'Control based approaches are bad for the future. If we really want to encourage excellent teaching, teachers who are committed and passionate and prepared to have the emotional capacity to engage with their students in relationships to get the best learning from them, we need to free teachers from process-driven bureaucracy. We need to trust them despite the fact they'll sometimes make mistakes.'

So said Gigi Foster, Professor of Economics, UNSW, at our latest ScotsIdeas forum on 'Redesigning Education and Society for a Post-COVID World'. This evening, hosted in partnership with the College's Institute of Business and Economics, brought together a diverse panel of leading thinkers and practitioners in education to ask how we might make the most of the disruption brought about by 2020 in changing the way we educate.

Panelists included:

• Honorary Professor Mike Conway, Founder and CEO of XVenture, University of Wollongong, emotional agility and mental coach for the Socceroos and former managing director of The Wiggles.
• Professor Gigi Foster, Professor of Economics UNSW, host of ABC Radio National's 'The Economists', and 2019 Young Economist of the Year.
• Mr James Oliver ('09), Research Director, Strategic Projects, NSW Department of Education.
• Dr Ian PM Lambert, Principal of The Scots College
  

If you had missed it, I encourage you to watch the recording and delve into the compelling conversations and topics discussed, along with all other ScotsIdeas events here.

Dr Ian PM Lambert shared these reflections in his weekly newsletter:

“If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow.” John Dewey

This statement over a century ago by the great American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer, John Dewey, has never been more true. Casting a stark reflection on Australia’s current education system. For the past 20 years, the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach in our curriculum is now failing our students to prepare for the unexpected in their future.

For this year in particular, no one could have predicted its events and how it has led to the profound change in the way we operate, think and relate to one another. It has given society and Scots a reality check, reinforcing why we continue to forge ahead with our Reinventing Education strategy.

Education is not just about preparing for an ATAR or being ‘work-ready’. If one was to take a single learning away from 2020, it has taught us the need to be agile, adaptable and resilient in the face of challenges. This is a core of what education is. Many take for granted that being agile, adaptable and resilient just happens, but at Scots we believe, and have proven that, it can be taught.

On Wednesday evening at our latest ScotsIdeas event, I was joined by a group of experts in economics, coaching and education to deliberate on the topic ‘Redesigning Education and Society for a Post-COVID World’. The panel of experts discussed the global trends as a result of the pandemic and what in their opinion schools should be doing to better position students on how to tackle an uncertain society after school.

We look forward to sharing our exciting program of 2021 ScotsIdeas events soon.

Dr Hugh Chilton
Director of Research and Professional Learning

The popular ScotsIdeas program of ‘compelling conversations in education’ is back for 2020 with more engaging, relevant and thoughtful voices to help you bring out the best in boys. On 24 February, a sold-out audience of parents and staff enjoyed a compelling conversation about the science and character of relationships in schools.

Dr Rob Loe, former teacher, senior leader and leading academic in the measurement and management of human relationships as CEO of the Relationships Foundation, spoke lucidly about why relationships matter and why we don’t understand them as well as we should. In an age obsessed with social networks, he called for schools and families to invest in ‘relational networks’. ‘Relationships are not about how well you like people, but how well you know them,’ and the foundation for flourishing individuals, communities and nations.

How can we build deeper relational networks in schools? Drawing on ground-breaking research with tens of thousands of school students, teachers and parents around the world, he showed the protective impact of good relationships, and how great schools invest seriously in creating belonging. Four key strategies for improving relationships in schools included:

1. Developing students’ awareness of unity over diversity
2. Exploit synchrony, those routines and habits that enculturate, such as uniforms, chapel and assembly
3. Create healthy competition among teams and not individuals
4. Instil in students an awe for something larger than themselves

See below for a full recording of Dr Loe's talk.

Over the past two weeks, the College has been privileged to host eminent Christian scholar, Professor John Stackhouse Jr, Samuel J Mikolaski Professor of Religious Studies and Dean of Faculty Development at Crandall University, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Professor Stackhouse began his visit by speaking to all staff with nuance and grace, about the importance of 'vocation', or 'calling' to 'make shalom' and 'make disciples' in our work as a learning community. He explored this notion of vocation in more depth in seminars with each of the Senior School faculties, helping staff make the connections between what we teach (i.e. the subject), how we teach (i.e. the discipline and the pedagogy) and why we teach (i.e. our worldview and values). He also worked with Prep staff on the nature of the A Fine Scots Boy! The Positive Behavioural Plan and its connections to our Brave Hearts Bold Minds philosophy.

In sharing his own story with students at Senior School Assembly and House Chapels, Professor Stackhouse called for a greater epistemic humility - being aware of what we don't know or might have wrong - and an attention not just to our achievements but to our character. Such themes will be followed up in a special ScotsIdeas forum on 'Being a (Good) Man', this Thursday 27 July at 6:00pm. Professor Stackhouse's visit concludes with keynote addresses on Christian leadership at this weekend's Scots Leadership Program retreat, which involves a cohort of 20 staff, who have successfully won a place in this custom-designed 18 month training program.

It is a privilege to be in a learning community which draws on exceptional thinkers like Professor Stackhouse, reflecting our commitment to being recognised globally as a leading, caring school for boys. We look forward, in Weeks 4 and 5, to welcoming our annual Clark Distinguished Professorial Fellow, Professor David Smith from Calvin College, to speak on 'The World We Think We Live In: Schooling and Christian Imagination'. For more details and to register for the Clark Lecture, please click here: http://www.clarklectures.org/.

"Countries must learn how to capitalise on their citizens' cognitive resources if they are to prosper, both economically and socially. Early interventions will be key."

