tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69501692024-03-18T04:03:50.106+01:00Education & Skills TodayGlobal perspectives on education and skillsCassandra Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02144529034699876259noreply@blogger.comBlogger522125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-65919155197329427582019-04-25T15:22:00.002+02:002019-04-25T15:22:59.587+02:00How teachers can use data and research to improve education<b>By Florian Koester</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Analyst, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: airunique/<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/school-class-school-children-bali-401519/">Pixabay</a></span></i></td></tr>
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To improve learning in the classroom, we expect teachers to use evidence on both the latest teaching methods as well as their students: on their grades, strengths, difficulties and behaviour. To incorporate this evidence effectively into their daily work, teachers need three basic ingredients: capability, motivation and opportunity. If any one of these three elements is missing, there is no reason to expect evidence to inform teachers’ work – even if it’s readily available to them.<br />
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This is where a new OECD Toolkit comes in. Our <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/strategic-education-governance-policy-tool.htm">Knowledge Governance</a> module helps countries identify what they can do to help decision makers use evidence in their daily work. It identifies concrete efforts to promote the systematic use of evidence – for teachers, but also for school leaders, policy makers and administrators.<br />
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Professional development can help teachers build the skills necessary to access and make sense of available evidence. This can include training on how to work with research and evaluate its trustworthiness, value and relevance for their practice. School leaders can also help teachers build the skills needed to help their peers work with evidence. Teachers can work with each other and with universities to investigate practices, which can provide them with important hands-on experience in using evidence.<br />
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Most teachers are highly motivated to help their students learn, but when things get busy, they often respond to more immediate challenges and forgo opportunities to use evidence. Reminders of how and where to get information, and dedicated time and space for teachers to discuss useful evidence, can help motivate them to engage with evidence – even amid their day-to-day challenges.<br />
The question of motivation is fundamental: teachers will only use evidence if they believe it can make a positive difference. Teachers must be determined to explore evidence, even if it may contradict their convictions about what good teaching looks like. Here, bringing teachers and researchers together can offer a positive social influence, and can contribute to a common language. Such a language allows teachers to talk dispassionately about their practice – without criticising their colleagues’ personal qualities.<br />
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Using evidence to improve teaching needs to start with teachers – with their contexts, capabilities and motivations.</blockquote>
But even if teachers are capable and motivated to use evidence, it will not make any difference if the available evidence does not meet their particular needs. Providing clear and direct access to available data won’t necessarily provide teachers with opportunity, either. Using evidence to improve teaching needs to start with teachers – with their contexts, capabilities and motivations.<br />
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If making evidence available does not start with the users, the effort to use evidence might be too onerous for their daily practice. As a researcher-gone-school-principal told us, “I have 12 years of training in making use of evidence – do we want to expect teachers to engage with data like a full-time researcher on top of their teaching and other responsibilities?”<br />
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Making evidence conveniently available should follow a clear purpose to minimise costs – costs entailed in providing the evidence and in sifting through it to find what is relevant. This includes avoiding heedlessly implementing solutions simply because they are technically possible. Just as tablets in the classroom do not improve teaching on their own, merely putting data out there does not mean it will be used.<br />
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Indeed, making evidence available is only half the story. The other half involves organising day-to-day work in a way that enables and encourages teachers to engage with each other and in activities around making use of evidence. Authorities and school leaders can support this by providing and helping with knowledge management systems, and by weighing the costs and benefits of changing a school’s work processes.<br />
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Ultimately, all three components – the capability, motivation and opportunity to engage with evidence – need to be present in order to change behaviour. Responsible authorities need to motivate teachers to use data to improve education, help build their capabilities, and create opportunities to engage with data to improve teaching and learning.<br />
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This kind of evidence-centric culture is not created overnight – but assessing and promoting these three elements is a useful place to start.<br />
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<b>Read more:</b><br />
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<li><a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/strategic-education-governance-policy-tool.htm">Strategic Education Governance - Policy Toolkit</a></li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-54383603724981491392019-04-24T13:30:00.000+02:002019-04-24T13:30:41.170+02:00How students and parents feel about the future of the environment <b>By Francesco Avvisati</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Analyst, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Nikola Jovanovic/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/OBok3F8buKY">Unsplash</a></span></td></tr>
