Education done differently by Jen Buchanan
I often tell the story of an experience I had whilst living in India. It is early one morning and I’m heading to the markets in Calcutta to go buy some fruit. On my walk I pass a group of young children sitting on the side of the street. They are filthy, barefooted and wearing scraps of ill-fitting clothing. The children are literally sitting in the dirt on scrap pieces of cardboard they had managed to find. However, what was unusual about this scene was the two women with them.
I later found out that this was a makeshift classroom and that the women with these children were their teachers. Every morning, these two women would come and teach in the slum areas of Calcutta before heading off to teach a full day in their own schools. Through their actions, these women were attempting to break the cycle of poverty and provide the opportunity of an education to those of their society who were most disadvantaged, the most in need of help, and the most hungry to be educated.
And as I stood there and watched them, in that moment I understood that in being in education allows us an immense opportunity to make a difference in the world. I returned to Australia with a renewed sense of hope and a deeper understanding of what we mean when we talk about humanity.
As educators with a passion for innovation and futures, we are acutely aware that we are on the cusp of dynamic changes and that we are uniquely positioned to lead that change. To do this we need to work together to be innovative and drive changes we want to see in education.
Our students’ futures will be a future which values agility and adaptability. In designing a forward-looking education system, we recognise that the future of our young students will not be one which values being a passive taker of information, nor will it be a future that places high value on knowledge acquisition without meaning and context. Unfortunately, for many students worldwide, this constitutes education. It is a model of education where students are grouped according to their age into discrete subject areas where they learn content from a pre-designed curriculum.
The impetus for “education done differently” is emerging in locations around the world, calling on educators to reorient how school is conceptualised and understood. A global perspective on the future of education gives opportunity for growth as we come to understand and respect that any measure of innovation will be influenced by our own world view. When we work together to leverage ideas and share innovative approaches, all members are empowered to influence new global directions in education; ensuring success for all. There is not one definition of innovation, nor is there one future we are preparing our students for.
