“What’s next?” Pioneering Innovation through Impactful Education

This is the fourth feature in the #VoicesofEiM series.

Rebecca moved to Shanghai in 2007, as she puts it humorously, "Before the rise of [social media] WeChat." Over the years, she has witnessed Shanghai transform dramatically, which reflects her belief in constant innovation and evolution. "Shanghai is my second home," she states, speaking to her deep-rooted connection to the city.

Rebecca grew up in a small city, "in the far northeast coast of Australia in the tropics, but also with an international outlook." With her hometown closer to major Asia-Pacific destinations than to Melbourne, "The lifestyle there was always exposed to what's happening in the world, so I always had that global outlook in my family."

Prior to her career in academics, "I had a life before education, in business. I've always been in a suit," she laughs. Her dual background in the business and education worlds and strong focus on intellectual curiosity, global engagement and meaningful development led her to be an advocate for the International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes, which she describes as aligning perfectly with her project-based, problem-solving approach to life.

Starting off her Shanghai-based career at famed bilingual schools in the city, joining Dehong in 2020 was a natural fit for her. Now entering her fifth year with the school, she reflects on helping to establish the high school, which at the time did not exist and had students slowly moving up from the middle school.

"We had a building, we had a logo and a small first cohort coming through. You knew straight away that you were having a direct hand in building a school and building community," she recalls. This 'start up mindset', as Rebecca calls it, has continued to shape her dual-track approach to her role as Deputy Head – that of building for the future while bringing a passion for excellence to the present. She says of her strong relationship with the parent community, "You now look around and see that we've got this huge campus, a thousand students and we're growing future pathways. While we're building for the future, we are also dealing with the present. For our parents, their child is at school now, and we need to make sure that every child is getting what they need right now."

A huge component of Rebecca's day-to-day work involves leading academic teams in the middle and high schools and working collaboratively with the Pastoral team. One of Rebecca's core beliefs is that authentic leadership is essential for building trust and encouraging collaboration. 

In her view, effective leaders must be aware of their unique strengths and limitations. "You can't be someone else," she emphasises, underscoring the importance of embracing one's own identity as a leader. "I really feel in my time here that I've been allowed to stay true to myself, and that we respect authenticity."

She also credits the EiM pillar of 'one family of schools' for the professional development opportunities available on her leadership journey. An important factor in leadership is self-reflection, which she says is facilitated at every level of professional development within the group: "They give you so many opportunities that centre on self-reflection and inward-looking exploration for the purpose of meaningful development. That's been different to other places. I've learnt more about myself as a leader here than anywhere else. In terms of genuine personal professional development, that inward-looking approach is a key characteristic."

She returns to the work ethic that led her to Dehong, and how she remembers to celebrate her successes, "It's a bit like start-up coaching. You need to acknowledge those startup characteristics, savour the entrepreneurial spirit and ground yourself in recognizing achievements and celebrating successes along the way. It is always a great success when you get to sit there and applaud the students, such as during graduation – you look at your peers, your teammates, and you just go, 'Wow, we built a school community.' Nearly on a weekly basis, we find ourselves having that success celebration, appreciating our team, saying, 'Look at what we've accomplished together.'"

As one of the pillars of Dehong and EiM, "students come first" has been at the heart of everything the school does. She describes it as a 'grounding' force for the entire community.

When leadership makes decisions, involving school stakeholders from parents to the community, this foundation has been essential for developing actionable plans, particularly when there are multiple perspectives and options in the process.

"The 'students first' philosophy just pulls you back, and we say, yes, we've considered all these viewpoints, but what do we need in terms of 'students first'? It is a lovely touchstone that brings everybody back to a point of unity," she explains. "The fact that it trickles down through all of those daily interactions makes it the common thread that pulls everybody together."

Students are also at the forefront of driving change within the school. She shares, "Some of the best ideas are in the classrooms and in the hallways and in the lunchroom, and so what we have done is open a very clear avenue for student voice. We invite students to our senior leadership meetings, and they present their proposals. We're listening to their voice, but also upskilling them in a way to teach them the soft skills associated with interpersonal and intercultural communication. By empowering one student, that student then inspires 20 other students and that magnifies our impact."

