Ever since Minister Gillard moved on to a higher political plane an evaluation of her governments performance in education and training has been on my mind. I started writing but then the election was called and the last thing I want is any kind of political taint on my blog so I have delayed this piece.
During the Gillard stewardship I was chief executive of Education.au limited a national organisation with strong connections to all levels of government as well as other policy makers, interest groups,researchers and educational institutions. My time at education.au also included Julie Bishops time as Howard Government education minister. Added to this my career spans over 15 years observing Education Ministerial meetings and machinations in past jobs as head of education and training in two states.
Overall I believe the Gillard/Rudd policy change agenda in education and training has been the most expansive of any government in the past 20 years with easily the strongest Commonwealth position given that it was backed by the Deputy PM. I have read and reread all the Ministers press releases and speeches. What is notable is the consistency of the message even though we had the global financial crisis right in the middle.
Prior to the 2007 federal election the Labour Party published an education manifesto. In essence it said that investment in education and training was an essential foundation for Australia to maintain its economic competitiveness. So the agenda was and continued to be based on a productivity view of education.
Apart from productivity I think the most powerful driver was the agreement Gillard reached with the states and sectors at schools and VET levels on increasing attainment levels (year 12 retention, increased VET outcomes etc) and the dramatic increased target set by the Commonwealth for bachelor degree completions in higher education. These attainment targets have huge implications and challennges for the sectors and much of the resultant policy and programme development has been aimed at driving change to achieve these attainment goals.
Underpinning attainment/retention were policies that included- a need to have a 'managed' market for education with a substantial safety net; getting literacy and numeracy right as the foundation; increasing accountability of institutions and individual educators; rewarding performance and;engaging industry and parents and provide technology as an enabler of change and improvement.
So overall I give Gillard the highest marks for a clearly enunciated policy agenda. Over the next few weeks I am going to blog on each of the sectors and talk more about impact and delivery. The first of these blogs will deal with early childhood and school education.
Regards
Greg
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
TEACHING AND ICT
OVER THE PAST MONTH I HAVE HAD THE OPPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS ICT RELATED ISSUES WITH SEVERAL GROUPS OF SCHOOL LEADERS. THIS BLOG IS AN ATTEMPT AT PULLING TOGETHER MY THINKING ON THE SUBJECT.
1. THE EVIDENCE (2008 education.au NATIONAL SURVEY
• ONLY A QUARTER OF OUR TEACHER FORCE IMPLEMENT SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES THAT UTILISE ICT TO ENHANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING
• MOST ARE ABLE TO USE THE INTERNET FOR RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION BUT LITTLE ELSE.
2. WHY IS IT SO?
• INEFFECTIVE PD
• POOR INFRASTRUCTURE
• LACK OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT
• LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF SUCCESSFUL PEDAGOGIES
• LACK OF TIME
• LACK OF MOTIVATION AND OR CONFIDENCE INCLUDING UNDERSTANDING THAT THE STUDENTS ARE WAY AHEAD
WHATEVER STRATEGIES ARE IMPLEMENTED ALL OF THESE ISSUES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED
3. SOME STRATEGIES AROUND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
YOU NEED TO LEAD FROM THE FRONT SO JUMP IN AND TRY SOME TECHNOLOGIES. YOU COULD UTILISE TOOLS SUCH AS TWITTER AND BLOGS AND HAVE AN ON-LINE IDENTITY SUCH AS THROUGH ME.EDU.AU
• EXPOSE YOUR STAFF TO SOME OF THE TRENDS OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
• SUPPORT YOUR ICT CHAMPIONS AND GIVE THEM TIME TO DEVELOP THEIR HOBBY HORSES
• ASSIST YOUR CHAMPIONS TO SHARE THEIR WORK WITH OTHER STAFF AND DEVELOP THEIR MENTORING SKILLS
• PROVIDE ENCOURAGEMENT AND TIME FOR TEACHERS TO PLAY WITH VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES
• DEVELOP A MENTORING PROGRAMME
• IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE PARENTS
• ESTABLISH AN ON-LINE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER AND PROJECT PUBLISHING SITE
• FIT YOUR SCHOOLS ACHIEVEMENTS INTO THE NATIONAL COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK
• CONTINUE THE CONVERSATIONS AND ENCOURAGE ON-LINE COLLABORATION WITH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN OTHER SCHOOLS SUCH AS THROUGH OZPROJECTS
I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE OTHERS THOUGHTS.
