Language has played a significant role in the Griffin State School story. From very early on in our journey, we recognised the power that language had in creating a different school environment and its role in cultivating school culture.
Our early inspirers told us that we needed to deliberately and consciously select the words we wanted to use in our school community. We aspired to a language that was meaningful, consistently used, and optimistic – a shared language designed to embody everything we said we wanted our school to be.
From the beginning, staff consultation has been key in our language selection process. This collaborative decision-making has worked to ensure clarity around the purpose of our selected phrases and encourages ownership and 'buy-in' from staff.
The vocabulary we use is drawn from our collective beliefs, values, and school philosophies. For the staff at Griffin, the words, phrases, and terms we choose to use when naming our processes, practices, and artefacts reminds us about the purpose behind what we do and why we do it. When we decide on terms that we want to use, we deliberately choose words that show worth and reflect our culture. For us, words are powerful communicators of our beliefs and values.
During our first year at Griffin, the staff took another step further and created a language for learners and staff alike to use when talking about learning – an Empowering Dialogue called 'Learnish'. We talk about our learning, how it's going, our 'where to next' and the Learner Tools, the 21st Century skills and learner dispositions, we are sharpening as we journey.
Language played and continues to play a significant role in the curation and maintenance of our school culture at Griffin. Being able to articulate the way we do things at Griffin in a shared language is at the forefront of intentionally embedding the culture we insist upon. For the staff at Griffin, it’s just part of 'The Griffin Way' and a process we call 'Griffinising'.
Next: Enculturation
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