept “wise selfishness”. It is wise to disconnect sometimes; to remember – short stays make long friendships; and every month, give yourself two hearts for helping others, and two stars for rewarding yourself.’

Simon Breakspear spoke about the ‘pruning principle’ – unlocking progress by mastering the art of strategic subtraction. It rarely occurs to us that changing how we do something to improve it, might not just mean adding something new, but also deleting something we do now.

He asked his audience if they were busier than they were three years ago. The mass response was a groaning ‘yes’. This, Breakspear described as ‘system exhaustion’ or ‘overload’. ‘With a whirlpool of demands and activities, you are exhausted by Thursday with nothing left for Friday,’ he said. ‘Schools are like a computer that’s operating on slow speed with too many applications running,’ he explained.

Casting an eye back to the global pandemic and lockdowns, he said, ‘During lockdown, weekends were great. There were no demands. Unfortunately, that was only a pause and not a change,’ he said.

He introduced a new concept called ‘frenzied stagnation’. You can identify this concept from the principal who says, ‘I’ve been flat out all week and I’m exhausted, and I don’t think I’ve achieved anything.’

‘The problem is,’ Breakspear explained, ‘humans struggle with subtractive thinking when faced with a problem. We think, what should be added to solve the problem?’ This thinking tends to compound overload and exhaustion and doesn’t solve the problem.

Instead, what we should be asking are the following questions:

• What percentage of your emails result in gaining free time back in your calendar?

• What percentage of your team meetings result in a stop doing list rather than a to-do list?

• What percentage of your school improvement plan initiatives involve intentional subtraction strategies?

• What percentage of accountability conversations in your system focus on how effectively you have de-implemented something?

He offered his audience a defini­tion of pruning describing it as:

A regular, intentional subtraction process designed to stimulate long-term robustness, growth, and health. This preventative measure redirects energy and resources, bolstering overall vitality and fruit-bearing potential while fortifying structural integrity. It is an artful balancing act of subtraction and preservation.

He suggested that looking to horticulture, pruning might offer a set of principles and practices to learn from and apply to the dynamic living ecosystems of overloaded educational settings.

The purposes of pruning in horticulture are three:

1. To redirect energy and resources.

2. To stimulate new growth.

3. To reshape for long-term structural integrity.

It is important to know what to cut and again he uses the horticultural example:

1. Remove the dead, diseased, damaged, or problematic.

2. Cut back to promote growth, flowers, and fruit.

3. Thin out and reshape to enhance strength and vitality.

What you need is a ‘stop doing list’, he told his audience. Appoint a pruning crew who are always looking to remove things. For example, prune the default time of meetings from one hour to forty minutes.

He described the Education Prune Cycle in five words:

1. Prioritise – Decide what to prune and by how much.

2. Remove – Eliminate the ineffective and stimulate fresh growth.

3. Unify – Simplify, reshape, and enhance coherence.

4. Nurture – Focus on and cultivate what’s left.

5. Examine – Regularly inspect, scrutinize, and evaluate.

Breakspear said if you are not enthusiastically affirming something then say ‘no’ to it. The most important improvement strategy is not adding, it’s pruning, he concluded.

Pasi Sahlberg, is a Finnish educator, teacher, and academic currently residing in Melbourne, Australia, and engaged as Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Melbourne. He has performed many roles in education across his career including as education policy advisor in his homeland. He is an esteemed author of several authoritative books and winner of many educational honours for his work. He entitled his address: ‘Fast Track to Transforming Australian Primary Schools’.

He opened with a quick sum­mary of participating countries’ achievements on the PISA tests – an OECD global league table. The trend was clear. From 2000 to 2012 there was slow average improvement for all participating countries, followed by an average decline from 2012 to 2018. At the same time, for these same countries, spending on education – on average – had increased over the last ten years, but as a proportion of GDP, spending was unchanged. It was noted that parents are contributing more to their children’s education, although money alone was not necessarily the answer.