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Earlier this year, students from 112 countries across the world skipped school to join the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/15/school-climate-strike-greta-thunberg">School Strike for Climate</a> and demand government action on climate change. The strike, initiated by the 16-year-old Swedish activist <a href="https://youtu.be/VFkQSGyeCWg">Greta Thunberg</a>, came amid reports that climate change appears to be accelerating, and that urgent action is needed to curb emissions of greenhouse gases. <br />
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The impression, from both media coverage and the activists themselves, is that young people today are more environmentally aware than ever before – and more anxious about the existential threats that climate change may pose. But data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (<a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/">PISA</a>) suggest that such anxiety isn’t exclusive to today’s teenagers. In fact, parents in some countries are even more pessimistic about the environment than their children are.<br />
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The 2015 PISA asked 15-year-old students whether they think their future will be worse, from an environmental standpoint, than the present day. Parents in 15 countries and economies were asked the same question. Although the questions did not explicitly address climate change, they did cover a range of related environmental issues: air pollution, the extinction of plants and animals, clearing forests for land use, water shortages and nuclear waste.<br />
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As we describe in the latest edition of <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/is-there-a-generational-divide-in-environmental-optimism_04677bea-en"><i>PISA in Focus</i></a>, only a minority of 15-year-olds believed that these environmental issues would improve over the next 20 years, suggesting that pessimism is indeed widespread among teenagers. But when asked about their outlook on environmental issues, parents expressed even greater pessimism than their children.<br />
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The challenge is to ensure that students and parents understand the connections between their daily decisions and possible long-term consequences.</blockquote>
There are some exceptions to this trend. Students and parents were about equally pessimistic in the Flemish Community of Belgium; and students were more pessimistic than their parents in Hong Kong (China) and Macao (China). On average, though, parents appear to be even more worried about the future of the environment than the generation that will inherit it.<br />
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But students and parents do not always share the same concerns. Our analysis reveals that concerns about air pollution are most widespread among students, and at least as severe as among parents. Although students in Germany and Spain are generally less pessimistic than their parents across all five environmental issues, they expressed considerably greater pessimism about air pollution. Parents, on the other hand, typically worry most about water shortages. Notably, both air pollution and water shortages may be related to climate change – either as a common cause (e.g., human activity that increases greenhouse gases emissions and other pollutants) or as a consequence (e.g., more frequent catastrophic droughts).<br />
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The students who went on strike in March are certainly right to be worried, and governments should heed their calls. But curbing emissions of greenhouse gases and improving air quality in increasingly urban societies will require more than government action. It will require changes in how many people behave, as both consumers and producers. Government action can face pushback, as well; stricter environmental norms and carbon taxes often encounter strong opposition from voters – a force that most governments cannot ignore.<br />
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For educators, the challenge is to ensure that students and parents understand the connections between their daily decisions and possible long-term consequences – not just for themselves, but for society as a whole. They must also strike a delicate balance, taking care to ensure that pessimism does not lead to fatalism, while still transmitting the knowledge that can propel children – and their parents – into action.<br />
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Read more:<br />
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<li><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/is-there-a-generational-divide-in-environmental-optimism_04677bea-en">PISA in Focus no. 95: Is there a generational divide in environmental optimism?</a></li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-65365889832850881092019-04-18T12:20:00.002+02:002019-04-18T12:20:30.167+02:00How computer-based tests are enriching education research<b>By Marco Paccagnella</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Analyst, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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Test scores are a convenient measure of knowledge and skills, and they are useful in identifying both under-performers and high achievers. But test scores alone (and rankings based on them) might not tell the whole story.<br />
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Whether at the individual or country level, test scores do not tell us anything about how and why test-takers achieve a given level of performance – information that is essential to help students improve. In a classroom situation, teachers usually have access to students’ actual responses on a maths test or writing assignment, which they can use – together with their own knowledge about the student – to provide feedback, highlight subtleties and correct misunderstandings. This is not the case for researchers who analyse data from large-scale assessments, such as <a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/">PISA</a> and the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/">Survey of Adult Skills</a>; but computer-based testing provides researchers with new – and important – insights.<br />
