Creativity and Innovation

“a (study)visit starts when it’s over” Jacques Verheijke

European Platform Advies & Training

Organising and leading international studyvisits

Creativity and Innovation “There are 75 all together: 25 Dutch and 50 people from…”

And, in the draft programme:“Saturday 10.45 am: project work or last minute partner finding..”

Exciting days in The Netherlands!

What’s our identity? Or should I ask to our guests from abroad: Did you discover you’re Dutch colleagues? In what way did you learn to know them?

And to you dear colleagues of The Netherlands; Are we creative? Are we innovative thinkers?

Yes? No?Dear guests: Please notice there is a world behind our tulips and wooden shoes

Some of our educators say it’s a world of lineair and rule steered thinking

Creativity and Innovation Our educational policy: rule steered

Well what’s wrong with it? -Rules are nice. -They offer a safe and predictable way of educating. -Class teaching, books and methods, timetables, teachers are teaching, principals are managing. What’s wrong with it?

And yes, there are developments in new directions; but in general still our system is rule steered. With management structures going top-down and responsabilities taken from principals by their governing boards

It influences our ways of thinking and acting.

You also can discover it in our culture, our landscape..Look to the next examples

Creativity and Innovation One of our most famous painters was influenced by living in this country. His name was Piet Mondriaan

Creativity and Innovation Look what happened with Mondriaans paintings:

Creativity and Innovation A country influences your way of thinking, acting…..look to the meadows.

From natural shapes to rectangles, lines

Creativity and Innovation Our thoughts about education, now and in the future, how were they developed? Notice Peter Senge’s Fifth Discipline and Schools that learn: (schools- Industrial Age)

Your thought’s about education; how have they been developed?

Did you find inspiration by yourself? From colleagues? From others? How come?

Why is that particular situation inspiring you while the other situation causes a lot of sleep?

Because YOU are YOU

Creativity and Innovation You are in search for inspiration and YES, you have made a good choice in visiting our country! We are busy developing creative and innovative ways of thinking about education.

-We are transforming traditional schools into community schools. Teachers, childcare workers, leisuretimeworkers and others –working at different organisations- create very innovative buildings that seems to belong to one organisation:

Creativity and Innovation More and more we “think inclusive”; children with special needs should be pupils at regular schools. You’re right. In a lot of your countries that development is far ahead…but for us it’s a big step

Creativity and Innovation And…..our teachers, special educational needs coordinators and principals are learning abroad.

They have their studyvisits to

Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungaria, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxemburg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and The United Kingdom

And they even go to America, Australia, Africa….

I am organising a lot of studyvisits to different countries all over the world

I show you some examples Dutch colleaugues experienced and were inspired by it….

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Sweden; we studied the educational system and discovered various ways of taking care for the well beiing of children

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Sweden: we discovered marvelous ways of pedagogical thinking and acting

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Finland; looking at educational results:the TOP

looking at accountabitily,responsability

and quality: super!

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San Francisco; instructional leadership; very inspiring ways of leading an organisation

Creativity and Innovation

San Francisco; super-colleagues

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San Francisco; no child left behind

Creativity and Innovation

Australia: Innovative ways of innovating education

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Australia: children can learn themselves!

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Australia: new ways of organising; creating rich learning environments for children

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Australia: storyboard telling

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Curaçao; the Dutch Antilles; we study their culture and educationial development

Creativity and Innovation Buttttttt; how do you avoid copying the things you see ?how do you take with you your inspiration ? how are you able to translate the things you have seen to your own practice?

how do I try to give my Dutch colleagues (joining the studyvisits) a tool to gain maximum result out of their visit ?

That piece of tool is very simple, a child can play with it….

Creativity and Innovation Start of the visit End At home; real start of the visit

THEEMES

FROM BROAD IMPRESSIONS AND INSPRIRATION TO THEMES

FROM THEMES TO YOUR DAILY PRACTICE; CREATION, INNOVATION

Creativity and Innovation I show you one example:

San Francisco, California

- educational legislation grows every year

- a lot of new rules

- control

- no results: sanctions!

Creativity and Innovation And here is Glen, superintendant of a schooldistrict

He showed us, me and a group of colleagues that joined me:-don’t fight against the rules-Concentrate on your own strengths, learn to know them-Detect all the space between and behind the legislation and the rules-And: develop yourself and your schoolorganisation-Enjoy! Believe in it!

- Glen and all his colleagues have shown us: passion

Creativity and Innovation “Don’t fight against rules, work out of passion” is a theme you can take with you.

I did

Since my first visit to San Francisco it has inspired me in a lot of ways!

I have grown in my personal development

Our organisation has grown

And it’s marvellous to see how that theme, years after our visit, still is alive

So: going home, working in partnership with colleagues from abroad, maybe linked to this studyvisit or a visit in the future:

Remember the diabolo! Don’t copy the things you see; get theme’s out of it!

Creativity and Innovation And now I must confess something; Mondriaan was inspired by international visits…

Creativity and Innovation At the end of these days on behalf of the organisation I ask you:

Please, please, tell at home: you haven’t seen one wooden shoe, you haven’t seen one tulip in The Netherlands. Help us to get rid of our very, very traditional image.

•We have mindmapping, •we can use theater as a developmental instrument, •we promote e-twinning, •we know and show the needs of 21st century learners, •we organise cooking workshops, let you dance salsa

•we offered you two hours of sparetime ;-) in the programme

So please, please, help us dear colleagues to let everyone in your country to forget these objects:

Creativity and Innovation Tell about new idea’s, inspirationTell about the discussions, the meetings during these daysTell about colleagues from other countries; their storiesTell about a project you are going to start togetherTell about a simple tool, the diaboloTell about the themesTell about the translation of inspiration to creation and innovation

And think of someone who likes to visit you at your work, together with Dutch colleagues

Thank youHave a pleasant journeyHope to meet again!

Jacques VerheijkeOnderwijsadviseur Internationale studiereizenOrganisatie en begeleiding studiereizen

j.m.verheijke@wxs.nl+31626018883