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Plymouth Seminar 13th of February 2014

The Natural Connections Project

Over a dozen people were able to attend the Natural Connections project despite the lack of rail connections. Rupert Bannister was among them and here he shares his personal reflections (appeared in February 2014 Update).
 
The project has big ambition and great potential to inform on appropriate technique and practice in outdoor learning. The scope is wide, engaging 200 schools across the South West and the methods appear to be sound. I do however fear that the project has anacademic bias with a strong focus on research and data analysis.
 
Could the project have benefited from a two stage approach, firstly looking at current practice & research and secondly looking at the future and putting infrastructure in place before yet another pot of funding runs out? I wonder if the project had been awarded to a non-academicbody whether the emphasis would be less academic and more connection making and long-term focused. As was pointed out by another participant in the room, hasn’t this been done before, pulling together and analysis of best practice to get a snap shot of where we are. Once we know what to do and how best to do it, then there is no money left to actually implement that ‘best practice’! It all feels a bit random, let it go, see what happens, then write about it! I guess this is a question that will rumble on and on, but this is only my personal opinion!

Seminar reflections response  – appeared in March 2014 update
Ian Blackwell, Natural Connections project manager, University of Plymouth

I am writing in response to Rupert Bannister’s personal reflections on the Coalition’s Natural Connections project seminar that appeared in the February Update. I need to clarify the aims of the project and to remind everyone what we are doing to support outdoor learning in the South West region. As Natural England is our main partner, and with Sue Waite on our team, we are not new to the field, and the project is based on an understanding of previous research and activity. As such, we benefit from a two-stage approach: firstly, looking at current practice and research – for example, see the pre-project insight reports and just some of the research on the subject on the website [1]; and, second, looking to the future putting a sustainable, well-resourced infrastructure in place.

We are working with experienced 'brokerage' teams ('Hub Leaders') in the target areas who know the education sector particularly well. They work closely with each school, sharing their knowledge of how outdoor learning can be embedded across the curriculum, funding improvements, supporting the professional development needs of teachers, and bringing providers into every school. Natural Connections is, therefore, about making things happen– we are aiming to work with over 200 schools, dozens of providers and hundreds of volunteers – and about a rigorous evaluation process to track and understand change and impact. Although this sort of balance is not always easy, a demonstration project such as this cannot operate successfully without both action and reflection.

The Coalition seminar was one of many meetings we attend to share our approach and our analyses, as well as inviting partners to get involved. Natural Connections wants to support people who believe schools, teachers, pupils, communities and society as a whole can benefit if more learning takes place in the natural environment. We are very much focused on making a difference long-term, something that previous short-term interventions have failed to do. For example, two of our long-term plans are to support other areas of the region who want to help schools take their learning outside more often, and to influence national policy.

I hope that this reassures readers and the hundreds of people who are actively engaged in supporting outdoor learning through Natural Connections that this major initiative is not 'all a bit random' but actually a thoughtful response to transform how teachers teach. Like Rupert and others at the meeting, having worked in 'outside the classroom' settings for 25 years, I have seen many projects come and go, but I believe Natural Connections offers the sector, finally, a refreshing, meaningful and strategic approach. Of course, Natural Connections is not the be-all-and-end-all – there are many, many great projects in the region and I would encourage the sector to work together to achieve our shared objectives.

Note 1

http://www.growingschools.org.uk/support/making-the-case

An update about Seminar 4 with Morgan Phillips

Eco-Schools is a widely known framework for Environmental Education that extends across 66 countries worldwide.  In England, over 17,000 schools are registered with the programme with nearly 1,800 reaching its highest Green Flag award level.  However, the amount of Eco-Schools activity taking place in each school varies significantly.  Some schools engage deeply with the programme embedding it across the curriculum and general school life, while many others have seen their progress stalled or blocked by the obstacles of daily school life.  Keep Britain Tidy administers the programme in England and is in a process of exploring what success looks like, what education for sustainability can and possibly should be, and what Eco-Schools needs to look like under the realities of the new National Curriculum and current education policy in England.  The seminar will explore these issues, and encourage debate.

