What: Transforming Education

Our tag line is empowering people, transforming education. The time for a new education is upon us, and we are part of a growing global voice on this issue.

Group 8 Education is a partnership that has been researching the process, institution and culture of education since 2001. We have immersed ourselves in action research methodology, a variety of feedback strategies involving all school stakeholders, exemplar coaching methodologies and contemporary educational and social neuroscience. Our efforts, processes and research are now mature, and have been transforming schools since 2007. 

Student Engagement



When asked to describe their ideal school students respond as follows:

"My ideal school is where:

• I am safe”
• I am respected by teachers”
• I am believed in by teachers”
• I am listened to by teachers”
• My teachers are knowledgeable in their subjects”


When these conditions are fully present (at least temporarily) then we find that students are fully engaged in learning 

We also observe that in this state – “students …

• have confidence in themselves”
• respect their teacher”
• have the desire to go out of their way not to disappoint or let down their teacher”

Children are right, safety is an absolute pre-condition for them to thrive. 

When we feel unsafe, anxious, stressed then our brains shift resources to the more primitive parts of the brain – the “Red Zone” – the part designed for survival of the organism.

 

In this state little higher order learning can take place, we are optimized to do simple tasks very well and we are very sensitive to threat 

Once safe, our brains are able to shift ‘disposal resources’ around to parts of the brain that are more socially oriented and that engage higher order cognition. 

What causes us to shift resources to the “Blue Zone” is the presence of another human being who respects us, who believes in us, who listens to us. 

This is a key outcome – it is humans who engage humans.

The mind state a teacher needs to be in to engage a student is also well-defined. 

When a teacher is fully engaging students the following behaviours are observable in that teacher:

• Fully present in the moment, with deep empathic and emergent listening styles
• Unconditional respect shown to students
• Universal encoring or belief in their students
• A deep knowledge of subject and instructional practice

This explains how outstanding teachers can act independently of their local cultures and how an outstanding principal can transform a school 

To create these conditions for most teachers means a shift in school culture: visionary purpose and behaviour are heavily influenced by the attitudes and behaviours of senior leaders to change a culture leaders need to change themselves, and this change needs to be visible and experienced by other staff. 



Cognitive coaching is a solutions-focused, self-directed methodology that engages coachees with their own thinking and learning in determining both the nature and the scope of their next point of professional growth. 



Training leaders, particularly middle leaders, as cognitive coaches is an effective way of providing short-term benefit whilst making a long-term shift in culture.

Cognitive coaching is an effective way to:

        Develop leaders to model systematically the key attitudes and behaviours that underpin a learning culture

Reframe the basis of relationships amongst adults in a school from managerial/transactional to professional/developmental

Engage adults deeply in their own learning, where learning occurs at the edge of the comfort zone