Values,Purpose and Vision for a Small School

Clarity of Intent

How clear is your school’s vision ,values and purpose to your School Community?

Healthy Organisations

• “are a mental concept of relationship to which people are drawn by hope, vision, values, and meaning and liberty to cooperatively pursue them”.

• Hock

Your School’s Belief System

• Does your school have a clearly articulated System of Beliefs ?

• If it doesn’t ,then that in itself says much about the beliefs/practice!

• What does the belief system look like and what will/could it look like? Map both states.

INTRODUCTION

WHY VALUES?

WHAT ARE THEY?

SELF EXAMINATION

Rationale

• You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet!

• If you don’t know what you stand for, you will fall for anything!

Values

• Human values are the qualities that are elevated high on an individuals list of priorities

• ‘give significance to our lives’

• ‘exist as ideals in our lives as priorities that reflect our behaviour.’

• “enable behaviours and beliefs to be congruent”..(Hall)

“The core of culture is formed by values”

Hofsted

Foundations for the Future Values(1997)

• Cooperation

• Excellence

• Fairness

• Integrity

• Respect

• Responsibility

• plus, trust, caring, equity& diligence

DECD Organisational Values and Guiding Behaviours

• Cooperation

• Excellence

• Fairness

• Integrity

• Respect

• Responsibility

(Statement of Directions 2005-2010)

Federal Values(from 9 values for Australian Schools 2005)

Fair goCare and compassionResponsibilityHonesty& trustworthiness

Integrity

RespectFreedomDoing your bestUnderstanding, tolerance and inclusion

Values as a source of Transformation

• Personal

• Organisational

• Societal

VIRTUES

Values that affect the moral quality of a person are understood traditionally as virtues.

Virtues are a specific sub set of values that are narrower in their intention and purpose

They are sometimes ideals expressed as priorities. eg., Covey’s 7 Habits

• The Greek Virtues…prudence, temperance, courage ,justice.

• Corinthians.. faith, hope and charity

• The 7 holy virtues… humility, kindness, patience, diligence. liberality, abstinence, chastity.

• 52 virtues

• 125 values

ARISTOTLE

What does it mean to be a “virtuous person”?

Aristotle and Socrates

Human qualities that make a person good

• “Whether leaders articulate a philosophy or not, their behaviour expresses a personal set of values and beliefs’’

Depree.

There is no more powerful force driving a school or preschool towards excellence and long range success than an attractive worthwhile and achievable vision of the future - widely shared.

What is a School Vision?

• An organising principle for what people do.• A mental journey from the present state to

the desired future.• A statement that is stable but constantly

challenged.• A ‘roadmap’, guide or ‘beacon’ leading to a

better future.• The deepest expression of what the

school wants to stand for.

AN EFFECTIVE SCHOOL VISION

• Is energising• Is clearly articulated• Creates the focus• Is an expression of hope• Transforms purpose into action• Is compelling enough to motivate people• Is challenging and about excellence• Can be articulated by the school community.

Community Inquiry

• What contribution would Woodcroft make?

• What are our aspirations for the children of this community?

• What reputation would Woodcroft have?

• How would people here work together?

• What would you like to see Woodcroft Primary become?

              

Woodcroft Primary will be a learning community with a strong social and environmental conscience. We will be highly regarded for our culture of inquiry, our passion for learning and our strong relationships with our community.

 

“The Primary reason we ask people to create a vision statement is to

reinforce the belief that all of us are engaged in the process of creating

this organisation”

Peter Block

OUR STRATEGIC INTENT

Developing a Learning Community

Creating Culture of InquiryNurturing an Environmental

ConscienceFostering a Culture of Success

PURPOSE

• “Purpose is a clear statement of intent that identifies and binds the community together as worthy of pursuit”.

What is it that we need to know to build a better society?

What is it that we need to know to transform a person into an exceptional human being?

PURPOSE

• What is Education for ?

• What is Education?

• Whose Education is it ?

The Purpose of Education.. (Sterling)

• To replicate society and culture and promote citizenship…Socialization

• To train people for employment…Vocational

• To develop the individual and his/her potential….Liberal

• To encourage change towards a fairer society and a better world…Transformative

The Purpose of Education..(Treadwell)

• To facilitate the outworking of the inherent potential embodied within every child such that their uniqueness can change the world for the better via their active involvement in their community and their ability to be lifelong learners that are self assured; balancing confidence with humility and having the capacity to apply their abilities with wisdom.

Gardner’s 5 Minds

• Respect

• Discipline

• Synthesis

• Creativity

• Ethics

“Five Minds for the Future”(2006)

Teachers as….

• Curriculum deliverers • Creativity workers• Environment creators in

which young people develop knowledge; build conceptual frameworks to be creative, innovative, develop new ideas, thoughts, emotions, products,systems and environments within a moral framework that promotes citizenship.

Paradigm Shift

• Factory fodder

• Sameness• Blandness

• Fulfilling the potential of the gifts and talents

• Uniqueness• Creativity• Innovation

Sample Purpose Statement

• ‘Empowering responsible, caring and self sustaining learners to shape and enrich their changing world’.

(Woodcroft Primary)

“Empowering responsible, caring and self sustaining learners to shape and enrich their changing world.”

What is your “Brand Message”?

• Is it weak

• Confused?

• Irrelevant?

• Indistinguishable from the school down the road?

think believe

dream dare

SCHOOL CULTURE EVOLVES FROM 3 SOURCES

• The beliefs values assumptions and symbolic actions of the leader.

• The learning experiences of group members as the organisation evolves

• New beliefs, values and assumptions brought in by new staff.

Assumptions to test

• The leadership act of culture building in a small school is very different to the same task in a larger school.

• Learning cultures of small schools differ from those in larger schools

• Small schools mirror the personality and beliefs of the leader

AFTER ACTION REVIEW

• What was the intent?

• What actually happened?

• What have I learned?

• What do I do now?