To help students understand what trial and error might mean, a lot of initial efforts have centred on how teachers and leaders at the school might act in a more ‘trial and error’ way. So, where traditionally, instigating outdoor learning might have required a full year of policy assertions, professional development and meeting after meet- ing, we’ve already made a small outdoor class- room prototype for Kindergarten kids. The result is simple: they go outside to learn a lot more.

In fact, making better use of staff meetings helps develop an ongoing sense of what small steps peo- ple are trying out, and offers more chance of col- laborating to bring the small parts together. Thursday’s “Drip Drip” Professional Learning meetings are short and to the point: no-one pre- sents more than seven minutes on an area of teaching or learning to which they are making a change.

“We learn a little bit more from our peers,” explains Marina, “and as a result we develop a common understanding of what’s going on. We’re always saying ‘I never get to hear what other people are doing, or what Kath is doing in maths, or what they’re doing in learning support. I hear these great things but I don’t know what it is, and how to do it myself.’ Now, with this collective time guaranteed every week, we have informal sharing which leads to some great peer learning throughout the week.”

“The literacy coach has gone to work with the early years, the drama teacher works alongside the Mandarin teachers, the literature teacher has worked in the early years. It’s a prototype practice – only a half hour long – but it gives every member of our staff something new, every week.”