Encounters

For Near Neighbours evaluation event. 'Stories of Encounters' we asked everyone to look closely into a stranger's eyes.  It was part of a grouping game, initially dividing everyone into three groups of people based on eye colour.  We then made three groups of people based on fashion, music, and the last one done in silence - food.  Basically it was an exploration of prejudice - prejudice we all have, often based on visual clues.  It  brought up some interesting insights into why and how we form groups:

listen to ‘Comfortable and welcoming’ on Audioboo

Reflected in comments throughout

Flash mob - Gathering of the Unions, 1832 over 100,000, no mobile in sight

the day, we all form groups based on who we feel comfortable with, and where we feel welcome.

In forming and developing networks (like I've been trying to do for Hall Green Arts Forum), particularly where people identify themselves by their different beliefs, that spirit of welcoming, and of feeling comfortable can make a network - Teachmeet Brum and Social Media Surgeries are excellent recent examples locally of how to run a network to meet up, share ideas and learn from each other:

A TeachMeet is an organised but informal meeting (in the style of an unconference) for teachers to share good practice, practical innovations and personal insights in teaching with technology. (Wikipedia)

Podnosh recently won a 'Big Society Award' from David Cameron for their innovative approach to supporting local community and voluntary sector organisations in using social media using locally based surgeries.

How comfortable you feel or welcome you are is mostly determined by the spirit of the group and of individuals in it, but I'd say it helps if the format can reflect and support that.  Both Teachmeet and Podnosh use digital stuff very effectively, but I think they also make good choices in the format to attract new people and develop the network.  They avoid some of the pitfalls of using traditional meetings and conference format for networking:

• Agendas give the chair control over what is discussed (and no one else) and there's never enough time for the interesting 'Any Other Business' bit at the end.
• Presenting from the front - traditional meetings and conferences can actively encourage competitive spirit between people to dominate the limited time the chair (or speaker) allows them.
• Traditional meeting and conference format reinforce heirarchy - a top down approach to knowledge.
• The closed door - a meeting behind an anonymous door is never going to attract new people.  Add to that the awkward late arrival, uncomfortable search for a chair, and then you sit on someone's handbag.

It's not to say there is never a place for traditional meetings or conferences, but I think their role in attracting people and developing a network is pretty limited.  Does Seth Godin's analogy about parking meters apply here?  Were meetings and conferences more essential for disseminating information in the past?  I go to conferences and meetings as much to meet people as to listen to the presentations, but meetings and conferences just aren't designed for that, so I make the most of the coffee breaks and lunchtime to catch people I want to talk to.

New technology might be influencing, but is not making change.  Emails, texts, blogs, facebook, youtube are ways to share information quickly, but I don't think the purpose of meetings and conferences has completely changed - it doesn't require new tech for a networking event.  Many conferences include workshops, effective use of postit notes, extended debate, and aspects of Open Space technology, which predates the social media revolution by some 20 years.

I've got to thank Nick Booth and Steve Philp, not just for introducing me to social media, but to opening up the possibility of making meetings better (and to apologise for nicking their ideas).  Look out for Hall Green's Art Surgeries - next one is Picnic in the Park, Friday 22nd June, and 'Artsmeet' sometime soon!

Bright Space ends

Proud moment - receiving award from Barbara Nice
for networking at the Bright Space Oscars July 2011.
Photo thanks Gillian 

Bright Space closes it's doors today, and so ends an era for me.  Personally, it is a great loss, having worked as a creative agent and practitioner with both Bright Space and Creative Partnerships, but I think a far greater a loss for the children and schools who have benefited the most.

Despite it's well measured and documented achievements and the 'value for money' invested into the programme, there are no plans to replace Bright Space or Creative Partnerships.   The work ends, even if the database (and website) lingers on.

There are far fewer creative practitioners working in schools, and we all wait to see what changes are still to happen in the education sector.  There is, however, one legacy recognised by the present administration - the value of collaboration (Big Society), and the importance of our networks.  Now, more than ever, we need to pull together to make the most of every opportunity, and to shape the way education and other policies can most effectively support learning in our schools.

Thanks everyone who has worked at Bright Space, Creative Partnerships, and everyone connected to it. Let's keep in touch.

State Schools learning from Public School Boys?

Our government cabinet are mostly public school educated - how does their education influence their policies?  Is there anything in their education which can help turn around the past decade of growth between the richest and poorest?  OECD  have researched the growing gap between rich and poor, and recently suggested UK pupils are 'among the least likely to overcome a tough start.'


