September 7, 2008
I’ve returned from another conference where the message was loud and clear, where the agreement was unanimous, and from which we all came back to our schools feeling good. But it doesn’t take long for the realisation to set in that, just like the picture above, our efforts at forward progress are little more than an illusion (there is no actual movement).
There is much talk, many workshops and briefing sessions and blogs and, and, and …… but sometimes I just wonder whether we’ll ever get any traction. As school infrastructures improve and hardware becomes increasingly available, there seems little excuse for not developing a true 21st century learning model. While there may be some islands of innovation scattered around the country, I’m not seeing much happening in NSW. Looking at the jobs available in the weekend newspapers I see innovative roles beginning to spring up in Victoria, and WA. No such movement away from the traditional positions in NSW. I wonder whether the political upheavals of the last few days will change anything? I can only hope!
Are we in NSW, guilty of seeing the HSC as the end-point in our responsibility to our students? As long as we get them through this examination, our job is done? I prefer to see us as preparing citizens of the future and educating them for a successful life (after school). The HSC is a mere blip in that journey, that currently carries far too much weight.
I am looking for good stories of success ………an indication that we are getting somewhere at a meaningful rate.
Can anyone provide these stories?
