*Featured image captured by a student at Chilton Bridge School
Embracing innovation is often challenging, as it involves doing things differently- and this is not always easy. One of the reasons for this difficulty is encapsulated in an episode of the television show Candid Camera from 1962 called “Face the Rear”. In this episode, four actors are instructed to follow an unsuspecting subject into a lift and face the back wall. The camera focuses on the subject, who gradually becomes visibly uncomfortable about the fact that he is the only one facing forward towards the door and, feeling the pressure to conform, slowly turns towards the rear of the lift in order to match the behaviour of the others, despite the fact that this clearly makes little sense. This scenario is repeated multiple times with different subjects, all of whom eventually conform with the behaviour of the actors.
This episode was inspired by the research of Solomon Asch, a social psychologist whose studies in the 1950s and 60s focus on the effects of suggestibility and group conformity on human behaviour. In one notable experiment, eight individuals- seven actors and the subject of the experiment- were asked to compare the length of lines on two sheets of paper, one of which contained one line and the other three. On the second sheet, one of the lines was obviously shorter and one clearly longer than the line on the first sheet, with the third being the same length. Each participant was then asked which line from the second sheet matched the length of the line on the first. In the first set of trials, the actors gave the correct answer and the subject, going last, agreed. In the second set, the actors gave the obviously wrong answer and the subject, following their lead, concurred by giving the incorrect response 75% of the time, showing the power of group conformity in human behaviour.
Even more interesting, when just one of the actors deviated from giving the incorrect answer, the subject only followed the group response and gave the incorrect answer in less than 10% of cases.
These experiments demonstrate the powerful effects of group dynamics on decision making and how being different and keeping true to one’s own beliefs are facilitated by an awareness that others share one’s views.
This is why Spaghetti Bridge works to create connections with those who are dedicated to rethinking education through putting students at the centre of our approach to learning. In this process, we are discovering that, slowly, the centre of the conversation around the future of education is shifting. One of those driving this change is Dr. Sue Roffey and Spaghetti Bridge is excited to share that she has asked us to contribute to her latest book, Aspire to Wellbeing in for All in Secondary Settings, due to be published in August 2024, as an example of her principles of education for the 21st century in practice.
Dr. Roffey is an accomplished psychologist, academic, writer and educator. She is an honorary professor at University College and the Director of Growing Great Schools Worldwide. Her work is rooted in advocacy for all children and young people, including the disadvantaged and those with special needs, as well as the professionals who support them. This includes a focus on reimagining an approach to education that champions social and emotional learning, positive pedagogical approaches, and preparing students for the world of the 21st century.
Her upcoming book provides an overview of how her extensive research can be put into practice by school professionals so that every student “can develop confidence, resilience, love of learning, a positive sense of self and healthy relationships”. Rather than being seen as something supplementary or separate that is added to the periphery of learning, Dr. Roffey advocates for wellbeing to be integrated into the heart of education.
Her work shows how her ASPIRE principles (Agency, Safety, Positive, Inclusion, Respect and Equity) enable students to flourish in school and beyond. In addition, she emphasises that wellbeing is a key component in the construction of a thriving school community for all members, including educators, in a truly inclusive approach to what we mean by education.
It is just this sort of thinking that inspires us at Spaghetti Bridge to think differently about our approach to education and has provided a sense of shared purpose in shaping our vision for what schools should be. Reading Dr. Roffey’s work, there is much that resonates with the Spaghetti Bridge Enterprise Learning approach. We too see student and staff wellbeing as essential to creating a flourishing school environment. Spaghetti Bridge schools are purposely designed learning communities, where both staff and students are supported to learn, develop and achieve their full potential. This approach not only facilitates personal and professional development, but also empowers individuals to realise their ability to make a positive impact on their community and world.
Frequently, educational leaders advocate for heightened ambition within schools. However, there is a concern that this ambition is overly focused on cognitive achievements and neglects the broader developmental needs of the whole person. Enterprise Learning means more than cognitive development and that each individual has the right to become lifelong learners, connect to their communities and be emotionally, physically and spiritually healthy and well.
Sometimes what is most radical and different is also on some level quite obvious; it is just our impulse to conform that prevents us from seeing it. Spaghetti Bridge finds common cause with Dr. Roffey in stressing the importance of ensuring that every child is heard and made to feel that they really matter. The conversation around the future of education needs to move more to include a focus on student agency and voice, individual and communal wellbeing, and a sense of inclusion, belonging and purpose, and how these are essential for achieving the outcomes that will enable all students to thrive in the world of the future. We see this drive to innovation and doing things differently in Dr. Roffey’s work and it is a passion we share. As a result, being different and not conforming to the status quo is made just a little bit easier.