From my public school education I remember the average temperature in Quito (15 degrees Centigrade).  Quito was one of the easier South Amercian cities we rote learned (it's on the equator, so the same all the year).  Why do I remember Quito, and not where I left my jacket an hour ago?  I don't know, but subjects taught generally bore little or no relation to me, and did little to encourage me to learn.


Recently I was recommended to check out The Prince's Teaching Institute - an organisation which exists to support subject led teaching.  While I hope encyclopedic knowledge of average temperatures in South America is no longer so important, subject led teaching, like my schooling,  is about viewing the student as a vessel to be filled with important stuff.  It's also something being talked about again to improve all our schools.

Me, drawing giant fruit at school

A project on the life of St. Wilfred, for me, was an educational exception.  In my first year at Repton, for a holiday project, I chose to research patron saint of my home town, Ripon.  He was a medieval monk, spin-doctor type.  Not the obvious choice, but having been a choirboy in his church for the last four years, I guess I had an affinity with him.  It was very much a topic led project, directed by my own interest, and we moved on quickly to the serious stuff of examinations.  Another formative learning moment was probably not at school, but in contrast to it.  As a 'scholarship boy' there was a 'poverty gap'  between me and what felt like the rest of the school.  I needed some extra dosh, so when I got a chance to work in a chicken factory at 16...well I took the job anyway.  Apart from turning me veggie, it made me question the difference and similarities there were between me and the others there waiting for their CSE results over the summer.


Back at school two years later 12 of the 100 in my school year would go on to Oxford or Cambridge.  I don't think it was better than average results, brighter students, or even the subject led curriculum that got so many Reptonians there.  On leaving Repton I was invited to meet the freemasons - I guess something everyone in school was invited to do.  Not everyone rolled up their trouser legs, but our teachers, our parents, everyone around us, were very well connected.

There are obvious advantages of network and wealth which it's hard to even imagine 'education' alone addressing.  So how can we improve the chances of the poorest in the UK?  The OECD think education can and has (in other countries) made a big difference - measures like teaching for 'resilience', 'self-confidence', ''personal internal drive'. 


For 'resilience and 'self-confidence', my learning happened in 'extra-curricula' school activities, which were varied and incredible.  Chosen and often directed by us, and supported with bags of money, kit and staff, being part of the wider 'Repton School Community' made me feel like I can do anything.  State schools may never have the money, kit or (as many) staff, but when it comes to learning developed with students, meaningful learning opportunities within and outside school  - 'fostering motivation and self-confidence' - This is something some public schools do well, but looking to 'subject-led learning' is looking in the wrong place.

Connecting Young and Old - Art Swap

This project is a bit of an experiment, and not sure where, or how far it will go, but I'm quite excited about the possibilities.  A care home I have worked in on off for fifteen years contacted me again, after a break of some three years, interested in xmas craft activities.

I have met a couple of times since then, both times with my daughter Freya (2 years old), who seemed to cheer up the old people more than I can.  I was pushed to commit time to start a new project, but keen to keep connection.  The only time I have is on a Thursday afternoon, when I care for Freya, so we arranged to start workshops, but instead of having Freya along as an extra, we've planned the project to include her, and all her friends, in Kings Heath Community centre stay and play group on Thursday mornings.

Part inspired by Kate Brookes's sock puppet project, we've started making pompoms (a craft they had all done previously) and I have taken photos of them making them, to give the pompoms to the stay and play group.  I photoed (with consent) the children playing, and me and Freya came back to the home with photos this Thursday.  All good feedback from children, parents and the old people.  Next week we will start on making sock horses at the old people's home for a race at the stay and play.  I'm also planning to do art and craft activities in the stay and play to give to the old people.

We could continue in this vein, but I'd also like to develop a social media element - photo collation, film clips, audio could be made available to old people, their family, parents and children at the stay and play.  This would be something new for many of the partners, and I'm aware the technology may prove too much, or simply that the artwork and connection is more valueable through the artefacts and people themselves.  Also issues of consent to sort out.  More photos when I've cracked that one.

Don't worry, keep busy

It's been a tough time, and really hard to see organisations and friends grappling with changes.  Personally, I don't know what I'll be doing in seven months.  'The long term' has been something I have spent too much time worrying over, and I feel like I have lost sight of Nike wisdom, just do it!

