The expectations of a changing world.

Half way through Term 2 and the pressures of assessment will be beginning to impact on our children. The demands of life in the 21^st Century seem to be increasing almost daily. Our young people are continually expected to step up and meet these challenges.

Our Year 3,5,7 and 9 students have recently sat the NAPLAN tests. This was a highly organised and strictly run activity. It is interesting the hype that is whipped up leading into the middle week in May. Amid the debate, it was wonderful to see the complete calmness in the testing rooms, our students going about the business of working hard and doing their best. Good for them.

On the weekend, I was interested to read in the agenda section of the Sunday Mail, the lead article “The Real Education Revolution.” This article reinforced the changing nature of education. The idea that by the time our Preppies finish their education a high percentage of today’s jobs will be nonexistent or completed using technology. Linking with this, a high percentage of the jobs in 2031 haven’t actually been created yet.

The article went on to identify that the demands on teaching and learning are changing and one of the high-level skills that people of the future need is creativity. The students of our tomorrow need the ability to try, be challenged and then try again. This cycle is about independent processes within structured environments which encourage students to step out of their comfort zone and take a risk. A risk that is seen as a learning journey, a challenge that increases our knowledge. Sometimes it is important to find out what is not right so that I can then see what is.

The QCAA which is the body which directs education processes in Queensland identifies the following:

Young Queenslanders in the 21^st century need to be:

• innovators
• entrepreneurs
• lifelong learners
• responsible global citizens.

QCAA General syllabuses are underpinned by the skills students need in the 21^st century:

• critical thinking
• creative thinking
• communication
• collaboration and teamwork
• personal and social skills
• ICT skills.

QCAA website, 23/05/2019

It is interesting how at times we shelter our children from the demands of the world they are preparing for. We must encourage our children to take risks, they are able to make a mistake, and use it as a learning experience. Our young people need to see learning as the key to their future in this ever-changing world. Can we afford to make the excuses, “oh he just isn’t creative,” or “she doesn’t like to talk in front of the class.” The 21^st Century learner needs to embrace the idea that this world is about being seen and heard, it is about being innovative and creative, it is dominated by the use of technology and they will have to play their part as a citizen of the world.

The great thing is that the more we focus on student learning and student success the easier these 21^st Century skills will be to achieve. When looking at your child’s work focus on the effort they are putting in, the determination they are showing and celebrate the skill development they are displaying. Ask them what they learnt today. I was visiting a class who were working on using graphical information. The question I asked was, “what are you learning today?” The first answer was, “graphs.” Then I asked how you can use this skill? I then heard about working with cattle and how it is important to be able to display the growth data for cattle so that you know that your livestock are on an upward track ready for sale.

I hope that we can encourage our children to take that step out of their comfort zones and really get involved with their learning journey. These are challenging times in education but with all challenges come the rewards for a job well done.

Steve Gillespie

Assistant Principal Middle Years