Rebecca emphasises the importance of impactful education, stating, "It's not just education for the sake of going to school." While acknowledging that the IB mission to 'make the world a better place' may sound cliché, she believes it is genuinely achievable through schools. "We can make a difference in an individual's life," she asserts, highlighting the potential for that individual to then go forth and significantly impact the world.

She highlights some of the impactful programmes that were pioneered by herself and her team. One success specific to Dehong Shanghai is the innovative Grade 10 'Pioneer Year'. Up until Grade 9, students follow a bilingual curriculum, which incorporates compulsory education and international elements. At the Grade 11 and 12 stage, students complete the IBDP or A-Level programmes.

"Then we've got Grade 10, which has always been that transitional bridging year. Grade 10 is such a powerful year of transformation as students further develop their identity and they test themselves," she explains, describing the education as not experimental but 'experiential'. "We've been quite bold and rebellious in that we've made Grade 10 into a bespoke year, to help students make that transition into the IBDP and A-Level programmes."

The bespoke curriculum for Grade 10 draws from the best of the best, including IB-aligned courses and IGCSE, but is imbued with a skills focus. Underpinning it all is the school's University Counselling and Careers (UCC) programme. The road map for students at Shanghai Dehong for university counselling begins from Grade 6 all the way through graduation. "We're probably ahead of the pack with our UCC programme for the current climate."

"Much that we have a 'student first' philosophy as that grounding thread for decision making, student agency is also part of our pioneering spirit. If you talk to the UCC team, they will say the number one skill students need in life is decision-making skills. So, with our Pioneer Year menu of options and pathways, we're supporting students to make those choices," she says. "We have platforms and programmes students can access for skills and aptitude, and we have one-to-one family meetings. We also have ways for them to enter scholars' programmes if they're looking to go into Oxbridge pathways, for example."

She ties this all back to the 'students first' philosophy, "We want our students to not just go to university, we want them to finish university and have a healthy, fulfilling life. If we're dedicating Grade 10 to a result to get an offer, that's not 'students first'. If we're dedicating Grade 10 to knowing yourself and building the skills and competencies for the next 30-40 years of your life - that is 'students first'."

Looking ahead, Rebecca expresses a sense of excitement about the evolving educational landscape in a post-COVID world. She recognises that the pandemic has sparked critical conversations about the purpose and structure of education. Students have begun to question traditional learning methods, asking questions like 'Why do we need to go back to school?' This shift presents both challenges and opportunities for educators, which Rebecca finds intriguing: "They are asking these questions, and rightfully so."

Rebecca is particularly interested in how these questions trigger potential for innovation in education. "There's always a 'what now?' and 'what's next?'," she notes, embracing the concept that every challenge also presents an opportunity for growth and change. She emphasises the necessity of revisiting and re-evaluating educational systems. "Is this still relevant? Is this still having the impact we want?" she questions, underscoring the importance of continual assessment and adaptation in education.

As a champion of the IBDP framework, Rebecca is dedicated to promoting a culture of lifelong learning within her community. She advocates seeking out new ways to improve educational practices.

"We must always strive for better," she insists, reinforcing the idea that learning and evolution should never cease. "A lot of our meetings involve markers and expansive glass whiteboards as we are always thinking, 'What's this going to look like? How can we make something better?'"

Rebecca warns against complacency in any system, expressing, "It's a bit obnoxious to think that what's worked will always work. People create systems, and people are always changing, therefore systems are always changing." This perspective underlines the need for regular assessment, "We should keep revisiting our approaches to ask, 'Is this fit for purpose? Is this still relevant?'"

She aligns this process with the values of the International Baccalaureate programme, noting, "Learning is never finished; projects are never finished."

Ultimately, it boils down to courage in innovation, Rebecca says, advocating "a hope-based pragmatism to explore the possibilities."