Seminar 4 - Eco Schools

Our next Seminar will be held on November 1st at 14.15-16.00 at The University of Bath.  The speaker will be Dr Morgan Phillips, who in his role as Education Manager for Keep Britain Tidy heads up Eco-Schools England while also overseeing the work of the Waste Watch education programme. Morgan has previously worked as a team leader on Keep Britain Tidy’s innovative community engagement project Our Common Place and as the Co-ordinator of Global Footsteps. Morgan studied for an MSc in Environmental Science, Policy and Planning at University of Bath and holds a PhD in Environmental Education from University of Gloucestershire.

If you have an interest in Eco Schools and how it is likely to develop this is the place for you to be!  Please contact Elsa Lee on swlfsc@gmail.com or Paul Vare at learning4l@aol.com if you would like to attend.

Any ideas or suggestions about what we might look into in the future?

At the recent AGM and Board meeting held on the 19th of July it was suggested that I ask members to let me know if they have any suggestions for future directions for the South West Learning for Sustainability Coalition.  Hence this post; if you have any ideas for what we might do in the future or any particular topics you would like to see us address in our annual programme of seminars then please do get in touch and tell us about this.  It would be helpful if your ideas are in keeping with our espoused aims and purposes.  Unless you think our purposes need to be updated, of course!  You can contact me (Elsa Lee) on swlfsc@gmail.com or Paul Vare on learning4l@aol.com with you ideas.  We look forward to hearing from you.

April update and curriculum consultation

 Our new update has been released.  You can access it in the updates section of this blog.  In the update you will find a link to the curriculum consultation document.  Remember, it is a numbers game and time is pressing.  The link below will take you to the consultation document and response form:

https://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1881&external=no&menu=1

Seminar 3 - The Transition Network

On Thursday, the 14^th of February, twelve members of the South West Learning for Sustainability Coalition met in Totnes in Devon for a seminar about Transition Towns.  The day-long seminar was arranged by Isabel Carlisle and William Scott and was both engaging and informative.

Ben Brangwen introduced members to the work of the Transition Network.  He spoke about the how Transition Towns had developed from a small localized project based on the work of Rob Hopkins to a what it is today, a network of Transition groups, across Britain and Ireland. 

Although the same principles of community level responses to carbon reduction and building resilience and happiness apply to all groups, each group approaches these issues in a way that suits their specific local context.  Some groups have developed local currencies to help build and maintain local supply chains; other groups have different foci. 

Ben talked about the way that academic research is addressed by the Transition Network.  The protocol under development encourages an approach that aims to ensure that research that is undertaken is meaningful to both the researchers and the network.  The Transition Network has collated over 200 papers in an online transition research repository to provide interested researchers with relevant background reading and this is available from the website.  The concept of a Transition University was also discussed.

Isabel Carlisle talked about her work with Schools in Transition, which she initiated when she joined the Transition Network movement.  She is currently working with three pilot schools (Wellington College (Crowthorne, Berkshire), KEVICC Co-Operative Trust School (Totnes, Devon) and Crispin Academy (Street, Somerset).  The approach is to work with the school in a contextualised manner to identify what they need and to facilitate this.  The Transition Network has the potential to help the schools engage with and become a central part of the local community.    

‘Learning that leads to agency’ and ‘embedding in place’ are central tenets of the Transition Network’s Schools in Transition work.

Challenges identified by Isabel and Ben included the question of how to grow beyond the early adopters of the network and how to expand the Schools in Transition project. 

Points of discussion raised by members of the Coalition included:

·         how the network engages with other organizations with similar principles both in the community and in the schools it works with

·         how the network engages with members of the local community that do not share their commitment to the principles of a sustainable future

·         what the purpose of resilience is in the context of the Transition Network

The Coalition would like to thank the Transition Totnes for hosting this event that initiated frank discussions that were both thought provoking and informative.

Seminar 3 SWLfSC presents: Transition Towns

You can access the details to our next seminar here.  This promises to be a stimulating and engaging event.  If you are not already occupied on Valentine's Day do join us!

February 14th
11.30-15.30
Transition Network Meeting Room, Totnes

Board meeting 25 January 2013

A note to say that the minutes from our most recent meeting are available here.  You can access the minutes in the Board Meeting Minutes Archive and the associated papers under Resources.  You can also access the most recent update in the Updates archive.

Your comments are welcomed. 

