Networking in an international community of educators

I would like to expand the parameters of this topic. Without doubt, networking with other educators – locally, nationally and internationally – has intrinsic value. I will address the benefits of this collaborative mode, providing examples of how it has worked well in my experience. However, I also believe that networking with other stakeholders to the system warrants consideration we do not normally see or act upon.

Networking with other educators

These conferences are one constructive example of international networking amongst educators. Over the years, a community of educators has been created, albeit virtually, based around these events. While we clearly come from different jurisdictions, and experience varied political and financial pressures – and decisions – at different times, I doubt if any regular ‘attendees’ would dispute the positive benefits of comparing notes on a regular and consistent schedule. After all, the learners are all learners, regardless of physical location – and, while some conditions founded on culture may vary, the essentials of our shared experience remain intact and transferable.

To be more specific, in terms of my personal experience, for the past three decades I have been a teacher and career program coordinator at Highland Secondary School. Highland Secondary is a public secondary school, located in Comox, British Columbia, Canada. (For those who are curious about the exact location, try looking at the large island on Canada’s far left coast – then trace the right hand side of the island about half-way up from the provincial capitol of Victoria. If you have Google Earth, type in 49-41-19-63 North by 124-54-55-95 West.)  Be that as it may, Highland Secondary is a co-educational school that has varied in population, over the years, between 750 and 1000 students – and has been configured as everything from grades/years 8- 12 to grades 10-12, depending upon the existing current political and financial circumstances. At present, it is grade 10-12, but will open in September, for the next school year, as an 8-12.

Regardless of configuration, there are long-standing historical experiences of networking with other local teachers. Appropriate faculty frequently collaborate with other secondary schools in this area: sharing professional development opportunities, as well as more concrete experiences. English and Social Studies teachers regularly assist each other to prepare learners for examinations by holding ‘joint sessions’ where standardised papers are marked, thus ensuring consistency of assessment and standards. Other faculties also hold cross-school meetings to share ideas, compare resources, and, yes, commiserate – to the benefit of all concerned.

As an individual, my experience of networking with educators always has been more provincial, national and international. With my English and Social Studies hat on, I have spent many years working with others, province-wide, in the implementation of curriculum, resources and examinations. Switching to my tourism hat, we have developed over the years an effective provincial body designed to update curriculum, in a fast-changing field and, with it, resource renewal and the mentoring of new – younger—teachers of tourism. Moreover, roughly a decade ago, I helped to pilot a national project along similar lines. The premise being that there is no unique ‘BC way’ of teaching tourism, any more than there is for teaching English, or maths, or any of a dozen other disciplines. Interestingly, because national collaboration and networking was a novel concept at the time, one of the biggest challenges we faced was one of terminology and bureaucracy. For example, who knew that in the province of Ontario the local superintendent of instruction was subordinate to the director of instruction, whereas in the province of BC it was the inverse pecking order? Once these minor anomalies were understood and overcome, we extended the project into the international arena – partnering, in due course, with nine other countries, including , among others, Australia , Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. One upshot of this latter project was a student conference, here in Comox, where students from various countries joined their teachers in an intensive networking event where friendships and even business connections were formed that continue to this day.

All of which are extremely valuable experiences for all concerned.

But the most effective networking of all emerged, over the years, as other stakeholders to the system were included into these loops.

Networking with other stakeholders

In my roles as teacher of tourism and career program coordinator – where for more than two decades I have been responsible for developing and implementing community-based work experiences, apprenticeships and fast track/dual credit college entry programs – I learned early on that the business owners and employers are, more often than not, parents of our students, as well. This minor epiphany led me to explore the possibility that, as parents, they may be prepared to assist in the process of educating our students.

And found they were, in fact, enthusiastic supporters in many projects and ventures. Both while their own children were still in the system and for long after their children had graduated. Hardly has a year gone by when I have not addressed the local Rotary, Chamber of Commerce and other similar groups, always with extremely productive results. In due course, whole functioning networks, both informal and formal, have sprung up to aid with the community based—and ongoing – education of our students.
Formally, a local industry advisory group, consisting of local employers and other stakeholders from a specific sector can be an immeasurable asset. They find colleagues to offer work experience placements, organise used equipment and other resources for the school and often apply concerted persuasion techniques to decision-makers. Not to mention supplying some of the most fertile ideas for new programs and extensions of those already in existence. Put bluntly, I would not now consider a developing and implementing a program without a local industry advisory group in place and functioning from the outset. At the very least, this prevents the creation of programs that seem valuable from the perspective of educators but prove to be of little or no practicable value to students – and, in fact, frequently divert financial and staffing resources from other, more useful program areas.

Provincially, and nationally, such sectoral representative groups serve similar, and often even more effective, purposes. They, believe it or not, tend to serve as ‘educators’ themselves – actively preparing  government to make appropriate policy decisions and their own colleagues for the necessary work of mentoring students into smooth transitions from schools into the mainstream economy.
Such groups, therefore, both locally and on a broader landscape, tend to be fiscally responsible – since they invariably serve as volunteers – effective – since they have the ‘ear’ of decision makers – and inherently enthusiastic – since they are pleased to be part of the process on a practical, hands-on basis. I know this seems a radical suggestion. Many of my own colleagues require convincing, at first, of the usefulness of this approach. I will say, only to aware of the irony, that the ‘working’ classroom teachers frequently see the importance of these groups and individuals before many of those granted authority to make decisions within the system. Until, all too often, the latter are the recipients of the persuasion of the employers – whether in a group or as individual. As a teacher, I see this, as much as anything, as just cause to spend the time and energy needed to network with the ‘business community’ .
In summary, I would go so far as to say that, contrary to the traditional ‘line’, employers are not the natural ‘enemies’ of the education system – they are the natural ‘allies’.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr Bob Thompson is in his fourth decade as a professional in the tourism sector, in Comox, British Columbia (BC), Canada. He held his first management post at the age of 18, starting at a small seasonal resort on the BC coast. For the past 25 years, Mr Thompson has been a tourism sector educator and trainer. He has piloted numerous education and training projects, and his resources are in use internationally. He has worked with learners in Canada, the UK, Australia, Chile and China. During this time, his accomplishments have been recognised by such organisations as the Conference Board Of Canada and Canadian Tourism Commission. Mr Thompson has his MA from Royal Roads University, in Organisational Learning and Leadership, with a specialty in blending online and face-to-face learning. He is currently undertaking his PhD candidacy in a similar specialty to advance his own learning. He is also is a critically-acclaimed author, with several novels and short stories to his credit. The rest you will have to learn for yourself, in accordance with his firm belief in learner-centred experiential education.

 

Go to top of page     Go to online discussion