CaSPA 2018: Day 2 Keynote – Russell Bishop, “The End of Failure”

Emeritus Professor of Maori Education

See articles by Professor Bishop:

• Relationships are Fundamental to Learning
• Pretty Difficult: Implementing in the Mainstream

Gains in indigenous education, etc: can the improvements be maintained?

Indigenous education issues point to the importance of culture at all levels. The research into improving Maori and other indigenous outcomes shows that change is hard to sustain, but dependent on relationships at all levels in schools; and this has implications to improving outcomes in all schools. It also helps to explain the success of Finland in the last and some of the challenges that are causing its performance to fall – from a mono-culture to an increasing diversity, which their teachers are not equipped to manage.

Seven things that need to happen to have sustainable educational reform.

1. Relationships enable us to do our jobs, are necessary for change, but are not sufficient. Discursive interactions – move away from transmission teaching and behaviour modification. Those people who have low levels of relationships are not able to use those strategies which make a difference to students learning. Improving relationships leads to exponential improvements in effective teaching and student engagement. The key in indigenous education is “family type relationships”, which makes huge sense in the pastoral experience of many Catholic schools, and underpins the approach at Chevalier.

Create an extended family-like context in classrooms and schools – reject deficit explanations for student progress. Look at the potential of the individual and work within their context.

Interact I think the cultural context of learning

Monitor learner’s progress by using their ‘voice’. Know you impact.

Get away from transmission pedagogies that inhibit the development of self-directed learners.