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Computer-based testing has significantly increased the amount of information that researchers can collect from respondents, and promises to improve our understanding and interpretation of test scores. The software used to administer assessments can also record all interactions that respondents make with the computer interface (storing them in so-called “log files”), which provide researchers with an unprecedented level of detail on the behaviours of respondents.<br />
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This kind of information can be used, for example, to determine the engagement and perseverance of test takers, based on the time they take on a given assessment. These measures are particularly important for low-stakes assessments like the Survey of Adult Skills or PISA, because the validity of such tests rests on the assumption that participants give a reasonable amount of effort. In the case of the Survey, though, data from log files show that engagement varies widely across test takers in different countries, as we detail in a new <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/beyond-proficiency-0b1414ed-en.htm">report</a>.<br />
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Smart measurement is on its way – and exciting new developments are on the horizon.</blockquote>
Adults in Norway, Germany, Austria and Finland, for example, spent nearly 50 minutes on the test, on average; and only about 5% of respondents in those countries were identified as disengaged on more than 20% of the items. In Italy and in the Slovak Republic, on the other hand, the average test taker spent only about 40 minutes on the assessment, and the share of disengaged respondents was about 15% and 10%, respectively.<br />
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These findings are important for two reasons. First, they convey information about some important non-cognitive traits of the respondents, such as their conscientiousness and the ability to endure fatigue and remain committed to a task. (Such information should be interpreted with caution, however, as we cannot be sure how those who participated in the Survey would behave in a real-world, higher-stakes situation.) Second, they provide context that allows us to better interpret the results. The assessed performance of disengaged respondents, for example, is less indicative of their true underlying performance, and this should be accounted for in comparing results across countries or groups of respondents. Such results are suggestive, however, rather than conclusive, underscoring the need for further research rather than immediate policy actions.<br />
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Research on log-files is still in its infancy, and there are limitations. The content of log-files is limited both by what software developers chose to record (current datasets only record a limited subset of all respondent interactions), and the format of assessment items allowed to be recorded. The disengagement indicator discussed above is based on the assumption that time spent on an item is a reasonable approximation of effort, but we have no way to observe how respondents spent that time, apart from the few actions that required interaction with the computer platform. Many of today’s computer-based assessments are simply digital transpositions of materials that were originally designed for paper. As a result, they are not interactive in nature, which limits the amount of computer interactions. This, in turn, means that most cognitive processes required to answer the questions cannot be observed or inferred based on information from log files.</div>
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Things are likely to change in the future, though. As the research community improves its understanding of technology’s potential, they will begin designing more items capable of capturing cognitive strategies, and myriad other cognitive and non-cognitive facets. Emerging technological developments will also allow researchers to measure even more aspects of test-taking behaviours. Experiments have already been conducted with sophisticated eye-tracking technology, for example, though not yet at a large scale. </div>
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Smart measurement is on its way – and exciting new developments are on the horizon. </div>
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<b>Read more:</b></div>
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<li><i><a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/beyond-proficiency-0b1414ed-en.htm">Beyond Proficiency: Using Log Files to Understand Respondent Behaviour in the Survey of Adult Skills</a></i></li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-32440213144538933372019-04-17T11:00:00.000+02:002019-04-17T11:00:12.609+02:00How the Teaching and Learning International Survey measures innovation in education<b>By Aakriti Kalra</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Consultant, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo credit: <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teacher-pupils-using-wooden-shapes-montessori-641754271?src=i7J2HWQ7hOP2tmbZs7ygiA-1-43">Shutterstock</a></i></span></td></tr>
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Innovation, at its core, involves adapting current methods in order to improve them, or to achieve something new. For teachers, this means continuously adapting and reinventing their teaching approaches in order to meet the ever-changing needs of their students. More broadly, innovation in education encompasses the actions and conditions that help deliver what is today defined as a quality education – one that includes a wide range of knowledge, skills, attitudes and habits that will prepare today’s students to be tomorrow’s citizens.<br />