Storytime with my four year old was coming to an end, but luckily Jago knows exactly how to play his old man.  'Can we have your favourite?' and what's that?  Jago told me it's, 'The Lion who wanted to Love'.  Always brings a tear to my eye when reading the last couple of pages when his Mum speaks in her humblest tone 'I was wrong, now I see love can bring us together...'

OK, very soppy, and Leo is a bit of a role model for loving and all that, following his instinct, which wasn't the same as most lions.  But for this blog, and for me right now, what is more important was that he just got on and did what he thought was best.

When everything seems so bleak, it's easy to fall into trap of  'self-preservation', following what you think will earn money, or please those around you.  Maybe in six months I'll be regretting lack of fore-thought.  Is it more important to do what you think is right?  Or am I just going to drift into poverty?  Who knows.  I deal with that tomorrow.

Bringing technology to a new generation

It's not often I feel like a youngster in a meeting - that's the way it is if you work mainly in education.  Recently though, I've had two different meetings.  In both I bet people were thinking 'he's gone all techie again'.  So what better to do than come home and blog about it?

First meeting was in an old people's home I worked in a long while back, mainly doing art and craft workshops, possibly most known there for unusual crafty christmas thingies - something I'd enjoy, but really wanted to discuss other possibilities.  I'd like to get to know the residents better, addressing more directly why 'thousands of older people feel isolated', document life stories with them using film, sound recordings, start to tempt some to using a laptop, connecting on the internet.  As we discussed possibilities it became clear the care team, all of which I respect a great deal, were probably, in plain Ewan Mcintosh language, proffesional IT illiterate.  It was one of the homes we documented stories in to become part of Birmingham Lives 2001.   Some stories are still on my website, in dusty corners.

Far more effective than me coming in, making willow stars and xmas wreaths, or bringing a flip camera and recording stories, has to be enabling the dedicated staff, get out the computers to provide training and support to staff to support those they care for?

Onto second meeting which was tonight - Fairtrade Association Birmingham is again an organisation I haven't been doing much with for a little while, but did a fair bit a while back.  Again, the talent of people around the table is incredible, all working very effectively in their areas of specialism.  It's greatest strength should be the broad range of different businesses, skills and experience.  However, communication has always been a problem.  With so many different people who rarely meet, it's a problem which at times is amplified when we have a limited time in which all of us want to say so much (maybe that's just me...)

A famously Tech Illiterate Politician - would this be news in UK?

Effective IT networking solutions and social media stuff ala Podnosh are great. I'm still learning, but can see potential in using these relatively new, simple tools, if only it was that simple.  Thing is, problem is unlikely to just be solved with IT.  Could be:

(a) technophobia
(b) poor communication, listening, speaking, using new stuff
(c) lack of time or interest in sharing
(d) lack of confidence in either what people think of what you do, or in taking on new roles or jobs in which you will not be 'expert'.

Can new tech fix age old problems?  No harm to try.

When is spam spam?

Not ham, or spam

Just come back from inspiring switchboard event at Mac - a new currency - multiplatform storytelling & social capital.

As I am one of millions of amateurs in the field of digital technology, I feel in a position to express an opinion just about as good as anybody else, and post it our to anyone I know, and some others.  Is it spam?  It could be.

For me, Chris Unitt made interesting comment on networking - Natalie Carlish might be able to tweet and get £3,500 of lighting for a day for free: Chris's Gran could probably use her network to find a nice piece of antique bric-a-brac.  The quality (all our networks have qualities) of our networks determine a lot about what we can do.

Could this be beginning to sound like Helga Henry's 'dark side'? - just another old boys network?

Is this where technology, in the hands of individuals and organisations like Switchboard, Nick Booth from Podnosh, Dave Hart, Nikki Getgood, all present and presenting at this event, can make a difference?

Getting back to spam, no one likes it  - I don't think anyone intentionally sends it.  I want people to read something I send and find it interesting, fun, supportive, and most important, useful.  If you are trying to reach out to new people, recognising when you are sending spam is hard.

Send spam, expect spammy digital network.  The question worded differently by various people, how do you turn your network into gold (money, power, influence, social change, whatever you're looking for)?  Seems the answer today was hard work, effective collaboration and a lot of luck - anyone know any short cuts?

Net works or networks in Frankley

In 2007, we had just completed training as the first cohort of Creative Agents at Bright Space.  Holly Hill Church School had funding to prepare for their Change application and for us to trial our new creative agent roles - I took more the role of the creative agent at Reaside, and Juliet Raynsford was more the creative agent at Holly Hill, although both of us shared roles.

