Andrew Watt – Principal

The future of education in Australia

Over the past weeks, here has been significant media interest in the release of 2 reports that may shape the future of education in Australia. Both the 2^nd Gonski Report and the Ernst and Young (EY) Report signal that a significant shift in our Primary, Secondary and Tertiary curriculum, pedagogy and delivery is required to prepare our students for the ever-changing and evolving workplace of the future. According to the 2018 Foundation of Young Australians (FYA) Enterprise Education and Career Education in Schools report, this will require a mix of technical skills, financial and digital literacies, numeracy, career-management skills and a range of enterprise skills. David Gonski, in his Through Growth to Achievement Report, urges schools to leave behind the ‘Industrial Model’ and adopt a more modern and individual approach. Three of the key recommendations include:

• Moving away from Year Group-based curriculum, to ‘learning progressions’ that are independent of Year Group or age;
• The development of an online tool to allow teachers to track individual student progress and suggest individualised support and
• The creation of a Research and Evidence Institute to continue to drive innovation and improvement.

The impending changes are not however limited to our schools. The research paper from EY, The University of the Future, has called for the reshaping of the Australian Higher Education sector to meet the changing demands of stakeholders, as digital technology reshapes the social, industrial and workplace landscapes. According to this report, 42% of current and past graduates feel that their degree needs to be overhauled in light of the rapidly-changing nature of industry and employment; the result of what EY calls the ‘Transformative Age’. Work integrated learning, involving collaboration with industry in creating course content that will produce more work-ready graduates, was identified as a priority. Other potential future pathways for our Universities included:

• Micro-certificates to replace 3 or 4 year degrees;
• Unbundled courses delivered flexibly and online; and
• Networks that share digital platforms.

What can we make of all this? One thing is certain: Emanuel needs to remain very future-focussed! Preparing our students for jobs that do not yet exist, in a rapidly-changing workplace, with changes in the ways that universities may offer courses, will remain a challenge for all schools, moving forward. In 2015, social researcher, Mark McCrindle, predicted that “The average young person will have 17 different jobs across 5 different industries throughout their lifetime.” How then do we develop the dispositions, skill-set, adaptability and mind-set that would best equip our graduates to strive, thrive and lead within their workplace? A good start would be to develop both resilience and a growth mindset, in the face of challenges; where failure is a learning tool and persistence in problem solving is valued. We must continue to structure our teaching and learning so that creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration are valued and reinforced. We also need to provide opportunities for our students to innovate, and to participate in the design thinking process and project-based learning. For the past 2 years, our staff professional development program has maintained a steady focus on innovation and developing a common language of learning, based upon a range of learning dispositions.

Breakfast with Emanuel

Our 2^nd breakfast with parents was held on Wednesday, at The Little Space, Bondi Junction. My introduction on how we seek to future-proof our students was followed by an outstanding presentation on Innovation from Eytan Messiah and Sophie Poisel, Co-ordinators of High School and Primary School Innovation. Practical examples of how design thinking and project-based learning have been integrated within the classroom were provided, in addition to an update on the work towards the development of learning dispositions across P-12. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the breakfast talks has been the conversations with parents across a range of subjects over breakfast and during question time. Thank you to the parents who gave up their time to attend.

Being good neighbours

From time to time I receive correspondence from our near neighbours, in relation to the drop off and collection of students. Unfortunately, a small number of parents have parked over driveways or responded inappropriately to our neighbours’ requests. The large number of activities that we run on evenings during term time does result in congestion above and beyond the regular drop off and collection times. Several of our neighbours have indicated to the School that they are pursuing a solution through Randwick Council. Potential Council responses could include greater presence of Rangers, or increased parking restrictions. Can I ask you to put yourself in the place of our local residents and act in a way that you would like to be treated, if the roles were reversed?

Mazal Tov

• Ethan De Melo who was part of the CDSSA 16 years Football team that played at the AICES Championships held on Wednesday. This team won the championships and Ethan has also been selected in the AICES 16 years Football team to play at the CIS Championships later this month.
• To all of Year 8 for their excellent Israel Expo on Tuesday evening, photos below.

Quote of the week

If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

Andy McIntyre