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How teachers and schools innovate is a key area of enquiry in the latest cycle of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (<a href="http://www.oecd.org/talis/">TALIS</a>). Established in 2008, TALIS is the first major international survey of teachers and school leaders on their working conditions and the learning environments in their schools. When it comes to innovation, policy makers across the 48 TALIS participating countries and economies are interested in measuring two key components: the presence of innovation in classrooms and the conditions that enable teachers and schools to innovate in their teaching and learning processes. Innovation therefore intersects with ongoing TALIS research themes such as teaching practices, teachers’ attitudes, professional development and self-efficacy.<br />
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To measure the extent of innovation, TALIS relies on teachers’ self-reports of how frequently they use classroom practices that could be considered innovative. These include assigning tasks that require students to think critically, having them work in small groups to come up with a joint solution, and letting them use information and communication technologies (ICT) for projects, among others. These activities fall under the umbrella of “cognitive activation” and “enhanced activities” in the TALIS 2018 teacher questionnaire, as they allow students to build cross-curricular skills such as collaboration and critical thinking. To measure the enabling conditions for innovation, TALIS provides a rich set of information on openness to change (among both teachers and organisations), professional supports that can help teachers use innovative practices, and teachers’ sense of preparedness in these areas. </div>
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When new TALIS results are released in June, they will provide unique insights into innovation in education by focusing on the people who drive innovation every day – teachers and school principals. </div>
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<b>Read more: </b></div>
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<li><i><a href="https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/how-teachers-and-schools-innovate_71101b69-en#page1">Teaching in Focus no. 26: How teachers and schools innovate: New measures in TALIS 2018</a></i></li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-14235250851960509422019-04-15T14:57:00.000+02:002019-04-15T14:57:04.587+02:00Why knowledge is the most important resource for education systems today<b>Dirk Van Damme</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Senior Counsellor, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Jesse Orrico/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/rmWtVQN5RzU">Unsplash</a></span></td></tr>
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Education systems in developed countries today are huge – in terms of people, institutions and budgets – and emerging nations are rapidly catching up, as they expand their own educational infrastructure. Such large systems do not run on money, alone. Knowledge is probably the most important resource that education systems need to turn money and infrastructure into the outcomes that societies expect of them.<br />
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Modern societies no longer tolerate putting large amounts of money into an education system that does not deliver on expectations. But without knowledge, education risks becoming another black hole in the public infrastructure. At every level – from policy makers at the top, to the teacher in a small village school – education systems are asking for more, and better, knowledge. This is not a new phenomenon, but with evidence-informed policy and practice exerting greater influence over education in recent years, the demand for reliable knowledge has increased exponentially.<br />
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To be honest, educational science is not in a very good position to respond to this need. In most countries, the knowledge and evidence base of education goes back to philosophical traditions in pedagogy, complemented by evidence from supporting disciplines such as sociology and psychology. Educational researchers have only recently adopted state-of-the-art research approaches that would stand the test of rigour in other disciplines. But – as we often hear from education ministers – educational research has both a “quantity” and “quality” problem.<br />
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Quantitatively, the amount of resources available to educational research does not match its needs. The health system, by contrast, consumes a similar share of taxpayers’ money, but can rely on a very extensive infrastructure of biomedical research. Nothing comparable exists in education. Qualitatively, many peers in the scientific domain will agree that educational science relies too heavily on pre-scientific views, often based on romanticist belief systems about children and their learning, or on practical knowledge transmitted from one generation to another. Things have improved recently, however, as trained researchers increasingly turn to scientific research methodologies.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Connecting the worlds of research and educational policy and practice will take time, and serious effort.</blockquote>
In this context, it is remarkable that other disciplines are turning their focus to human learning. This is often the case in relatively new fields, such as neuroscience, and those based on new technological opportunities, such as non-invasive brain research. Researchers in these fields join cognitive and social psychologists, colleagues working in computer and information science, specialists in artificial intelligence and machine learning, and even engineers in a shared endeavour to unravel the mysteries of human learning. This cross-disciplinary effort is very welcomed, and it is starting to generate fascinating new perspectives. Old pedagogical questions, which are often stuck in sclerorised ideological positions, are now re-examined in a completely new light. The fundamental building blocks of human learning, such as the origins of language learning and numerical representations, are no longer uncharted territories.<br />
<br />
