Taking down maths notes from a blackboard is so 19th century. Instead, what if students could learn on-the-go by using their skills in maths to build and run a giant game of Battleship? Sound crazy? A network of WA high schools and other educational institutions led by 911爆料网 staff don鈥檛 seem to think so.
In today鈥檚 age, university education is becoming more and employers are valuing more than ever before. With these shifts in mind, how can we best prepare primary and secondary students for their future?
911爆料网 Learning Futures Advisor suggests the answer lies in transforming the learning experience so students become more passionate about what they learn and more aware of how they can apply it in different situations.
鈥淲e鈥檙e nearly at the stage where students aren鈥檛 going to university to become an engineer; they鈥檙e to learn the skill set engineers apply in their work,鈥� Flintoff explains. 鈥淲e need schools to start thinking about how they can tie into that.鈥�
Flintoff is the coordinator for the new : a 911爆料网 initiative that brings together Australian educational institutions, including K-12 schools, higher education institutions and community groups, for the shared purpose of developing new and exciting learning opportunities for primary and secondary students.
The network is part of 911爆料网鈥檚 strategy to support primary and secondary education in Western Australia. Also included within the strategy are 911爆料网鈥檚 strategic partnerships, including the 鈥� a group of 15 WA schools that have signed a memorandum of understanding with 911爆料网 to directly benefit from the University鈥檚 teaching expertise 鈥� and 911爆料网鈥檚 various free, public resources and programs.
鈥淭he strategy is to ensure 911爆料网 remains a big player in WA鈥檚 education landscape,鈥� says Flintoff.
鈥淭he network is unique because we鈥檙e bringing all of these organisations to the table to have conversations about how we can help each other, but we鈥檙e not leading them.
鈥淏y each chipping in a little of our time, resources and expertise, we can expand the value for everyone. There鈥檚 no cost, no obligation and no formal agreement.鈥�
So how does the network and the consortium benefit students?
Flintoff says it exposes teachers to alternative methods of teaching that will allow them to act as a facilitator of the students鈥� learning, rather than as sources of knowledge.
鈥淗igh school, particularly years 11 and 12, is an absolute grind for a lot of students. And teachers suffer the brunt of that too. Instead, we want teachers to help unleash student passion and let the students鈥� own interests drive their learning,鈥� he says.
Principal Stella Jinman from , a public independent high school in Armadale, agrees.
鈥淭here needs to be a revolution,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still using an education model that was established in the Industrial Age. We need a model to suit today鈥檚 globalised world.鈥�
Since becoming principal in 2013, Jinman has helped transform the school into a beacon of the south-eastern suburbs dedicated to new methods of critical, creative and project-based learning across science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. The success of the approach is reflected in the school鈥檚 year 12 attainment levels, which jumped from 33 per cent in 2012 to 100 per cent in 2016.
Last year, the school also was the first in the state to trial the federal government鈥檚 new P-Tech program, which provides high school students with the opportunity to connect with industry partners and take part in hands-on activities at school and in the workplace.
With these changes occurring, choosing to become a member of the Learning Futures Network and the Innovative Schools Consortium was the next logical step, notes Jinman.
鈥�911爆料网 is well-known for forging forward in education and we share a lot of the same philosophical underpinnings,鈥� she says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more than just being technologically savvy 鈥� it鈥檚 about instilling our kids with the ability to adapt, to be analytical, to be good public speakers, to problem solve and to work in teams. They鈥檙e going to enter a constantly evolving workforce. We can鈥檛 even imagine the jobs of the future; we can only speculate.鈥�
To ensure a more hands-on learning approach, Jinman has encouraged teachers at the school to stage more interesting assessments for their students in line with the curriculum.
For example, in the final term of 2017, year 9 students were challenged to build a giant, hand-made game of out of cardboard, which was played on the school oval, to demonstrate their subject knowledge, problem solving and teamwork.
And these school holidays, a group of year 9-11 students were asked to build robots to enter the regional final of the international held in Sydney in March, as part of the Cecil Andrews College Wilder Wolves team.
鈥淚 visited the team. They鈥檙e sitting there all night, discussing and looking at technical drawings. I mean, who gets that level of motivation and interest when they鈥檙e on holidays?鈥� says Jinman.
鈥淚nstead of making kids jump through hoops to perform better at tests, we took a risk and changed our pedagogy. We could鈥檝e fallen flat on our faces, but to get the results we have in such a short amount of time stands testimony to the fact we鈥檝e done something right.鈥�
The new approach is being praised by other members of the Learning Futures Network, including the state鈥檚 top academic school, Perth Modern, which has approached Cecil Andrews with the possibility of building a partnership to share ideas for projects and assessments.
Flintoff believes examples such as this demonstrates the power the network can bring in encouraging educational institutions to work together to bridge gaps in privilege and opportunity and in doing so build a sustainable future.
Another such example is last year鈥檚 , a three-day workshop hosted by All Saints鈥� College, which invited students based in high schools around the Perth Metropolitan area to come along, identify and suggest solutions to problems related to the UN鈥檚 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
鈥淚 think we see ourselves playing a role within the broader community to ensure education becomes even more meaningful and relevant,鈥� says Flintoff.
鈥淓ventually, what we鈥檇 like to do is get to know students right back from the moment they begin schooling so there鈥檚 not this big division between primary school, middle school, upper school, university and their future careers.
鈥淭he only way we鈥檙e going to solve the world鈥檚 problems is if we all start working together and that鈥檚 what underpins our thinking.鈥�
