Education Futures in Action Conference
Friday 17th June 2022
Chris Bagley
Our education system feels stuck and dysfunctional but also self-evident and necessary. Building on last years' analysis of the 'Myth of Three', this talk will unravel deeply held core beliefs that have shaped the evolution of our school system below conscious awareness. The 'Myth of Right Knowledge' is a shadow culture that permeates our present. How did we get here and what can we do?
Fabienne Vailes
Why now is the time to create a peaceable movement that involves young people and all the adults in their lives (a team of guardianers) so that we can make education both life-giving and life-affirming again.
An Even Better Arbourthorne
This talk will share the experiences and lessons from a Big Lottery funded project centred at Arbourthorne Community Primary School in Sheffield. "An Even Better Arbourthorne" has engaged parents and community members as volunteers to address poverty and environmental challenges in the area. We will highlight how the school has played a critical role as community infrastructure before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The talk will include contributions from different members of the AEBA team, including staff, parents, volunteers and critical friends.
Breaking the Silence
Gabriel and Joel will share their experiences of participation as co-researchers in States of Minds' project. They are going to discuss the findings of their involvement in an ongoing Participation Action Research endeavour, 'Breaking the Silence'. What happens when young people genuinely lead projects, design their own research questions, generate data and analyse their findings?'
Jaspar Khawaja
Jaspar will be discussing his thesis on a case study examining the transformative power of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and how it can be facilitated with young people. The talk will include an exploration of why PAR is needed, the outcomes that can be achieved and the challenges of facilitating PAR.
Emma Soneson
Why were some young people ‘happier during lockdown’, and what does this mean for the education sector?
In this session, Emma will discuss her recent paper about the young people who believed they were happier during the first UK Covid-19 lockdown. This will be followed by a ‘roundtable’ style discussion about what implications the findings have for education more generally, and how we can ensure that we learn from young people’s experiences of education over the past two years.
Changemakers
Ava and Nykeda will talk about changing perspectives on the purpose of schooling and decolonising the curriculum. They will also explore the organisation, 'Not a Trend' which was started by Ava James and Simi Musa.
Hackney Young Voices
What happens when you give school children space and agency to explore their own creative skills in a playful project? Join creative education expert Katherine Mengardon and Hackney Young Voices young participants to see the stunning billboard artwork they have created through play sessions and find out how schools can implement this child-centered approach for wellbeing and developing crucial future life skills: ideation, collaboration and creative confidence.
James Mannion
In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the importance of agency in learning and in human development more broadly. In this talk, James will ask: "what would a truly agentic education system look like?” We will look at how to introduce greater autonomy in curriculum, behaviour, assessment, leadership, professional development, and why it is important to do so.
Ian Cunningham
Learning to love and to work - exploring learning communities in place of schools.