The question, then, is how to transmit and translate this emerging body of research evidence into the knowledge channels of education. There are very powerful barriers to new knowledge within the education infrastructure because of established, generally accepted forms of ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’, professional knowledge among teachers, and age-old codified knowledge in teacher training. Confronting these knowledge bastions will not be helpful; a careful and patient approach to translating and transmitting new research evidence is needed.<br />
<br />
That’s why an effort by the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI), in partnership with the US National Science Foundation’s Science of Learning Centers, is so important. This initiative aims to present research findings from leading research teams in ways that are understandable for the professional educational community, is so important. The recently published report, <i><a href="http://www.oecd.org/science/developing-minds-in-the-digital-age-562a8659-en.htm">Developing Minds in the Digital Age. Towards a Science of Learning for 21st Century Education</a></i>, fills a huge gap in this regard – in both its content and the way it translates research into policy and practice.<br />
<br />
A cross-disciplinary science of learning is clearly in the making, and that’s probably the best news for education in a long time. It holds enormous promises for future improvements in the way we institutionally and professionally organise environments where humans learn. But connecting the worlds of research and educational policy and practice will take time, and serious effort.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Read more: </b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.oecd.org/science/developing-minds-in-the-digital-age-562a8659-en.htm">Developing Minds in the Digital Age: Towards a Science of Learning for 21st Century Education</a> </i>(OECD, 2019) </li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-21650362866867886262019-04-05T13:19:00.000+02:002019-04-05T14:42:00.699+02:00Why vocational education matters more than you might think<b>By Giovanni Maria Semeraro</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Statistician, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXGDyuFuzh1hyphenhyphensvWDuImRrjDoRim8GDFlGt8vVwBeqgh9zMTY6_BTbTagAfHlstSVEBUEkvGybRrTIvucVFeNRD5x3VY09J5Qi__KbQSU8KpSHfRRT78VBhMmBjvZP4Cpm0FL/s1600/helloquence-61189-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXGDyuFuzh1hyphenhyphensvWDuImRrjDoRim8GDFlGt8vVwBeqgh9zMTY6_BTbTagAfHlstSVEBUEkvGybRrTIvucVFeNRD5x3VY09J5Qi__KbQSU8KpSHfRRT78VBhMmBjvZP4Cpm0FL/s640/helloquence-61189-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Helloquence/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/5fNmWej4tAA">Unsplash</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Vocational education has not always had the best reputation. Vocational programmes are often technical in nature, and their graduates typically expect lower incomes relative to those who complete general or academic tracks. As a result, vocational education is generally perceived as a track for low-achieving students, or an alternative for those who drop out.<br />
<br />
But this reputation is not entirely deserved. In our latest <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/what-characterises-upper-secondary-vocational-education-and-training_a1a7e2f1-en"><i>Education Indicators in Focus</i> brief</a>, we examine the characteristics of vocational education and training programmes in modern education systems, and unmask some of the myths surrounding them. <br />
<br />
To start with, vocational education may be more attractive than we think. As the following figure makes clear, many countries across the OECD have developed strong and robust vocational education systems. In 2016, almost half (44%) of upper secondary students across all OECD countries were enrolled in vocational tracks. In Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, the Netherlands, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, that figure was around 70%.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0hF7k03JyXGK5dcrRPVPRtxH_6elQKkEfE1c_NTwzpatiILn8OvvJkMb_DT_tCWEMuW5R0KJQ_vdiKq9j8KwqgQSLpCSLeEvA1HWdUYRDGMn78bf-gjyzACQ8FxwcD3Cymjo/s1600/EDIF+68+figure.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="709" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0hF7k03JyXGK5dcrRPVPRtxH_6elQKkEfE1c_NTwzpatiILn8OvvJkMb_DT_tCWEMuW5R0KJQ_vdiKq9j8KwqgQSLpCSLeEvA1HWdUYRDGMn78bf-gjyzACQ8FxwcD3Cymjo/s640/EDIF+68+figure.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
It is true that lower-performing students tend to enter vocational programmes at the upper secondary level. PISA data show that enrolment in vocational tracks is strongly associated with poor student performance; on average across OECD countries, the share of low performers in vocational programmes is twice as large as in general tracks. Low performance can make students feel disengaged from school, and more likely to drop out. Students in upper secondary vocational tracks are also less likely to complete their programme than those enrolled in general programmes, which carries obvious consequences for them in the labour market.<br />
<br />
But vocational education and training systems attract a diverse range of other students, as well. Although some vocational students are indeed at risk of dropping out of school, others are simply seeking technical skills for labour market entry. Vocational students also include adults who wish to increase their employability by further developing their skills, as well as students who might later seek entry into higher education. A common characteristic of these programmes is their central role in preparing young people for work and responding to labour market needs. Because of this, vocational programmes are fairly resilient to economic downturns. During the 2008 recession, vocational education and training effectively addressed youth unemployment in countries like Austria, Germany and Switzerland.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Strong vocational systems are based on strong career guidance, links with the labour market and flexible curricula.</blockquote>
Today, a growing number of countries recognise the value of strong vocational education systems as a way to prepare students for direct entry into specific occupations, and are investigating measures to increase their relevance and attractiveness to students. Strong vocational systems provide students with career guidance and the opportunity to make a smooth transition to the labour market, or to pursue higher-level vocational and academic qualifications. They provide flexible curricula that enable transfers between general and vocational education and address initial, continuous and tertiary education.<br />