When these results were clustered by socio-economic status (SES) of the participants, a different picture emerged. Sahlberg noted that the gap between the highest SES participants and the lowest SES students was, on average, three years of learning and that had remained stable for the past twenty years.

Australian data followed this trend and revealed further that Aboriginal and Torres Strait students were over-represented in the low SES group. They were found to do better in low SES schools where there were fewer of them compared to low SES schools with higher numbers of them. Further, the gap became wider as the years progressed. At Year 3 there was a six month difference in learning achievement whereas by Year 9 the gap was 1.3 years.

Sahlberg verified that the National Assessment Programme for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results in Australia, had not declined since 2009 but neither had they improved.

Sahlberg outlined all the different ways in which jurisdictions had attempted to address the decline in results and the inequities between high and low SES students. They included system reforms, gathering more data, having bigger bureaucracies, more technology, less playtime, teachers working longer hours, and introducing systems of punitive accountability for principals.

All these things amounted to flogging a dead horse according to Sahlberg, because they had all been tried and had always failed. He sug­gested three new ideas to transform primary schools.

1. Teacher Looping: This is a system whereby the class is taught by the same teacher for two or more years. There can be variations of this system such as having the same teacher for Years 1–2; a different teacher for Years 3–4; and another for Years 5–6. Or the same teacher from Years 1–6. The advantage of the looping system is that the teacher can build strong relationships with the students which invariably improves their performance, attendance, and wellbeing. Teacher satisfaction also tends to lift, and students build trust in their teachers. It results in a positive culture for the whole class.

2. There are some disadvantages of the looping system, including that teachers must have a broad knowledge of the different curriculum levels. Students may be disadvantaged if saddled with an underperforming teacher for longer than a year and teachers must be nimble enough to switch curriculum levels every two or more years. Teacher workload may increase, at least during the transition to a different level, and new teaching skills may be required. Not all teachers are prepared for such changes.

3. Learning through better health: It is important to focus on the development of the whole child. Sahlberg uses the term ‘full-service schools’ which includes nutritious school meals for every child going to school. It also considers health and wellness as twenty-first century skills and a key to improved wellbeing, attendance, engagement, and better learning.

4. Play as a child’s right: Play is integral to a child’s education and its importance cannot be underestimated. The school schedule may need to be altered to provide more play breaks during the day. Whilst some schools have just a morning tea and lunch break it is much better to have three 15-minute short breaks and a lunch break during the day. This does not reduce the teaching time it is merely a re-organisation of the day to incorporate more breaks for the children.

Sahlberg left the principals with a challenge. Make these changes now, he said, if not now, then when?

Nathan Wallace, is an expert on parenting, teaching and under­standing brain development. He is especially talented at translating complex neuroscience into acces­sible concepts.

He guided his audience through the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. This is the period of development that defines later outcomes for young people, he told the principals. It is not the genes or even the environment a child is raised in that has the greatest impact on learning and social outcomes. It is how much a child is loved, nurtured and protected in the first 1,000 days that counts most. For the learner to successfully develop the social–emotional skills that underpin learning of all school subjects, these first 1,000 days are critical. The quality of love and nurturing that occurs during these early days of a child’s life will predict the child’s lifetime levels of success and achievement. It is not what they are learning that predicts their future success, but how they are learning, he said. For these reasons, Wallace emphasized the importance of focusing effort on the first three years of the child’s life, making sure they are safe, secure, loved, and nurtured.

Other speakers covered topics including mental health and well­being, future-ready leaders, co-regulated schools, and inter­personal effectiveness, to round out a positively successful three-day conference. Principals who had travelled from Aotearoa New Zealand all found the topics relevant to their own professional lives. Perhaps what resonated most sharply were the messages from the Australian Ministers – who might just as easily have been describing the education issues all schools are facing right here, right now, in Aotearoa New Zealand.