Education 3.0 – What does education look like today and how does this affect us at GNLC?
Everyone knows that the way education is delivered to our students is different today than what it was when most of us were at school. Many of us adults were taught in an ‘Education 1.0’ system that was based around providing resources and isolated facts for students to memorise long enough to pass a test. However, this just isn’t the same in schools today…or at least it shouldn’t be.
In our Middle School here at GNLC we have moved away from this old, antiquated system to one where we are assessing our students not only on what they know but how and why they know it. The journey that it took to get to the final outcome of knowledge is just as important as gaining the knowledge itself. We are trying to equip our students with the skills that will enable them to adequately and successfully navigate life and the challenges it throws up. We want students to be problem solvers, innovators and creators. We want students to explore the world around them and really take control of their own learning and in particular their own passions.
Education in Australia has moved away from the 1.0 Model and is well and truly entrenched in the Education 3.0, where learning should extend beyond the traditional boundaries and into the real world. It is through this process that students will learn experientially in a setting that more closely resembles the real world because it is the real world. Students shouldn’t simply be learning from examples in a book, but instead they should be able to experience a real life example that can be seen and lived in order for them to really grasp the concept. This is true education.
At GNLC we are developing and implementing more and more learning experiences that come from an Education 3.0 system. As we follow this new model of teaching, our teachers are no longer the ‘Sage on the Stage’ or the holder of all knowledge. They are now more a ‘Guide on the Side’ or the facilitator who guides the students as they unpack and solve real-life problems. Our aim is to teach our students critical 21st Century skills that will enable them to thrive in their chosen pathways. Skills such as adaptability, complex communication and social skills are so important for our students to become confident individuals as they branch out into their communities as adults. We need to focus less on memorization and assessments, and more on teaching our students how to adapt and how to communicate. We must give them agency. For that, we need to support out teachers in breaking the mould of traditional educational practices.
Our focus this year has been on ‘Student Voice, Student Choice’, and this is just part of this process of student agency. It is giving the students the opportunity to start taking some initiative in their own learning and becoming more accountable to how they are learning. Employers are wanting to see future employees who can show initiative, make their own decisions, show creativity and demonstrate clear communication. Fortunately for us there are so many areas of the MYP that help our students create these characteristics. With a combination of our College Values and the MYP Learner Profiles (Principled, Caring, Inquirers, Balanced, Risk Takers, Open Minded, Communicator, Thinkers, Reflective, Knowledgeable) as well as the myriad of other Pastoral Care Programs and classroom activities, we know that we are helping to guide and mould our students into becoming responsible global citizens who will achieve success in their future pathway.
As a parent, you may find that some of the teaching methods or the activities your child is participating in at school is different from what you are used to. If this is the case, please don’t think that different means wrong. We are developing and creating activities, tasks and programs that will shape your child’s education and we are continually trying to improve how we do this. This is an exciting journey and we ask that you are supportive of this process.
Robert Kay’s article, We need tomorrow’s teachers today, provides further information on just what we are trying to do with our education and how our teachers are helping in this journey.
We thank you, as parents, for all the support you are already providing and will continue to provide to our students and teachers.