<br />
Among vocational education and training programmes, combined school- and work-based programmes have several advantages. Learners receive an education that combines practical and theoretical learning, while firms receive access to a workforce that is tailored to their needs and already familiar with firm-specific procedures. Strong ties with employers and trade unions can help ensure that the vocational education system is connected with labour market needs and demands; and there is strong potential to develop these types of programmes even further. On average across OECD countries, only 11% of upper secondary students (or one in four vocational students) are enrolled in combined school- and work-based programmes.<br />
<br />
High-quality vocational education and training can clearly make a major contribution to modern economies and labour markets. As jobs either disappear or transform with time, vocational education and training can ensure that workers develop the skills that labour markets need.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Read more:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/what-characterises-upper-secondary-vocational-education-and-training_a1a7e2f1-en"><i>Education Indicators in Focus no. 68: What characterises upper secondary Vocational Education and Training?</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-en"><i>Education at a Glance 2018: OECD Indicators</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264250246-en"><i>Low-Performing Students: Why They Fall Behind and How To Help Them Succeed</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264214682-en.pdf?expires=1551367443&id=id&accname=ocid84004878&checksum=119103BB908280AACB3B4FF65802FF5D"><i>Skills beyond School, Synthesis Report</i></a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-15340068822797212792019-04-03T11:46:00.001+02:002019-04-03T11:46:58.996+02:00How can artificial intelligence enhance and transform education?<b>By Charles Fadel</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Founder and Chairman, Center for Curriculum Redesign</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Chair of the BIAC/OECD Education Committee</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvlWQjtVv34uI4vFqKq5wy7Kex2foEnHuvfQDsXEm1KZ2l0Tyz8qEh_ncgyOCItXorlsH73eAVfu-vFhPuLJr_k_o_sXEW4B5P2_G69Y1GvG8TMsA17LU8fZ5IBBP_kDWlhmr/s1600/luca-bravo-217276-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvlWQjtVv34uI4vFqKq5wy7Kex2foEnHuvfQDsXEm1KZ2l0Tyz8qEh_ncgyOCItXorlsH73eAVfu-vFhPuLJr_k_o_sXEW4B5P2_G69Y1GvG8TMsA17LU8fZ5IBBP_kDWlhmr/s640/luca-bravo-217276-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Luca Bravo/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/XJXWbfSo2f0">Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As arguably <i>the</i> driving technological force of the first half of this century, artificial intelligence (AI) promises to transform virtually every industry, if not human endeavours at large. Businesses and governments worldwide are pouring enormous sums of money into a wide array of AI technologies, and dozens of AI-focused start-ups have received billions of dollars in funding.<br />
<br />
It would be naive to think that AI will not have an impact on education, as well. The possibilities for change are indeed profound, though for the moment, they are still over-hyped. It is important to strike the right balance between reality and hype – between true potential and wild extrapolations.<br />
<br />
Every new technology is first met with high expectations, and invariably sees a precipitous fall after it fails to live up to them. The technology sees slower growth thereafter, as it develops and integrates into our lives. As visualized in the Gartner diagram below, every technology can be said to reside somewhere on the curve at any given time; for example, Deep Learning, which is part of AI, is currently peaking.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujVpzNONFZc0Fr2cJ-mXbnfpRY2mz5ObQcHGc4eh7BGoxgrZ0sQa2Gp1SMrptDSLhyphenhyphen3X3hn6QgSRglOYVLviCOdCGEANkGyzUwTFZwuLcEfDbrwtFtLHCpR3Kh0n-QHvpJb-Y/s1600/Gartner+diagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1046" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujVpzNONFZc0Fr2cJ-mXbnfpRY2mz5ObQcHGc4eh7BGoxgrZ0sQa2Gp1SMrptDSLhyphenhyphen3X3hn6QgSRglOYVLviCOdCGEANkGyzUwTFZwuLcEfDbrwtFtLHCpR3Kh0n-QHvpJb-Y/s640/Gartner+diagram.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Source: <a href="http://www.gartner.com/SmarterWithGartner">Gartner</a></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is of course a risky proposition to attempt to predict the future in a field that is evolving so fast. As such, this work will likely be periodically updated to keep up with the latest developments (just as you would expect from any software or app).<br />
<br />
To use a somewhat oversimplified <a href="https://www.rogerschank.com/">quote</a>: “There are only two problems in education: what we teach, and how we teach it.”<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The 'What'</b><br />
<br />
It is widely expected that AI will have an enormous impact on what we teach, as it will impact many occupations. Take for instance the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (<a href="https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/">PIAAC</a>) survey, which measures adults’ proficiency in key information-processing skills—literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments—and gathers data on how adults use their skills at home and at work. Using information collected by the survey, Stuart Elliot found that AI already matches more than 50% of adult human-proficiency levels, and is closing in on an additional 36%.<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid black; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid black; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1024; width: 0px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22.95pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border: none; height: 22.95pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 101.05pt;" width="135"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 120%;"><b>Proficiency Level</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border: none; height: 22.95pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.3pt;" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 120%;"><b>OECD