Juliet’s specialism matched Reaside’s drama interest, becoming an enquiry on ‘How can drama change the world?’. At Holly Hill they were interested in developing and supporting the wider school community with no fixed media. This became ‘What makes School?’

At Holly Hill, we started working with the school council. Previous council minutes were dominated by school dinners, which seemed like a natural starting point. Inspired partly by the work of Stan’s Cafe in a local primary, we started to ‘make school’ out of school dinner. We explored archives, made our own bricks from clay in the playground, experimented with cakes and other materials before creating an art installation made entirely from bits and pieces brought in or found in the school.

There were difficulties, and although a number of creative partnership projects had run at Holly Hill previously, this appeared to be the first attempt at a ‘whole school’ creative project. The groundwork had been done for our ‘Change Programme’ and although over the next year we worked mainly outdoors, our area of focus did not change. We were interested in promoting creativity across the whole school, to support and develop more general social skills, and look to the wider school, Frankley and Birmingham communities.

In those early tendering, real paper database days, I contacted a few people we thought would be good, and introduced them to the staff on a staff training day. Everyone liked each other, and itching to get going with the work, we arranged a visit to the wonderful Bishops Wood Forest School Centre with staff, parents and children, in what was to be a fabulous start to avery productive year, working with Sarah Jenkinson, Gillian Twaite, Marcella Erskine & Nick Williams. The real find of the year turned out to be on the doorstep - 100 yds away was the ancient Balaam Wood, previously unknown to most of the staff, and apparently never before ventured into with children.

The end of the year came suddenly, and so ended the funding from Creative Partnerships.  There was no opportunity to continue with CP. The project had been a wonderful creative adventure for all involved, but where was the embedding of practice? How could we continue? Caroline Proctor found additional funding to carry on. Initially the nursery and music specialist teacher employed Marcella to continue weekly music workshops and related CPD. Then in Spring funding and time was found to work on ‘Our Community’ - a project I had suggested, and was invited to come back as creative practitioner to deliver.

For ‘Our Community’ I had grand plans of involving parents, community leaders, local organisations, everyone in school in a project working mainly outside school, supported by digital media. I don’t think I’d properly considered we would be working with a tenth of a change school budget, or indeed that although I felt digital and social media would really help, I don’t think anyone else did.

For initial research I googled Frankley, and found ‘Frankley Travelodge’ top of the list, followed by houses for sale, more ‘Travelodge’ references, ‘Frankleytalk’ - a local schools podcasting site set up with previous CP funding, the parish council site, a local businesses site claiming ‘Frankley is much more than just a motorway service station’, and Frankley Library site.

Initially I contacted Podnosh, responsible for Frankleytalk, thinking this could be the start of
something interesting. Over the course of the month or so I was inputting to the site, I watch it steadily move from tenth to first on the ‘Frankley Birmingham’ google-o-meter. Looking back I
should have taken more notice that Frankleytalk had ceased to be used for nearly two years,
and that the low number of visits to any Frankley websites meant that my usage of ‘Frankleytalk’
was probably the sole reason for its rise in popularity. This, my first experiment in blogging, was useful to me, but probably not to anyone else in Frankley.

I had, however, made contact with a number of different community partners, and the
workshops included visits to Frankley Library, Frankley City Learning Centre, and several visits
back to Balaam Wood supported by the Park Ranger service, Adam Bates from OPAL, Nick
Williams and the wonderful Friends of Balaam Wood. For me it was great to see connections
made in the previous year being developed. Teaching staff regularly use Balaam Wood
creatively for a range of different curricula areas and year groups. The Library were renewing
links with teaching staff and children, and the City Of Learning Centre developed further
work with Holly Hill after our visit. We had, of course, other outcomes, including the creation
of ‘Steve the Colourmaker’ - a giant collaborative chalk silhouette artwork outside the school
(see chalk images above), and created a lovely home for Steve and cutouts of all the chalk monsters made from silhouettes in Balaam Wood. We also had a lot of fun and achieved a number of learning objectives too.

Maybe digital networking hasn’t worked here, but the contacts and networks made through Holly
Hill’s Change Year have made a big difference and continue. Although Creative Partnership's funding ceased over a year ago now, a creative philosophy and practice continues at Holly Hill. The hard work of staff, parents and children at Holly Hill, together with their community will maintain outstanding creative practice.

