Are you looking to the future, or stuck with your eyes on the rear view mirror? #LeadersinLearning @Stephen_H
Just two schools:
Northern Beaches Christian School, Sydney + Col.legi Montserrat, Barcelona
One conference: Leaders in Learning: Accelerating Change Conference
2-3 October 2014
90 participants: Australia, UK, Denmark, Sweden and, of course, Spain
Passionate educators, architects, designers and service providers
Two languages – Spanish and English
The skill of the simultaneous translators made for seamless dialogue and communication. They were amazing, “simultaneous” input in one language and then output in another. How did they do that?
We discovered that English has 30% more words than Spanish, so when we spoke fast it was a challenge.
Col.legi Montserrat in the hills above Barcelona 
The setting of the conference, at Col.legi Montserrat, in the hills above Barcelona, looking out toward the city and the Mediterranean Sea. Down in Barcelona it was about 28 degrees, much hotter than many of us had anticipated, yet as we enjoyed our breaks on the terrace, the cooling breeze prevailed.
Col.legi Montserrat is a school where active learning is evident all around. Students are engaged, writing, talking, discussing and sharing ideas.
Accelerating change
It was essential to us that the conference program was consistent with our philosophy for learning – open, active, action-focused. It recognized that the “expert input” 
was inspiring and a catalyst for dialogue and connection. Participants were encouraged to take the ideas and form questions, to develop ideas and take action.
We heard from
- Stephen Harris from Northern Beaches Christian School – a call to action for change
- Mother Montserrat the congregational leader for the order at Col.legi Montserrat – implementing a design-thinking approach to embedding change
- Dr Becky Parker and Dr Matthew Baxter from Simon Langton Grammar School – A case study on a school as a centre for scientific research
- Anne Knock from Sydney Centre for Innovation in Learning – rethinking professional learning
Not just a talk-fest…
a call to action
There was fun, music, laughter and drama. Friends were made connections strengthened. Most importantly, we felt like there was a movement for grassroots change, a gathering of a critical group of international influencers to grow and make a difference.
Where to next?
Our plan is that Leaders in Learning becomes a nexus for change makers, that we reconvene the idea in Australia in 2015. Stay tuned.
