Activity #3 My Community of Practice.

Trend influencing education in New Zealand or internationally.

Globalisation

According to the OECD (2016) As Sir Ken Robinson says, paradigms are changing and every country on Earth is reforming public education. This is because the rapidly changing world and the effect of technological developments mean that our education systems need to adapt in order to meet the needs of our young people – even though we are not sure what those needs may be at this point in time.

Many aspects of globalization that directly affects education are highlighted in the diagram from the OECD report (2016).

 The area I wish to focus attention on is

Inequality

 Inequality is a trend that affects economic, social and educational aspects at community, country and global levels. Inequality may have an effect on other global trends, such as migration as people seek to find a more equitable society than the one they are in. Political intervention can be a cause of inequitable practice and economic factors can influence the way in which resources are shared and may lead to further inequality.

So what? How can I and my little school change the world? Why should we? Isn’t that what we pay the politicians to do?

Because!! Because we can! Schools have the power to make change. Sometimes it has to start small and ‘fit’ the model, but it can be done.

 It might begin with the notion of sharing food equitably. After all – we all know that children learn better when they eat properly. How often do you hear – don’t share your food – but this is an opportunity, when handled correctly, for children to develop empathy and realize in a small way, what inequality is.

School funding is not equitable because some schools need more than others in New Zealand – so tell me again how that works internationally when kids learn using a stick and a smooth patch of dirt to write? Or can’t always get to school because of the imminent danger they face just walking down the street?

So equitable opportunity means we must provide what is needed for students to access what they need in order to become 21^st century learners with social cohesion and flexible thinking.

What is a lifelong learner? Is this just a label? Are Communities of Learners (CoLs) going to deliver a seamless education where student engagement and agency are paramount? Or will it just end up with a few students benefitting from extension activities and some remedial work for others?

 We have a responsibility to be a part of a global trend that our students already engage with. Through the use of IT they are already connected learners, but can we equip the students with adequate competencies to cope with or adapt to the trend?

The facts are that more people have access to a mobile phone than fresh water. Unless we tap into this ability to engage with the world and use this to arm our students with the tools they will need in a context that has meaning for them, we will be doing them and our world a major disservice as they turn their backs on the education that could well be a measure of the world’s ability to thrive in the future. We need to be cohesive in our approach and embrace collaborative learning where different strengths and background knowledge inform the group ability to problem solve and comprehend issues. Our students need to be globally aware of the issues that our planet faces and the ways that this will impact on their lives. Only then will they see a need to address these issues.

If we teach with a social conscience and give our students agency alongside the competencies they need then we can have hope for the future. We may need to fight the good fight to ensure our ideology is not lost in individualized testing and the need to meet National Standards.