Innovation in Action: Reflections from Barcelona

As the Assistant Principal, New Ambitions and Innovation at Chevalier College, I am thrilled to share the insights gained from a recent professional immersion in Barcelona. Accompanied by six dedicated teaching colleagues, I had the privilege of visiting three world-class educational institutions that are redefining the boundaries of 21st-century learning.

Before diving into our findings, I want to formally acknowledge the unwavering commitment of our College leadership. By supporting this journey, our school has demonstrated a profound investment in contemporary pedagogy and a bold willingness to explore the ‘what’s next’ for our future facing students.

Chevalier College staff being hosted by the wonderful students in their Podcast (Collegi Montserrat)

Three Schools, One Vision: Agency and Autonomy

Our itinerary took us to three distinct, yet philosophically aligned settings:

1. Learnlife, Barcelona: A hub of lifelong learning that prioritises personal passion and self-direction.

2. Collegi Montserrat & Collegi dels Àngels: Two sister Catholic Colleges renowned for their pioneering work in multiple intelligences and student-led inquiry.

The primary takeaway from all three settings was the sophisticated approach to fostering student agency and autonomy. While the physical structures and daily schedules varied between the ‘urban hub’ feel of Learnlife and the traditional-yet-transformed spaces of the Collegis, a single golden thread ran through them all: high expectations.

At the Catholic Colleges, this belief in student capacity begins in Early Childhood and carries through to Year 12. There is a refreshing refusal to let preconceived assumptions about age or ability dictate what a student is ‘ready’ to handle. Instead, they operate on a fundamental belief in the young person’s capacity to lead their own learning.

The future will not be taught

Our observations align closely with the philosophy shared in Devon Carberry’s The Future will not be taught. Carberry (Learnlife Barcelona) posits that we cannot simply download a set of fixed skills into students for a future that hasn't been written yet. Instead, we must create environments where they can experience the challenges of the 21st century today.

 To flourish in an unknown future, our young people need more than content knowledge; they need the mindset to navigate complexity and the resilience to pivot when things go wrong.

Re-imagining Executive Functioning at Our College

Inspired by our time in Spain, our College has spent the last year re-imagining how we support our students' development of Executive Functioning (EF).

EF skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. It is a common misconception that students are born with these skills; in reality, children are born only with the potential to develop them. Secondary school is the ‘sweet spot’ for this development. During these years, the adolescent brain is undergoing significant remodelling and adapting, making it the perfect window to intentionally coach these habits.

Learning from the amazing Sisters Mary and Teresa - amidst Gaudi's courtyard (Collegi dels Angels)

Our New Initiative: Real-World Projects for Years 7–9

Drawing inspiration from the project-based models at Learnlife and the structured autonomy of the Collegis, we have redesigned our EF initiative for our junior secondary students.

Rather than teaching executive functioning as a standalone "study skills" lesson (as was the approach on 2025), we have embedded these skills into a real-world project. By navigating a complex, multi-stage project, students must practise:

• Organisation and Planning: Formulating and then breaking down a large goal into manageable steps.

• Time Management: Meeting authentic deadlines.

• Task Initiation: Overcoming the ‘blank page’ hurdle (‘eating the frog’).

• Metacognition: Reflecting on how they learn and where they need to adjust/pivot.

By placing these skills in a real-world context, i.e. planning our major Calendar event ‘Chevalier Day’, underpinned by Catholic Mission, we aren't just teaching them how to be compliant students, we are providing authentic opportunities for them to demonstrate their capacity to be capable, autonomous, responsible adults.

I look forward to sharing more about the specific outcomes of these projects as the year progresses.