CA networking day

As promised, below is how we grouped our schools.  We were not all there, many schools and conversations not started and complexities of grouping schools, it is an incomplete picture - more of snapshot.

Great to see you all and catch up a bit, and here's hoping you had good summer holidays.  Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

People power - Kings Heath Primary

Friends from Stan's Cafe tweeted about last blog on Jenni Bee, in praise of Jenni Bee who also did dance at school fair, which reminded me how fantastic the parents are at Kings Heath, for organising an event like our school fete, but also my children's first real taste of protest and people power:

When KHP was identified as a school to go from three to four form entry, I didn't actually think we, as parents could do much - Colmore up the road had already accepted a move from three to four form entry as inevitable.  Luckily there were some parents who decided (independent of staff at school, although many were probably sympathetic) that we should stand up to our council and stop the planned expansion.

The campaign involved collecting signatures, an open letter to our council, a number of meetings , setting up a website, organising interviews with press and a playground protest.  Shortly after the protest, a slightly ambiguous statement was issued from Councillor Laurence to say they were  never seriously considering expansion at Kings Heath(?) - BBC Midlands covered the story and so did the Birmingham Post (which I now follow on Twitter - starting to get the hang of tweeting now!)

We had gone as a family to the protest, made our own banners, practiced the songs that had been made specially for the protest (Bob the builder - Can you build it, no you can't, and Tears for Fears classic Shout shout, let's kick it out!)  sang them along with guitar and megaphone someone had brought along, and showed our 'red cards' to the BBC people, and the builders.  Later on we heard some of the children had sung the songs for 'Show and Tell', one of which was our boy, Arthur.

It was strangely quite emotional seeing everyone out there protesting and obviously had an effect on our children.  What we'd all learned is we can make a difference and protest really can work.  Must make sure to get children out to a decent protest soon to keep enthusiasm going!

Shame from a later blog on 18th June Councillor Martin Mullaney (although titled expansion plans 'stopped') the council don't 'rule out expansion at Kings Heath at a later date'.

Day 2

Started brief twitterings. Had a couple of followers I don't know. Don't know why, but if they like it... Blogging is also starting to build and provide good record of work and also starting to refer back to them. Also Shenley one is now at end of project, so effectively dead, or dieing, but that's cool, because it was intended as a work journal and now the project has ended. Now more of an archive.

After a bit of experimentation, Paganel Primary school have started to encourage creative practitioners to keep their reflections on their own blogs, accessible to the school. That will be 5 practitioners, a teacher or two and me, so a real network of reasonable size which should work. I think this model is interesting - it keeps the blogs of Creative practioners belonging to the creative practitioners. I'm also hoping it will aid proper regular reflection for CPs and fabulous record for me, school and CPs to know what is happening and what has happened.

I'm also in touch with Podnosh to start a Digital Surgery in Weoley. I think this is a risky but potentially the most powerful bit of work I will do over next 100 days to network, share and support others. I'm also keen to bridge gap between schools and communities, supported by an open, sharing digital community media. My analysis of present situation is stuff happening in schools, stuff happening in communities. Only contact is for a particular project, normally led strongly by a school or by a community group with little real partnership or review beyond length of a project/visit. Already have good links with Weoley Library, schools in area, and other community groups I've worked with recently, in particular the Shenley Community Centre Groups. People have good reason to start conversations, but it will involve moving out of 'comfort zone' to meet others.

Next to do is experiment with Wordpress and meet with Podnosh. Need to start making more definite arrangements for Surgeries.

Technology Tree Conference

I didn't attend all, but what I saw was great. Liz Leck from Hippodrome also promoted Bright Space/ Creative Partnerships. Also displays from RAF Cosford, Space centre, and Sideways Theatre, all great creative organisations I'd love to work with in future.

Paganel's Scalextric project with Frankley City of Learning and Stan's Cafe, stole the show - with additional presentation on Friday and the workshop ran by the children, it was great to see how much conversation around the project. For more, try Steve's excellent blogs relating to project.

Excellent opportunity to mix with a new network for me (to get all the links - organised by BXL). Aleady interest in Paganel Scalextric project from other schools more than just lifting the idea into other schools - There is a very real possibility for a Scalextric network and call to bring School Grand Prix back to Birmingham - Liz already suggesting Hippodrome may be interested in hosting!

Made me think about 'open space' workshop I had taken part in on Thursday. Concept seems sound - everyone equal, opportunity to put forward possible areas for discussion, then you choose to join, leave, rejoin, whichever debate you like. I was interested in comment by Bob that children were more open to join and leave discussions, teachers more likely to stay with a group from the beginning to end of session. Why should this be?