I INTEND DOING MORE WORK ON HOW TO FREE UP TEACHERS TIME TO FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR ICT PEDAGOGIES.
GREG
1. THE EVIDENCE (2008 education.au NATIONAL SURVEY
• ONLY A QUARTER OF OUR TEACHER FORCE IMPLEMENT SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES THAT UTILISE ICT TO ENHANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING
• MOST ARE ABLE TO USE THE INTERNET FOR RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION BUT LITTLE ELSE.
2. WHY IS IT SO?
• INEFFECTIVE PD
• POOR INFRASTRUCTURE
• LACK OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT
• LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF SUCCESSFUL PEDAGOGIES
• LACK OF TIME
• LACK OF MOTIVATION AND OR CONFIDENCE INCLUDING UNDERSTANDING THAT THE STUDENTS ARE WAY AHEAD
WHATEVER STRATEGIES ARE IMPLEMENTED ALL OF THESE ISSUES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED
3. SOME STRATEGIES AROUND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
YOU NEED TO LEAD FROM THE FRONT SO JUMP IN AND TRY SOME TECHNOLOGIES. YOU COULD UTILISE TOOLS SUCH AS TWITTER AND BLOGS AND HAVE AN ON-LINE IDENTITY SUCH AS THROUGH ME.EDU.AU
• EXPOSE YOUR STAFF TO SOME OF THE TRENDS OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
• SUPPORT YOUR ICT CHAMPIONS AND GIVE THEM TIME TO DEVELOP THEIR HOBBY HORSES
• ASSIST YOUR CHAMPIONS TO SHARE THEIR WORK WITH OTHER STAFF AND DEVELOP THEIR MENTORING SKILLS
• PROVIDE ENCOURAGEMENT AND TIME FOR TEACHERS TO PLAY WITH VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES
• DEVELOP A MENTORING PROGRAMME
• IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE PARENTS
• ESTABLISH AN ON-LINE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER AND PROJECT PUBLISHING SITE
• FIT YOUR SCHOOLS ACHIEVEMENTS INTO THE NATIONAL COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK
• CONTINUE THE CONVERSATIONS AND ENCOURAGE ON-LINE COLLABORATION WITH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN OTHER SCHOOLS SUCH AS THROUGH OZPROJECTS
I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE OTHERS THOUGHTS.
I INTEND DOING MORE WORK ON HOW TO FREE UP TEACHERS TIME TO FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR ICT PEDAGOGIES.
GREG
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
COMPARING SCHOOLS PERFORMANCE
I have been a strong supporter of the teachers union in Australia. However there is one issue that we have never agreed on:-comparative data on schools performance. I can recall many debates since the early 1990's with the union refusing to accept the need for data to support parents decisions on where to send there kids, to distribute remedial funding and so on.
Fast forward to this week with the union now signalling that it will be banning the next NAPLAN test cycle in May. NAPLAN is far from a perfect set of measures. However there is powerful evidence of the fundamental importance of basic literacy and numeracy in establishing a successful foundation for a students learning career. There will be more comprehensive assessment processes in future, such as being generated by the work of the international '21st century assessment' project. I am also aware of some exciting ideas being tossed around inside ACARA. But none of this is likely to come on stream for 3-5years.
The interest shown by parents and the general public in myschool has been huge. Parents have always been hungry for information to help them determine where to send there children to school. Prior to myschool I for one have felt totally inadequate when asked for advice on school options.