Adults</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border: none; height: 22.95pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 102.35pt;" width="136"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 120%;"><b>Artificial
Intelligence</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-top: none; border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 101.05pt;" width="135"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 120%;">2 and below</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.3pt;" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 120%;">53%</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 102.35pt;" width="136"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 120%;">Yes</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-top: none; border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 101.05pt;" width="135"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 120%;">3</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.3pt;" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 120%;">36%</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 102.35pt;" width="136"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 120%;">Close</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-top: none; border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 101.05pt;" width="135"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 120%;">4–5</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.3pt;" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 120%;">11%</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 102.35pt;" width="136"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; line-height: 120%;">No</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: Stuart Elliott, <a href="https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/computers-and-the-future-of-skill-demand_9789264284395-en#page1">"Computers and the Future of Skill Demand"</a></span></div>
<br />
Such progress is bound to continue at an accelerating, pace. IBM’s Open Leaderboard initiative tracks may variables to better understand this progress. According to IBM’s Leaderboard, AI should enter the realm of deeper self-learning by the early 2020s and become capable of assisting, collaborating, coaching and mediating by the early 2030s.<br />
<br />
<div>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="background: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-border-alt: solid #BFBFBF .5pt; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid #BFBFBF; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid #BFBFBF; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 0px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 16.2pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: -1; mso-yfti-lastfirstrow: yes;">
<td colspan="2" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border: none; height: 16.2pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.15pt;" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 1; text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Perceive
World</b></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td colspan="2" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border: none; height: 16.2pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 1; text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Develop Cognition</b></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td colspan="2" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border: none; height: 16.2pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 92.8pt;" width="124"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 1; text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Build Relationships</b></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td colspan="2" style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border: none; height: 16.2pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 77.05pt;" width="103"><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 1; text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Fill Roles</b></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 73.35pt; mso-yfti-irow: 0; page-break-inside: avoid;">
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid #404040 1.0pt; border-left: solid white 1.0pt; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 73.35pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 191; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 191; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; mso-rotate: 90; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 42.95pt;" width="57"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 5.65pt 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Pattern
Recognition<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid #404040 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 73.35pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 191; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 191; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; mso-rotate: 90; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 39.2pt;" width="52"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 5.65pt 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Video
Understanding<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid #404040 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 73.35pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 191; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 191; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; mso-rotate: 90; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.15pt;" width="64"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 5.65pt 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Memory<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid #404040 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 73.35pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 191; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 191; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; mso-rotate: 90; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 41.85pt;" width="56"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 5.65pt 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Reasoning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 73.35pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; mso-rotate: 90; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 42.35pt;" width="56"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 5.65pt 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Social
