Contemporary issues or trends in New Zealand or internationally

I think that this 'analysis' is brilliant and raises really pertinent points, such as "how do we educate our children to take their place in the economies of the 21st Century..." when we don't know the future, and that we constantly seem to try to do this by "doing what they did in the past..." even though "the current system was designed and conceived for a different age" and "we need to go in the opposite direction."

Link to video

Sir Ken also advocates the need to value divergent thinking, creativity and collaboration. The sad thing about this is how old this infographic is and how little has changed. We have some of the greatest thinkers and educators saying the same things , several years ago, and yet so little is done to change what we are doing. It is like we are burying our heads in the sand instead of getting creative in the sandbox. I believe that the future of education must be driven by student's needs not the fiscal challenges.
Sir Paul Callaghan (2011), a leading new Zealand Scientist and Economist also promotes the need for innovation and suggests that we make New Zealand "a place where talent wants to live."
I would like to believe that with the right focus and design of our education system, we can be a place where talent grows; a place where capabilities are developed and creativity is nurtured so that we can prepare students for the unknown and to be global citizens who make a difference to this world.

Link to video

Images from infographic:

Pearson. (2013, April 26). Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdZiTQy3g1g

The two images to the right show how the world is  changing at an incredible pace and as such the

 needs and the response need investment now. 

 To deal with the impact of this change, our 

education system needs to be "accessible, 

affordable, effective, personal and scalable." 

As educators, we need to be seriously planning

 for these features.

The KPMG graphic below shows a strategy to deal with the ;megatrends' we are facing. 

It starts with understanding the issues and how and why they are changing; measuring the impact of changes and the extent of the problem helps us to identify and assess possible solutions; the next step is to prioritise to minimise damage and make the best decisions about what needs to be done; then we need to take action - many of these concerns and ideas are not new - it is time to start dealing with them; monitoring the changes and our responses enables us to be effective and proactive, and once again understand what we need to do next to constantly meet the changing needs of our global community.

KPMG Australia. (2014, May 22).
 Future State 2030 - Global Megatrends.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im5SwtapHl8

Some disturbing global trends include:
90% of digital data has been created in the last two years; Cyber attacks already account for 300 billion – 1 Trillion in loses
We are more dependent on each other as we're more economically interconnected than ever before; there is a 40% estimated gap between water supply and requirements in 2030.

Source = KPMG Australia. (2014, May 22). Future State 2030 - Global Megatrends. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im5SwtapHl8

"The experts agreed on two long-term trends:rethinking how schools work in order to bolster student engagement and drive more innovation, as well as shifting to deeper learning approaches, such as project-and challenge-based learning. These are just two of the 18 topics analyzed in the NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition, indicating the key trends, significant challenges,and important technological developments that are very likely to impact changes in K-12 education across the world over the next five years.' NMC Horizon report (2015).

Russel Bishop (2012), has been researching a 'deficit' in relation to learning outcomes for Maori learners. One of the key factors leading to successfully closing the gap is determined to be the teachers and their relationships with these students, the type of relationships that enable Maori students to 'bring themselves to the learning conversation,' including their 'experiences, cultural understandings and the way they make sense' of the world around them. Teachers who value Maori knowledge as legitimate, and who are supported by the school, and in turn, the overall system have the greatest impact on change in this area of concern, according to Bishop's research.
I think this is true of all learners but is so significant to Maori as they have been marginalised in the past - through colonial policies of assimilation. I can't help but wonder though if redesigning curriculum that is rich in ancient knowledge and methodologies as well as globally connected, will help Maori to have better outcomes. It seems to me that many are still disconnected and an education system that allows collaboration and discussions with hands-on exploration may improve outcomes even further.

Edtalks.(2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video file].Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994

ERO (2012), argues that "innovation, creativity and responsiveness should be the norm in all schools and for all students."​ This report also looks at some compelling issues that reiterate the previous and subsequent literature on these issues:
"New Zealand prides itself on its child-centred approach to learning, yet ERO‟s national
evaluations would suggest that practice is not matching the rhetoric. ERO has found that some schools are not positioning students at the center of learning and teaching. Students have simply been forgotten amongst the daily business of “delivering” education, including meeting the requirements of NCEA. In some schools, there is a perception that the curriculum is crowded, and that only literacy and mathematics matter..."

"For students whose strengths and passions lie in science, social studies, health and physical education or the arts, there can be long periods of time when these learning areas are not part of their curriculum. Too many of our most vulnerable students, especially in secondary schools, are the unlucky recipients of a curriculum that is fragmented and bears no relationship to their cultural backgrounds or to contexts that have relevance and meaning for them."

Education Review Office Report. (2012). Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools. Education Review Office.

Here is a model about the ten biggest trends in NZ education this year: This diagram is the result of CORE Education’s combined expertise in research, education, and digital technology experts. Through seeking to understand and critique the evidence around the influence and impact of digital technologies in education, CORE compile a list of ten 'trends' across five areas, that are likely to affect New Zealand education in 2016. On their website (see button link above), CORE break down these elements further. I think that this information is both useful to use now and provides a focus for future planning. Understanding what is happening helps us predict what is needed. I also value that it is across a range of disciplines as education is not an isolated concept.

CORE Education. (2016). CORE Education's Ten Trends 2016. Core-ed.org. Retrieved from http://www.core-ed.org

REFERENCES:

CORE Education. (2016). CORE Education's Ten Trends 2016. Core-ed.org. Retrieved from http://www.core-ed.org  

  

Education Review Office Report.  (2012). Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools.  Education Review Office.

Edtalks.(2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations: Russel Bishop.  [video file].Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994

KPMG Australia. (2014, May 22). Future State 2030 - Global Megatrends. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im5SwtapHl8

Sir Paul Callaghan. (2011). StrategyNZ: Mapping our Future: Sustainable Economic Growth for New Zealand – An optimistic myth-busting approach. March, 2011. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhCAyIllnXY