Intuition to intention - The Journey So Far

FROM INTUITION TO INTENTION THE JOURNEY SO FAR

Which relationships shaped you?

It is worth a moment to consider which relationships have shaped you and why. Consider the commitment and perseverance that this person showed you. Think about the actions, role modelling and words they used in their relationship with you. The picture above gives you some idea of mine. Each week my Dad took me to the soccer match. On the way we talked. He was an encourager, a listener and someone who challenged me to see the best of each day.

THE JOURNEY SO FAR ...

Last June, we sat as a faculty and listened as Dr. Michael Reichert shared his studies into the impact and apparent centrality of relationships to learning. It provoked a lot of conversation and questioning around a topic that, although we hadn’t put a name to it before, clearly meant a lot to us.

Our relationships matter at Crescent.

In August, we came together again to begin to imagine what the impact would be on our School if we decided to more intentionally position relationships at the heart of what we do. Our goal is to allow learning to occur through our teaching. If relationship is indeed such a vital bridge between teaching and learning, then we cannot afford to leave it up to our intuition.

The work became titled From Intuition to Intention. Over the 2014/2015 school year, we committed to examining this journey together.

This booklet is designed to update you on the work done so far and the steps we hope to take next.

Relational Learning: the Value Proposition It is worth taking time to consider thoughtfully the value of placing relational learning into the conversation and our thinking as we evaluate the School’s strategic direction.

Some areas of value to consider:

1. "Relationship" underpins our mission.

Our mission charts the journey of a boy towards becoming a Man of Character. We have been drawn to understand the need to define our understanding of Character against the backdrop of an educational setting in which the word Character has become ubiquitous.

Amongst other key definitions, the role of relationships, excellent teachers and mentors are likely to underpin our mission. The level of symmetry between character and relational learning is exciting and value-added.

2. "Relationship" captures the values of the community.

An obviously vibrant and authentic part of our community are relationships. It is not a stretch for us to see the importance of this within our School community and also in our applicant pool. Extending our strategic thinking to focus on relationships and their role in learning lands positively within a vocabulary that is understood and valued by our community.

3. "Relationship" as a core pillar of Crescent has potential to be a key differentiator.

The desire to focus on and institutionally understand and develop relational learning has potential to be a key differentiator. Our early work has already led to opportunities to host many educators and speak at an exciting variety of international venues and schools. In addition, it is a language that appeals to prospective parents who want to know that connecting relationally with their son lies at the heart of learning. As we seek to differentiate ourselves from our competitors in meaningful, confident and groundbreaking ways, relational learning has the potential to provide us with some of those competitive differentiations.

4. "Relationship" is the key to learning.

While we recognize that we have much to think through from the research and our experience, we are compelled to see the truth in the power of relationship as a key through which boys access learning in a deeper way. On a very fundamental and altruistic level then, finding a method by which we can be intentional in our approach on this topic holds great value for us.

A Research Update from Search Institute: A Focus on SEARCH Developmental Relationships We have spent time focusinghave onlong Reichert his gestures.

Both researchers and practitioners embracedand Search Institute has adopted the term developmental

the idea that interaction with caring adults is central relationships to describe the broader conception of to young people’s development.

New research being the focus our new research Of increasing interest is the work the SEARCHrelationships Institute that hasisdone inofcreating it’s and conducted at Search Institute confirms that conviction, development agenda. Through our work to date, we Developmental Relationship Framework. but we are also finding that both caring and adults are have identified 20 actions that make a relationship necessary but not sufficient strands in the broader web developmental, and we have organized those actions into of relationships that kids need to succeed.

In addition a framework that is beingis examined empirically through As we move forward please consider this framework.

Feedback appreciated. to expressing care, young people also need people in a national study that will be released in fall 2014. In their lives who challenge growth, provide support, share the most transformative developmental relationships, power, and expand possibilities. And while relationships all of these actions are bidirectional, with each person with adults can do all of those things in powerful and contributing to and benefitting from them. For the positive ways, so can close connections with friends, purpose of clarity, however, the framework is expressed siblings, and other peers. below from the perspective of one young person in a developmental relationship.

The Developmental Relationships Framework

Show that you like me and want the best for me.

• Be Present—Pay attention when you are with me.

• Be Warm—Let me know that you like being with me and express positive feelings toward me.

• Invest—Commit time and energy to doing things for and with me.

CHALLENGE Growth

• Inspire—Help me see future possibilities for myself.

• Expect—Make it clear that you want me to live up to my potential.

Express CARE

Insist that I try to continuously improve.

Provide SUPPORT

Help me complete tasks and achieve goals.

Share POWER

Hear my voice and let me share in making decisions.

Expand POSSIBILITIES Expand my horizons and connect me to opportunities.

April 2014

• Show Interest—Make it a priority to understand who I am and what I care about.

• Be Dependable—Be someone I can count on and trust.

• Stretch—Recognize my thoughts and abilities while also pushing me to strengthen them.

• Limit—Hold me accountable for appropriate boundaries and rules.

• • • •

Encourage—Praise my efforts and achievements.

Guide—Provide practical assistance and feedback to help me learn.

Model—Be an example I can learn from and admire.

Advocate—Stand up for me when I need it.

• Respect—Take me seriously and treat me fairly.

• Give Voice—Ask for and listen to my opinions and consider them when you make decisions.

• Respond—Understand and adjust to my needs, interests, and abilities.

• Collaborate—Work with me to accomplish goals and solve problems.

• Explore—Expose me to new ideas, experiences, and places.

• Connect—Introduce me to people who can help me grow.

• Navigate—Help me work through barriers that could stop me from achieving my goals.

www.search-institute.org

Copyright © 2014 by Search Institute.

All rights reserved.

A Pledge As staff, we spent time discussing and recording what we thought should be included if we were to create a School vision for relationships at Crescent. This would capture our culture, embed the research and aspire to enrich learning. A smaller group collated all those thoughts and condensed them into the following DRAFT PLEDGE. Please read it over. It absolutely needs additions and subtractions but is an excellent start. What do you think?

Our Pledge to Relational Learning at Crescent Our commitment to relationships has a clear goal and objective. We believe that through relationships, boys will unlock their full learning potential. We desire that his learning will be deep and reflective and felt in all aspects of his Crescent journey, both in the classroom and out. We believe that through relationships a boy will be drawn to reflect on his emerging character. We aspire for relationships to be the foundation from which our boys will leave our school to go on to be reflective, relationally driven Men of Character.

1. Relational teaching is a shared responsibility of a collaborative team of educators.

We recognize the importance of ensuring that a Crescent boy experiences relationship that leads to connection, a feeling of value and ultimately will be key to all kinds of deep learning. We also recognize that we are part of a relational journey for our boys in which each educator is one humble part of a larger relational connection a boy has to his learning. It is also an important truth that relationships can be difficult and vulnerable. A team approach in which ego is eliminated and in which failing or broken relationships can be collaboratively supported is highly desirable.

2. Authentic sharing and role modelling is the foundation for relational learning.

We will role model meaningful and healthy relationships by personally engaging in authentic and reciprocal conversations and gestures with our boys, colleagues and members of the Crescent community in all venues within school life.

3. All faculty and staff believe that every boy is a distinct individual.

Each boy will receive unique and individualized care intended to unleash his full potential.

He will understand that he is known – his interests, learning needs and passions. He will feel that he is supported in finding his “spark.” Relationships with a collaborative team of educators will provide him the best chance to realize this.

4. We strive to recognize and celebrate the unique characteristics of every individual boy.

Our goal is to foster and promote an open and supportive environment that nurtures each boy’s confidence to feel buoyed and determined to try new experiences throughout his time at Crescent. By recognizing and appreciating the individuality of the unique physical, emotional and social developmental journey of each boy, the collaborative team of Crescent faculty will endeavour to build meaningful relationships with every student throughout their personal journey.

5. In our boys, we aspire to grow their emotional intelligence and personal investment in their relationships.

We recognize that as educators we must always continue to seek the development of even the most challenging of relationships. However in tandem with this unswerving commitment to relationship in service of learning, we want our boys to grow towards a sensitive understanding and ownership of their own relationships, seeing themselves as full partners in their relationships.

Our Unique Perspective It is becoming increasingly apparent that Crescent has a very unique and powerful perspective on Relational Learning. Below is how I tried to capture that unique desire in a report to the Board. Incidentally, this approach was not one Dr. Reichert initially considered but it has now provoked some new thinking.

Our Unique Perspective 1. Why is a Relational Team approach exciting?

Reichert guides us to focus his findings on an individual teacher-and-student relationship.

Our faculty and leadership have reported that while this is the vital starting point of relationship, they do not feel it is enough. Instead we are interested in exploring an institutionally intentional approach to advancing a Relational Team approach. This would be a unique and quite audacious perspective among schools examining this topic.

It puts the focus on the boy’s relational journey through the school, not the teacher’s.

We have seen so many fantastic moments of breakthrough for a boy when his connection and “spark” towards learning ignites. It is a powerful thing to witness and often comes attached to a relational connection with a specific teacher. However closer examination nearly always shows a relational commitment, often maintained in the absence of that “spark” or relationship acknowledgment, over a period of years by many teachers. These relationships primed the boy to take advantage of the moment when he was ready to embrace his learning. In essence, we believe the relational investment of our Grade 3 teacher onwards lays the foundations on which the grade 11 teachers can have the breakthrough in learning. Each relational ‘cog’ adds to the demonstration of care that builds the developmental assets of the boy.

It mitigates the possibility of ego-driven relationship A concern in focusing on relational learning as a marker of a great teacher is that it promotes an unhealthy pursuit of popularity rather than a relationship for learning. A “team” approach, where the connection of the boy to his learning is celebrated, allows “ego” to be taken out of the equation.

It allows for the support of teachers in difficult work Cultivating and sustaining relationships for learning is by definition emotional, vulnerable and draining work. It will always bring a teacher to their limits and the broken relationship can be difficult to revisit and rethink in isolation. Having the ability to view this work through the lens of a team allows for advice, support, encouragement and a variety of connections to each child. That means we have a better chance of sustaining our faculty and our boys.

It allows the fullness of a boy to be supported relationally A team approach allows us the best chance to acknowledge the fullness of needs a boy has. Limiting each relationship to the classroom teacher takes away the possibility of the nuanced insights, needs and varied connections that can be accessed through a team of teachers seeking to connect with a student. Our teachers have a collaborative approach and can seek out a colleague who they know connects with a student better than they do.

2. An "Up and Down" Approach to Relationship In Reichert’s project, 1,600 boys were asked what responsibility they had towards a relationship that was broken. No boys reported feeling any responsibility to repairing the relationship or of applying tactics that would allow them success within that relationship.

Reichert uses this finding to suggest it is always the teachers’ responsibility to return to the relationship, seeking different approaches to repair or create a relationship. The rationale being that we can’t afford to wait, as boys will not take any ownership.

It must be noted that our own observations at Crescent do not conclude that all boys are quite so emphatic about a broken relationship as Reichert would indicate, with many boys finding tactics to work around the lack of connection. Nevertheless, his observation indicates an important aspect of an adolescent mindset.

We recognize that as educators we must always continue to seek the development of even the most challenging of relationships. This is very important and the team approach explained above gives us the best chance to do this.

However, in tandem with this unswerving commitment to relationship and in service of learning, we want our boys to grow towards a sensitive understanding and ownership of their own relationships, seeing themselves as full partners in their relationships.

This is what we see as a two-fold, “up and down” approach to relational learning. While we, as classroom teachers, are continually reaching down to engage in the relational stewardship of our work, we want to do so in partnership with a developmentally appropriate learning program that guides our boys to learn how to take ownership and responsibility of their relationships. We want to graduate young men who are active participants in all their relationships understanding the responsibilities, advocacy, empathy and assertiveness needed to maintain healthy relationships. So whilst one teacher is working on the specific relationship for learning in their class, another mentor will be advising and guiding as to the role the boy can take in that same relationship.

A Demonstration School Crescent has been asked to become a Demonstration School for Relational Learning through the International Boys’ Schools Coalition. Much of what this might mean remains in need of definition.

We are one of four schools in the IBSC to be asked to play this role.

It does not mean we are experts. It doesn’t even mean we are necessarily good at it. But it does mean we value relationships and we want to get better at it and we are willing to share that journey with others who are interested.

We are happy to share the work and interest we have in Relational Learning both by hosting at Crescent and by stepping out of Crescent to share with others.

So far we have done the following: 1. Speaker at IBSC Annual Conference in Nashville and upcoming in Cape Town 2. Keynote Speaker at IBSC Regional Conference in Cleveland in April 3. Crescent Lower School Research in partnership with Dr. Reichert 4. Keynote speaker at CAIS Junior and Middle School Heads Conference in April 5. Host CIS Curriculum Leaders for Relational Learning seminar in April

Next Steps: 1. Feb 12th (12:30 - 3:30) - Dr. Michael Reichert We will be having a half day for this PD opportunity. We have successfully engaged in the first part of this conversation about Relational Learning and how we might understand it more intentionally as a staff. The focus was on the positive impact of relationships. If only it were so easy.

A relational investment in junior and adolescent boys comes with some significant challenges. It can be difficult, sapping and demoralizing and often with no reciprocity. It can affect us deeply as professionals who care about our students, eliciting in us a variety of coping strategies that are not always conducive to continued investment in those relationships.

Dr. Reichert will be taking us into this aspect of relational learning – what happens when relationships go wrong, what happens when learning does not occur, and how can we support each other through this.

2. Lower School Research with Dr. Reichert Dr. Reichert, Dr. Boyes and the Lower School faculty are to partner in extending the research shared in “I Can Learn From You?” This is really exciting work to be leading.

3. Feedback on Crescent's Pledge to Relationship The draft is just that, a draft. It needs edits, it needs additions. Your feedback is important.

Do you see merit in a Pledge we can all agree on as framework for what we do?

4. The measure of success - so how do we measure this work?

As we arrive at a set of language and a philosophy for what an intentional approach to relational learning could be, we will need to make a commitment to how we assess, evaluate and measure that work.

5. Using the Panorama Survey.

Seek to understand our communities’ feedback on supportive relationships as found in the Panorama Survey.

6. Weaving this work into the of Strategic Plan.

Over the coming months the school’s Strategic Plan will take shape. Successfully weaving relational learning as a genuine pillar of work into the Strategic Plan is an important challenge.

7. Becoming a Demonstration School - what is the vision for this work?

We are in the preliminary stages of imagining the partnership we would have with IBSC as a Demonstration School.

Going Forward BE BOLD Remember the studies we have looked at and the readings we have shared offer only the work thus far.

We are an established school with excellent professionals and we have experiences and thinking on this topic that are really important.

Whilst we should consider the evidence before us, we are more than capable of making our own way with Relational Learning.

Let’s challenge ourselves to be innovative, unique and in service of the learning of our boys.

Accompanying Work 1. Strategic Planning The work of Relational Learning must live in harmony with the Strategic Priorities of the School. Ensuring it finds an authentic validation within that plan is important.

2. Character at Crescent Teaching our boys to engage in their relationships and emphasizing the power of relationships is intricately woven into the growth of their character. The work of strengthening our Character program should happen in tandem with work on Relational Learning.

3. Developing Grit Perhaps grit is most needed in the area of relationship building. To support our “Up and Down� model of Relationship, the creation of program to grow personal ownership of relationships in our boys. A developmental framework for that program Grades 3 -12 is important.

4. The Evolving Role of Mentor Group Finding a forum where guiding and prompting and reflecting on relationships for their growth is important. It seems that Mentor Groups are the likely place for this to happen.

We need training and a unified approach to this whilst maintaining our unique ways of running our Mentor Groups.

5. PLCs - Support for Teachers The emerging potential of Professional Learning Communities as a hub for relational support is clear. Supporting this with time and resources is important.

6. P.D. - Growth towards Mastery The work on Relational Learning will be fundamentally supported by the creation of a robust culture desirous of constant professional growth and the acquisition of mastery.