Sohail Inayatullah and Ed Roper
This case study uses scenarios to explore the futures of Brisbane Grammar School. In particular, the implications of COVID-19 on teaching and learning are articulated. Four futures are presented: (1) The Migrating Geese. In this future, everyone is connected; people take turns at the front, helping to lead others. Those ahead help those who are tired or need support. (2) Let’s Get Flexible. In this future, online and physical environments are seamlessly connected. (3) Wellbeing. In this future, a culture of wellness is paramount. Learning is personalized, collaboration is encouraged, and adaptability ensures the capacity for variation. (4) The Storm Warning. In this future, the School anticipates years of financial hardship in the world. It focuses on minimizing despair and implementing structural changes to prevent the worst. Next steps include flexibility in a number of areas: courses students are offered, administrative and teaching structures, workspaces, and the deeper culture of the school.
Used Futures and Alternatives
How will Brisbane Grammar School eventually emerge from the COVID-19 crisis? What aspects of new systems and activities should the School keep after the all clear signal? What innovations can be kept so as to easily segue to a new educational system? What opportunities for new perspectives are provided by the COVID-19 challenge?
These and other questions were used in a Futures strategy session (Inayatullah, 2020) that included staff and the leadership team. This was the second stage in using the future to develop a long term evolutionary strategy for the School. Earlier in January 2020, staff and the Board met to imagine and create innovative futures.
Foresight at this historical Australian school is not without precedence. Established in 1868 with Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh, laying the foundation stone, in the last 152 years the school has “consistently anticipated educational needs” (www.brisbanegrammar.com/welcome/history). It has done so by, for example, “providing a resource library and language laboratory in 1968, before Commonwealth finding made them standard school facilities” (www.brisbanegrammar.com/welcome/history).
Image with permission from Brisbane Grammar School
However, with historical institutions, even when innovation is the goal, it is critical to challenge tradition and consider alternative futures, new ways of being and doing. At the January meeting, staff identified the following as used futures – practices that no longer aligned with the vision or the changing world – and offered alternatives. The used futures were in the areas of rankings, timetables, gender, and structures.
(1) A focus on traditional rankings such as the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank instead of more holistic measures of success that included physical and mental wellbeing and contribution to the community;
(2) Existing timetables and associated school structures, including starting times, finishing times and direct face to face contact hours instead of a more flexible learning hours – time and place;
(3) The school as a single-sex boys’ school instead of co-educational; and,
(4) Siloed structures and demarcation of roles among staff in different areas of school instead of a focus on more shared experiences and understandings across teaching and non-teaching staff.
As well, participants understood while the school had a remarkable past it needed to not just honor its memories, but to imagine its future history, and create its future treasures.
To this end, they imagined:
(1) A change in the nature and structure of curriculum.
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- A move away from traditional structures of only having one set time and place for the delivery of curriculum
- Changes in subject offerings – a loss of the demarcation between different subjects and disciplines
- A move to more responsive, customized learning that is linked to real world tasks, skills and problem-solving
- A shift away from age-based structures for progression through year levels
(2) The impact of technology on education and learning:
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- Opportunities for remote and asynchronous learning – increased flexibility beyond the existing timetable structures
- The opportunity to use AI to free up teachers from administrative tasks and allow them to focus more on student relationships, customized interventions with students, and professional development of greater expertise
- Threats to the role and work of teachers if teachers are purely seen as ‘holders and communicators of knowledge’ (Google and the internet will be superior at this)
- Threats to the role of critical thinking if students develop an over-reliance on the use of technology, rather than a mastery of how to use it to enhance their understanding of issues
(3) The rise of alternative providers of education including:
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- Google University or other tech companies entering the education market
- The rise of global schools with strong brands and international schools entering the Australian market with online offerings
- Alternative schooling – the rise of non-qualified teachers in offering education alternatives to teach students
(4) Social and economic changes including:
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- A major economic downturn (recession or depression) that results in a loss of revenue and changed priorities (both for BGS and members of the community)
- Changes to the definition of gender and community pressures to provide coeducational experiences
Based on an assessment of the disruptions ahead and used futures that needed to change, participants concluded that five areas of current strength needed to be enhanced. These were:
(1) Broad liberal education (with a focus on the adaptability of learners and the ability to apply a broad range of thinking skills to specific, contextualized problems);
(2) Learning that emphasizes effective thinking (with a focus on learnings who possess a range of thinking skills instead of holders of knowledge);
(3) Pedagogical excellence (and therefore pedagogical improvement and allocating time for the professional development of teachers);
(4) Transdisciplinary learning; and
(5) Student well-being.
