Letter from Viv - Aug. 2011 – Making The Conference

Sit back and listen or make and do?.

2011 CONFERENCE THEMES.

Do you want to sit back and listen or do you want to make things and take actions? Do you think creativity is better than passivity? Which way leads to great learning?

These are the key themes of the 2011 Big Picture Education Conference.

We think Big Picture is inherently active and creative. Do you?

Do you want to see how others make learning active? Do you want to share how you make Big Picture learning?

Join us at the 2011 Big Picture Conference in Melbourne in October.

Conference Ingredients

Here are some of the ingredients that'll help us make this conference.

Elliot Washor on Deeper Learning through Making and Performing

Eliot Washor, from Big Picture Learning in the US and Charles Mojkowski, are doing a lot of work on the great benefits of active learning.

‘Making is making a comeback', they say. ‘There is an essential role for crafting, building and invention using the hand and the mind as an integral part of the learning for all learners.'

Elliot will be addressing themes like:

  • Making is Connecting

  • Fluency

  • The Role of Play

  • Fabrication

  • The Competency Wheel

Elliot will be discussing how active learning is also deep learning and how schools can change to encourage deep learning.

John Hogan on Mathematics, Numeracy and Quantative Reasoning

Many people identify encouraging Quantative Reasoning skills and measuring their adoption as one of the key Big Picture issues.

John Hogan, from Big Picture Education Australia, has been thinking a lot about it and will lead some thinking about the relationships of mathematics, numeracy and Quantative Reasoning.

Does QR add up? How can we maximise its power?

John asks, ‘What sense can we make of these things? What sense can we make of these things in our schools? What sense can we help our students develop? How might we go about exploring
these questions and finding solutions?'

Join us to make our collective knowledge and skills better.

Mark Thomson on Tinkering

People are rediscovering the joy of making and tinkering. Mark Thomson from the Institute of Backyard Studies will be guiding the conference to learn and to make.

Mark writes, ‘The first generation that grew up entirely immersed in the digital online realm are now combining the benefits of the internet's social and information structure with the more
traditional pastimes such as knitting, dismantling household appliances and adapting bicycles.

But unlike the older generation of makers, there is a subtle distinction from DIY (Do It Yourself) to DIT (Do It Together).'

Join us to find out more and develop your skills.

Big Picture Specialist Skills Workshops

The conference will host and moderate Big Picture Specialist Workshops on topics such as:

  • Internships
  • Advisories
  • Personalisation
  • One Student At A Time
  • Rigour and more.

Student Tinkering.

Attend the conference and join in tinkering programs.

We'll set some challenges like ‘Explain weather by making some' or ‘Generate electricity from fun' and many others. Young people will work with adults on serious fun.

We hope to show that ‘making is uncertain'.

Extra Ingredients

We'll also publically celebrate where we've got to since our last conference.

You'll meet the students and the advisors and mentors who are making Big Picture happen.

You'll also meet the supporters who think we are on to something and are willing to back us all. It's time to celebrate and gives thanks.

Join us and make this conference a success.

Some Details

When: October 19th-21st
Where: Substation at 1 Market Street, Newport 3015 Victoria
Cost: $300 per adult, free for students.

More information:
Cathy Danaher
Business Development Manager
Big Picture Education Australia (BPEA)
P.O. Box 836 Williamstown 3016
Phone (03) 9399 1000
Email: cathy.danaher@bigpicture.org.au

Registrations:
Sara Wickert
Email: sara.wickert@bigpicture.org.au