Our Executive Director, Paul Vare, has put out our November update.  Access it through the update archive on this page; it is worth the read!

The Herschel Centre for Sustainability would like to meet us!

Our Executive Director, Paul Vare writes:

Colleagues

A mission from the Heschel Centre for Sustainability, Tel Aviv, Israel (see below) are touring the UK at the moment and have asked to meet with members of the SW Coalition.

They will be passing through Bath on Tuesday 3rd July and the University has kindly agreed to provide a room for us to meet - all Coalition members are invited.

Room 1W 3.5 is booked on the campus from 11.15 to 1.05 and Prof. Bill Scott and I will be at the centrally located 'Claverton Rooms' coffee bar at 10.45am to await the arrival of participants.

Please drop me a line if you are able to join us and I will send more details to ensure that we meet up.

The report from our second seminar 'Seminar 2:  The new curriculum:  more or less sustainable?' can be accessed here. 
Please note the suggestions for filling up your MP's mailbag!  We look forward to hearing your thoughts.

March 2012

Our new update is out!  Access it here or in the archive box on this page.  We hope you find it an informative read.  Your comments are always welcome.

Seminar 2: The New Curriculum: More or less sustainable?

When? Thursday 29th March 11.00-13.30 
Where? Abbeywood Community School, New Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol. BS34 8SF

A 10 minute walk from Bristol Parkway Station.

All welcome!

This seminar will feature a discussion of the  recommendations by the National Curriculum Review Expert Panel. We have invited a guest speaker from the Department of Education (to be confirmed) to guide our discussion. Abbeywood School has also kindly offered to supply lunch so we do need a fairly accurate idea of numbers. If you expect to attend, please inform Elsa Lee at: swlfsc@gmail.com by Friday 16th March.

Please see the latest update for more information.

Minutes Directors' Meeting 12 Jan 2012

You can access the minutes from our latest meeting here or in the Directors' Minutes archive box.  We welcome your comments and suggestions!

December 2011 - Minutes

Please see the Coalition Minutes box for the notes from our first seminar with the slides and handouts provided by some presenters.  We hope you find these useful and stimulating.  We look forward to seeing you at future events.

Seminar 1 - Beyond the KPI

Our first seminar held at Bicton College on the 8th of December was a great success and led to some interesting discussions and insights.  Watch this space for details of the next one.  The minutes from discussions and the meeting that followed the seminar will appear here shortly.  In the mean time please look at the resource box to see some of the presentations that were given by members Sarah Chave, Bill Scott and Sheila Gundry.
Thank you to all of you who attended and contributed.

December 2011

Our new update is out with details about our first seminar and other local events.  You can access it here or in the archive on this blog.  Comments and suggestions are warmly welcomed.

First Coalition Seminar: Beyond the Key Performance Indicator - Thursday 8th December 11.00-1.00 at Bicton College, Devon

Followed by a tour of Bicton College and the construction of their new EaRTH (Environmental and Renewable Technologies Hub) and a brief coalition meeting.

Free transport available from Exeter St. David’s Station (please advise if you need a lift).

All welcome!

How do you measure learning for sustainability?
Are you data-informed or data-driven? Do the things that count get counted? Do we learn more from hitting targets or looking around (and beyond) them? And are those who decide what we measure, always best placed to do so? Sustainability is seen by many as a slippery concept while education itself is
politically fraught; so a composite concept like ESD almost defies measurement, doesn’t it? Yet a failure to provide ‘hard data’, often measured against ‘key performance indicators’ can be seen as a critical weakness, undermining our arguments in favour of learning for sustainability in policy and practice.
So our first Coalition Seminar will focus on the thorny issue of monitoring and evaluation. We’ll start with some basics but we want to build on your experience with the aim of extending our thinking about and beyond key performance indictors.

We welcome 5-10 minute contributions from you to get us started; please come with your own examples of what/how you measure and bring your questions too. If you can make a contribution or would like to discuss this ahead of the event, please contact Paul Vare at: Learning4L@aol.com 


If you intend to attend please contact Elsa Lee at swlfsc@gmail.com

November 2011 update

You can access our November update here or in the archive on this page.  It is a particularly full one this time.  We hope you find it useful and informative.  Any comments and suggestions are welcomed!