Quoting a recent publication in Nature, eminent thinker Professor Ian Hickie AM opened our recent ScotsIdeas forum, Beyond Mental Health, with this provocation. As he explored the unique developmental differences between individual young people, and the value and importance of 'kin' - networks of relationships within communities who are invested in that individual's care and flourishing - it was the nature of such interventions that characterised much of his subsequent discussion. As those in attendance will testify, the evening offered an important and timely exchange of ideas about the ways we can best care for the social and emotional wellbeing of our young men.


The video of Professor Hickie's presentation is now available online - please click here to view it in full. It was a true privilege to have such world class thinkers contributing to our knowledge and practice as a College community, particularly as we look to create the first of our five Patribus Centres, focusing on the character and care of fine young men.


Be sure to visit scotsresearch.org/scotsideas to watch videos of past forums on topics ranging from sustainability to speechmaking, sports science to the art of motivating boys. We look forward to seeing you at future ScotsIdeas events in 2017.


Dr Caitlin Munday
Research Fellow (Professional Learning)

By the time you read this, the most remarkable election in American history will have come to an end, and either Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump will be the incoming resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, also known as The White House. But as I write, the world waits nervously for the result, both of the election and its aftermath. To help us understand how this course of events came to be, a large number of boys, parents and members of the Scots community were treated to a masterful explanation of presidential politics at Monday evening's ScotsIdeas on 'The Battle for America and the Future of Politics'. Guest speaker Dr Harry Melkonian, a Scots parent and Lecturer at the United States Studies Centre, gave a fascinating story of how and why Americans have come to elect their leader in the curious way they do.
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From the creation of the colleges of electors at the birth of the Union to the more recent creation of 'super-delegates' in the Democratic Party and the expansion of the 'primaries', Dr Melkonian described how complex American democracy really is. When it came to the two candidates, he discussed their policies and the importance of listening to the questions asked by Mr Trump of America's economy and foreign policy stance, which are often lost in his presentation of them. With extended questions afterwards amidst campaign memorabilia going back to 1964, it really was a superb evening of rich ideas, for which we thank Dr Melkonian.

You can watch the full recording below, and click here to see other ScotsIdeas forums on topics ranging from sustainability to speechmaking, sports science to the art of motivating boys. We look forward to seeing you at ScotsIdeas in 2017.

On Thursday 3 March, The Scots College Research Centre and Faculty of Applied Science hosted a number of fascinating academics at the ScotsIdeas Sustainable Futures Forum, exploring conservation, climate change, corporate citizenship and the cities of the future.

Dr Laurie Marker, Founder and Executive Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, shared her insights into the necessity of rigorous research and collaborative solutions to help prevent the extinction of cheetahs. Dr Marker, who received her doctorate from Oxford and is an Andrew D White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University, has worked with cheetahs since 1974 and lived in Namibia for the past 25 years. She worked with the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo to discover the cheetah's lack of genetic variation and has been recognised by Namibian authorities for her extensive work with local farmers to restore cheetah habitats and develop cheetah-friendly economic opportunities. In 2000 she was named one of Time magazine's Heroes for the Planet.

Dr Marker was joined by Professor Steven Sherwood, ARC Laureate Fellow and Director of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. Professor Sherwood, who researches clouds and their relation to changing climates, described the consequences of continued global warming without radical action, such as Sydney having tropical summers and much of the tropics becoming uninhabitable. He also shared some signs of good news, such as the expansion of renewable energy technologies and the growth of business-led interventions.

These themes were developed by Professor Christopher Wright, who holds a chair in Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School and leads the Balanced Enterprise Research Network. Professor Wright, whose latest book (with Daniel Nyberg) is entitledClimate Change, Capitalism and Corporations: Processes of Creative Self-destruction, spoke on the problematic logic of unrestrained economic growth without regard for the environment. He suggested the need for major regulatory intervention, renewable reinvention and social mobilisation to break 'the sanctity of consumption' and disrupt 'business as usual'.

Responding to these challenges by designing better cities was the focus of Ms Sandy Burgoyne, Director of the Future Cities Collaborative at the United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney. Ms Burgoyne highlighted the need for idea-sharing between local leaders around the world, and the possibilities for greener and more human communities by focusing on holistic strategies rather than piecemeal tactics.

As Dean of Applied Science at The Scots College, Mr Chris Metcalfe, said, "When our boys are empowered to design real solutions to these real and pressing problems, they come up with surprisingly creative ideas. Our task as educators is helping them understand the issues and embrace their responsibility to bring about real change."


Click here to watch a video of these talks and find out more about ScotsIdeas.

On Thursday 12 November, ScotsIdeas, with the Institute for Business and Economics, welcomed Professor Paul Williams, Research Professor of Marketplace Theology and Leadership at Regent College, Vancouver, for a special Business Breakfast on Ethics and Leadership.

Professor Williams trained as an economist at the University of Oxford and worked in economic consulting for several years before undertaking theological training at Regent College. He then returned to the marketplace, working as an economic advisor for major international corporations and government agencies. In his most recent role before coming to Regent College, he served as Chief Economist and Head of International Research for DTZ Holdings, an international real estate consulting and investment banking group headquartered in London, UK. His key clients included JP Morgan, MetLife, Pirelli, Prudential, GE Capital, the Government of Estonia, and the Spanish Social Security Agency. Professor Williams has written numerous articles on Christian faith and the marketplace. His research interests include capitalism and globalization, the theology of public discipleship, marketplace mission, and workplace spirituality. 

Professor Williams addressed such questions as whether markets are moral, how theology has shaped economic thought, and the consequences of the Global Financial Crisis, in a discussion moderated by Economics teacher Mr Stephen Thompson. Professor Williams also met with a number of College staff to further our thinking about the nature of leadership and vocation in a Presbyterian school.