I find it very difficult to leave a group or network. When someone asks to be a Facebook friend, I do take a moment to think about who they are and whether I want to be friend, but once they are a 'friend', even if very distant, it would take something pretty radical for me to 'defriend' them. Likewise with networking, meeting all those new people at tree conference, I genuinely want to keep in touch with, even though realistically I can't keep in touch with everyone as well as I'd like.

It means I (hopefully) will have an ever expanding network, and more to fit into day, but the amount of opportunities that could develop is phenomenal. Rather than 'declutter', 'defreind' or 'defollow' I see my challenge as to effectively manage and
develop with my new and old partners.

Hyper Reflective

This was my second Ewan Macintosh keynote speach, and again left me thinking. Overall message I took away was get organised, and digital stuff can help you get organised. May not seem like a radical message, and in week when UNISON reveal Birmingham City Council spent £83 million on consultants in same year as 2000 jobs cut, you do sometimes end up thinking we should be working some of these things out ourselves. But hey, sometimes we do need poke in ribs to see obvious, and my work is about consultancy.

So, getting organised, what's stopping me? Well, first of all, I'm not completely disorganised (although my partner might disagree) and I do already spend a large chunk of my life negotiating between all the various parts of life, which mostly works out. However I find organising incredibly dull (partner would agree on this too - that is, organising dull, not me). You can't argue that there are improvements that could be made, but what improvements, and when? Last Ewan presentation, along with help from Podnosh, pushed me well onto the path of utilising wonderful digital tools out there. My calendar is publicly available to view, I facebook, I've dappled second life and other stuff, my thoughts blogged, twitter not happened yet, but approaching inevitable experimentation. I'll have to say most of it has really helped with my organisation.

Digital tools available I use are effective because they reflect my 'real world' uses. You can experiment with bits and bobs, but ultimately the only way it will stick is if it really works for you - witness friends who are facebook dos and don'ts. Why should it all work for everyone?


Organising is the dull bit, but I'll do it if I have to. What I'm interested in developing is reflection. Reflection is easily neglected as we are too busy moving on, but if we develop this, then maybe we will see the reason to improve our organising, or maybe it will be something else. I want to be hyper reflective, not hyper organised. All indications are Ewan is indeed both - even if image of our Ewan Macintosh is surpringly eleventh in Google 'Ewan Macintosh' image popularilty, I'm sure he'll remain in top ten of digital guru pinups.

Re-inventing the wheel or the nuclear option?

Illustration - Cienciart

Reflection following CCE sharing event, 'developing a framework for peer and self review'.

Both models presented today featured heirarchical approach to evaluation and reflection measuring against key competencies (red, amber or green, depending on assessment as all dandy, warning bells or requiring immediate intervention). Yvette and Mandy's Pods included continuous peer moderation through CA pod meetings, Jess and Alison was simpler and visually wheel-like. Both provide a structure to reflection and evaluation, both provide a framework which appears to fit into the database model.

We must apply our CP core values of ownership, and personalised learning to our reflection as we promote with young people, schools and everyone we work with. Our systems must reflect that. Likewise they should be transparent and honest, providing a safe place to experiment and challenge our own thinking, looking inward, and out, beyond our CP practice.

That's why for reflection I advocate a nuclear option - that is, a loose connection of conversations and reflections personal to each one of us, and articulated in a form useful personally to us and the people we share our reflections with. I have a number of people whose opinion I respect who I reflect with on a range of issues, including Creative Agents and Bright Space staff.

Like a wonderful chemical concoction, we need to be free to form covalent bonds with either similar or different people, our own networks, to produce new and wonderful compounds. In this analogy, the Administrative Organisations (ADOs) are the reactive agents or catalysts supporting and promoting the development of new networks, much as we creative agents do in our schools. We creative agents, for our part, are responsible to share our reflections and evaluate our work in a form the ADOs can effectively make sense of.

My reflections are best articulated by me in 'a form' of my choosing. Any form designed by others, or for evaluation, by necessity restrict my responses, which may be required for evaluation, but completely at odds with the purpose of reflection.

We are creative agents employed because we have a unique skills set, experiences and networks. To use and develop our talents best we should consistently apply our CP core principles - continuous reflection owned by us, useful beyond CP to all parts of our practice and our lives. Let's go nuclear!