All this was in the context of maintaining the core values of learning, leadership, community, endeavor, and respect, irrespective of which future eventuated.
While the January workshop initiated the future literacy process, the uncertainty created by COVID-19 suggested that it would be wise to revisit and assess the recommendations from earlier in the year.
COVID-19 Scenarios
In this May workshop, specifically four scenarios developed from the literature on COVID-19 were used to frame emergent futures. Collectively, participants thought through each of the scenarios to gain an understanding of what is valued and seen as elements of preferred futures which will emerge from what the staff have experienced and observed during the COVID-19 lock-down.
These scenarios were: the Zombie Apocalypse, the Needed Pause to Speed Up, the Global Health Awakening, and the Great Despair (Inayatullah and Black, 2020).
1. Zombie Apocalypse or Migrating Geese?
The zombie apocalypse is a world where danger is everywhere. Systems fall apart and trust sinks to new lows. No one quite knows who is dangerous. Discrimination is the normal. In this future, participants suggested that creating a trusting and inclusive place would be paramount. Those at the back needed to be protected. Trust would differentiate us from others. It was also crucial to remind all that in its 152 years, this was the School’s second pandemic, and that the School would survive. Clear messaging was essential. As they suggested, “keep it positive and forward thinking.” As the system veered into chaos, unity was everything – we are all on the same team. The metaphor that was suggested was that of the “migrating geese.” In this narrative, everyone is connected; people take turns at the front, helping to lead others. Those ahead help those who are tired or need support.
Artistic Images by Charmaine Sevil – charmaine@sevilco.com.au
2. Slow down to speed up to the Theraband – Let’s Get Flexible
The second scenario was the slowdown that leads to the speed up. We slow down this year from business-as-usual activities – meditation, sleep, family time, connections, wellbeing – but next year return back to the old normal. Nothing really changes, after the vaccine is found.
Participants in this future suggested that flexibility would be foundational. This was the most important learning during the lockdown period. Creating learning that honors the sleep schedules of teenagers was considered crucial. Their tag line was “let’s get flexible” with the operating metaphor that of the Theraband. The School needed to keep the online and virtual environment along with the physical. A working hybrid teaching system was the goal.
Artistic Images by Charmaine Sevil – charmaine@sevilco.com.au
3. The Needed Pause to Wellbeing
In the third scenario, the slowdown leads to an awakening. Much of what changed is kept – slower time, greater connection, virtual conferences, and a cleaner Earth. Participants suggested that in the pause that transforms, it was wellbeing that would be first. Courses need to ask the question of how the wellbeing of students and staff would improve. It would be an opportunity to enhance learning, living and community.
Artistic Images by Charmaine Sevil – charmaine@sevilco.com.au
In this future, four dimensions would be crucial:
- The culture of wellbeing would be paramount
- Flexibility – develop the capacity for variation
- Collaboration – retain new capacities for collaboration and this process to build a sense of community
- Personalize learning – develop pathways to enhance this through engagement
However, personalization does not, nor should it, mean a loss of community.
Image with permission from Brisbane Grammar School.
At the systemic level, as in the January workshop, they recommended four changes. These were:
- Changing the school day structures (age-related sleep optimization)
- Enhanced flexibility. This would mean reconsidering the timetable for greater flexibility
- This was not just for students, but flexible work structures for staff.