Lets not pretend that myschool data is now the only determinant. However it is making an impact.Likewise the taxpayer needs greater assurance that the huge amount of funding being applied to schools is having the desired impact.
Myschool for the first time attempts to provide a 'value added' comparison not just results that can be traced to school location and student selection 'policies' Its not perfect but a great place to start.
The union may or may not win this latest battle but they will lose the war unless they engage far more effectively in the pursuit of more appropriate assessment tools.
Fast forward to this week with the union now signalling that it will be banning the next NAPLAN test cycle in May. NAPLAN is far from a perfect set of measures. However there is powerful evidence of the fundamental importance of basic literacy and numeracy in establishing a successful foundation for a students learning career. There will be more comprehensive assessment processes in future, such as being generated by the work of the international '21st century assessment' project. I am also aware of some exciting ideas being tossed around inside ACARA. But none of this is likely to come on stream for 3-5years.
The interest shown by parents and the general public in myschool has been huge. Parents have always been hungry for information to help them determine where to send there children to school. Prior to myschool I for one have felt totally inadequate when asked for advice on school options.
Lets not pretend that myschool data is now the only determinant. However it is making an impact.Likewise the taxpayer needs greater assurance that the huge amount of funding being applied to schools is having the desired impact.
Myschool for the first time attempts to provide a 'value added' comparison not just results that can be traced to school location and student selection 'policies' Its not perfect but a great place to start.
The union may or may not win this latest battle but they will lose the war unless they engage far more effectively in the pursuit of more appropriate assessment tools.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Embedding ICT in Learning Teaching and Administration
Despite the massive investment by governments and institutions, there is still a huge distance to travel before the majority of educators are able to effectively utilize technology. Apart from the strong research evidence here are a couple of local anecdotes.
Last week a visiting lecturer asked for an overhead projector for their class. Anyone over 30 will remember overhead projectors accompanied by clear plastic transparencies and felt pens. After several days of phone calls we managed to track down a supplier who actually had one in stock. They said there was still a demand.
When I mentioned the capability of wiki’s I was met with shrugs and smirks by one educator and irritated consternation by another. Image what the students must be thinking.
This week a leading supporter of ICT in teaching at their (rather large) institution said matter of factly that the organizations move from Blackboard (they were using an unsupported version) to Moodle wasn’t going to work. Apparently most of the staff where resistant to even turning Moodle on and in any event there was no organization wide strategy for utilizing technology in teaching and learning and Moodle wasn’t going to integrate with their bevy of legacy admin systems.
So why all the resistance. The evidence points to lack of confidence. The confidence issue in turn appears to be a function of lack of confidence that the technology will work when required;limited availability of technical people to support you; limited easy to access pedagogical tools and techniques; lack of institutional leadership and support; and wrapped up with all the above no real incentive to change.
The focus needs to be on teaching and learning not technology. But having said that their needs to be a major investment in providing all the support and motivational requirements. Educators arent dumb. They know where their students are at and what motivates them. But they need a quantum leap in the type and extent of assistance and reward to change.
Last week a visiting lecturer asked for an overhead projector for their class. Anyone over 30 will remember overhead projectors accompanied by clear plastic transparencies and felt pens. After several days of phone calls we managed to track down a supplier who actually had one in stock. They said there was still a demand.
When I mentioned the capability of wiki’s I was met with shrugs and smirks by one educator and irritated consternation by another. Image what the students must be thinking.
This week a leading supporter of ICT in teaching at their (rather large) institution said matter of factly that the organizations move from Blackboard (they were using an unsupported version) to Moodle wasn’t going to work. Apparently most of the staff where resistant to even turning Moodle on and in any event there was no organization wide strategy for utilizing technology in teaching and learning and Moodle wasn’t going to integrate with their bevy of legacy admin systems.
So why all the resistance. The evidence points to lack of confidence. The confidence issue in turn appears to be a function of lack of confidence that the technology will work when required;limited availability of technical people to support you; limited easy to access pedagogical tools and techniques; lack of institutional leadership and support; and wrapped up with all the above no real incentive to change.
