In early 2016 a fortuitous meeting occurred at Queensland’s Noosa Heads. 'Learning First' had just released the report 'Beyond PD: Professional Learning in High Performing Systems' (Jensen, Sonnemann, Roberts-Hull & Hunter, 2016). This report had identified British Columbia as the highest-performing English-speaking jurisdiction in the PISA rankings (first for reading, second for mathematics and third for science, above the Canadian average and well ahead of Australia) and had attributed this high performance to the collaboration and professional learning approaches in the province, highlighting the Networks of Inquiry and Innovation (NOII). Having previously taught in BC on a teacher exchange, albeit many years prior, but not being aware of the province’s high performance or of NOII, curiosity got the better of me.
I had only just been appointed to QASSP in a newly established role for the association. During a meeting with a respected colleague, Jenny Lewis, it was mentioned that the NOII Network Leaders, Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert, were in Australia and holidaying not far from Brisbane.
I convinced the President of QASSP that we needed to meet with the Canadians, organised a catch-up for a coffee, and we drove the nearly two hours to Noosa. At that meeting, the wheels were set in motion for what has had a lasting impact on Queensland educators.
The networking that was initiated through the meeting led to three significant markers for new work in Queensland. The first was my being invited to the NOII Symposium in Vancouver in May 2016. At the symposium, I networked with educators who were part of NOII, as well as people involved in the BCPVPA, the professional association for school leaders in the province. These connections proved to be important for the next marker.
The second was twenty-five Queensland educators undertaking a QASSP study tour to British Columbia in April of 2017 to see first-hand the work of the network, the BCPVPA, and the growing importance of inquiry in the B.C. curriculum. This study tour was an outstanding learning experience for all involved. It included members of the leadership team from Griffin State School, including the principal Vicki Baker. This tour was not the first time Vicki and I had shared learning experiences but the trust established as a result of this shared experience was to become the foundation for some powerful future work. I continue to learn so much from Vicki's leadership in her wonderful school.
And the third marker was the first-ever NOII symposium to be held in Queensland in early September of that same year (New South Wales had conducted the first in Australia a month before). It was at this symposium I was introduced to Jess Lewis, a young passionate teacher from Griffin State School, and co-author of this book.
There are important similarities between Canada and Australia that make professional exchanges between educators and examination of practices relevant. Both countries have small populations for their land area with the majority of the population centred in a few major cities. This geography also means many schools are located in small communities in rural and remote areas. Both countries have First Nations with rich histories that go back well before colonial settlement. And both have the complexity of dealing with the disadvantage and discrimination that their colonial past brought upon the First Nations.
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