- Communication – developing reporting options
4. The Great Despair to the Storm Warning
In the last scenario, the pandemic leads to the Great Despair. Vaccines fail and cures do not arrive. The world is divided into castles and walls. Participants in this future did not focus on how to prevent this future, but how to create structural systems to anticipate and create best practices in this tough environment. The storm warning was suggested, as this was a way to prevent a flooding disaster. Finding zones of control, activities that students and staff could do would help minimize despair. They reasoned that if the School could not stop the turmoil ahead, they could prepare the boys, staff, and the School for this difficult future. They needed to be on top of a number of key issues, including financial hardship and mental health issues of students and staff.
Artistic Images by Charmaine Sevil – charmaine@sevilco.com.au
Priorities
While these scenarios certainly helped prepare leaders for alternatives, the next question staff considered was what should our priorities be? What next? It was suggested that they now needed to widen the net and gain feedback from other staff as they navigated the opportunities for new perspectives provided by the COVID-19 challenge. Indeed, this was now phase two in the futures learning process. Phase one as mentioned above occurred in January 2020 when over 150 staff members engaged in a future workshop. Considering both workshops, the key themes are:
- Offering greater flexibility to staff to facilitate more flexible offerings for students
- Flexible arrangements to meet organizational needs (e.g. retain talent, timetable flexibility, more diverse offering to students, more efficient use of on-campus resources) and the needs of staff.
- More flexible workspaces: better design of office spaces and spaces that can be also used by staff to collaborate
- Wellbeing – as the group commented: “Greater focus on student and staff wellbeing”.
Image with permission from Brisbane Grammar School
Along with well-being, participants suggested that trust was crucial in any futures enterprise. Trust would allow and create the basis for the flexibility. This was a wonderful idea in January but with the spread of COVID-19, it moved to a foundational way forward.
The Adaptable Roadmap
Next steps include developing a road map of how the entire school and stakeholders can go on the journey together. Three parts of this road map are crucial.
First, keeping in mind these priorities and the real experiences that teachers and students had during the home-based learning phase, the School has reviewed the plans for its next building project to ensure this facility supports flexibility, collaboration and customized learning for both students and teachers.
Second, the School is also preparing a Digital Innovation Strategy, which will support the whole community’s transition to a richer teaching and learning environment enhanced by new and innovative technologies.
Third, and finally, the School’s focus on staff and student wellbeing has been sharpened to support all as it continues to negotiate the effects of the continuing pandemic.
In conclusion, COVID-19 has not dramatically altered the direction for the School as the January workshop prepared the school well for disruptive futures. Indeed, the priorities that were desired months ago have transformed from visions of 2030 to possible futures in 2021.
This was because in preparing for the prolonged period of home-based learning, School leaders have thought carefully about the implications for teaching and learning and a number of adjustments have been made. Included in these were variations to the timetable to increase the length of lessons and the addition of a “consolidation” lesson each day during which students could request individual consolidation consultations with teachers. With the return to on-site teaching and learning a number of these pandemic related changes are now part of the roadmap for the future with various flexible timetable options being explored.
The future at Brisbane Grammar School remains an iterative learning journey.
Image with permission from Brisbane Grammar School
About the authors:
Sohail Inayatullah. Inaugural UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies. Professor, Tamkang University and Researcher, Metafuture.org. sinayatullah@gmail.com
Ed Roper is the Deputy Headmaster – Staff at Brisbane Grammar School. Ed.ROPER@brisbanegrammar.com
References:
Brisbane Grammar School. (n.d). https://www.brisbanegrammar.com/welcome/history. Accessed 14 July 2020.
Inayatullah, Sohail (2020). Co-Creating Educational Futures. UNESCO Working Paper Series. Paris: UNESCO.
Inayatullah, Sohail and Black, Peter (2020). Neither Black Swan nor a Zombie Apocalypse. Journal of Futures Studies. https://jfsdigital.org/2020/03/18/neither-a-black-swan-nor-a-zombie-apocalypse-the-futures-of-a-world-with-the-covid-19-coronavirus/