The focus needs to be on teaching and learning not technology. But having said that their needs to be a major investment in providing all the support and motivational requirements. Educators arent dumb. They know where their students are at and what motivates them. But they need a quantum leap in the type and extent of assistance and reward to change.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Introduction to a dialogue on learning
Hi Folks,
For some time I have been frustrated by the low level of debate in Australia about education and training. Ironically this comes at a time where we are experiencing unprecedented policy and programme change activity. At every level major reforms are being enacted.
Early childlhood has its first Commonwealth Minister and national initiatives.
In schools the incoming national curriculum and national assessment processes and creation of the australian curriculum and assessment authority (ACARA) and the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership;school buildings and 'digital education revolutions'; the myschool comparative school performance website; social inclusion initiatives; asian languages programmes and so on.
In the training sector we have a new competitive model driven by Skilling Australia and the new regulatory authority with more reform to come whilst many of the reforms proposed in the Bradley Review will lead to new funding regulation and competitive drivers in higher education in the next few years.
Of course on top of all that the expectations of learners grow daily for a media rich,experiential and personalised approach to teaching and learning.
An extraordinary agenda,quite overwhelming to many educators in classrooms and lecture theatres. However I would be rather part of it than have to endure the educational desert experienced prior to it!
Nonetheless the public debate on these issues appears to have been captured by politicians salivating about 'getting back to basics' and media shock jocks who think that constructivism is a communist plot by chardonnay drinking ex-hippys aiming to keep the masses at bay.
Dialogueonlearning is intended as a medium for considered debate on the key issues facing this country and in an international context. I will allow most post responses apart from the usual cranks. I love contrary views as long as there is some substance behind them. I also hope that this dialogue can lead to collaborations by interested parties to develop new policy and strategy in education and training.
Over the next 3 months I will discuss the politics of curriculum; the future of vocational training; the future of public school education and how to support teachers through this epoch of change.
Lets see how it goes. I will endeavour to respond to any comments within 48hours although this is sometimes difficult when I am travelling
BTW I dont drink chardonnay
Greg
For some time I have been frustrated by the low level of debate in Australia about education and training. Ironically this comes at a time where we are experiencing unprecedented policy and programme change activity. At every level major reforms are being enacted.
Early childlhood has its first Commonwealth Minister and national initiatives.
In schools the incoming national curriculum and national assessment processes and creation of the australian curriculum and assessment authority (ACARA) and the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership;school buildings and 'digital education revolutions'; the myschool comparative school performance website; social inclusion initiatives; asian languages programmes and so on.
In the training sector we have a new competitive model driven by Skilling Australia and the new regulatory authority with more reform to come whilst many of the reforms proposed in the Bradley Review will lead to new funding regulation and competitive drivers in higher education in the next few years.
Of course on top of all that the expectations of learners grow daily for a media rich,experiential and personalised approach to teaching and learning.
An extraordinary agenda,quite overwhelming to many educators in classrooms and lecture theatres. However I would be rather part of it than have to endure the educational desert experienced prior to it!
Nonetheless the public debate on these issues appears to have been captured by politicians salivating about 'getting back to basics' and media shock jocks who think that constructivism is a communist plot by chardonnay drinking ex-hippys aiming to keep the masses at bay.
Dialogueonlearning is intended as a medium for considered debate on the key issues facing this country and in an international context. I will allow most post responses apart from the usual cranks. I love contrary views as long as there is some substance behind them. I also hope that this dialogue can lead to collaborations by interested parties to develop new policy and strategy in education and training.
Over the next 3 months I will discuss the politics of curriculum; the future of vocational training; the future of public school education and how to support teachers through this epoch of change.
Lets see how it goes. I will endeavour to respond to any comments within 48hours although this is sometimes difficult when I am travelling
BTW I dont drink chardonnay
Greg
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