Interactions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 73.35pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; mso-rotate: 90; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.45pt;" width="67"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 5.65pt 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Fluent
Conversations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 73.35pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; mso-rotate: 90; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 45.8pt;" width="61"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 5.65pt 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Assistant
& Collaborator<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F2F2F2; border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 73.35pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; mso-rotate: 90; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 31.25pt;" width="42"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 5.65pt 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Coach &
Mentor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="4" style="border-top: none; border: solid #404040 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themetint: 191; mso-border-themetint: 191; mso-border-top-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-themetint: 191; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 172.15pt;" width="230"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Learning from Labeled Training
Data and Searching (Optimization)</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-themetint: 191; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 42.35pt;" width="56"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 128; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.45pt;" width="67"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 128; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 45.8pt;" width="61"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 128; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 31.25pt;" width="42"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 128; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 42.95pt;" width="57"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-right: solid #404040 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-right-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themetint: 191; mso-border-right-themetint: 191; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 39.2pt;" width="52"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td colspan="4" style="border-bottom: solid #404040 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #404040 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: text1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 191; mso-border-left-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-themetint: 191; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themetint: 191; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themetint: 191; mso-border-top-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-themetint: 191; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 182.8pt;" width="244"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Learn by Watching and Reading <br />
(Education)</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-themetint: 191; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 45.8pt;" width="61"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 31.25pt;" width="42"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 42.95pt;" width="57"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 128; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 39.2pt;" width="52"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 128; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.15pt;" width="64"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 128; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-right: solid #404040 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-right-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themecolor: text1; mso-border-right-themetint: 191; mso-border-right-themetint: 191; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 41.85pt;" width="56"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-yfti-cnfc: 128; text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td colspan="4" style="border-left: none; border: solid #404040 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #404040 .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: text1; mso-border-left-themetint: 191; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themetint: 191; mso-border-themetint: 191; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 169.85pt;" width="226"><div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Learn by Doing and being
Responsible (Exploration)</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 42.95pt;" width="57"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;">2015<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 39.2pt;" width="52"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;">2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.15pt;" width="64"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;">2021<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 41.85pt;" width="56"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;">2024<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 42.35pt;" width="56"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;">2027<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.45pt;" width="67"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;">2030<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 45.8pt;" width="61"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-indent: 0cm;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;">2033<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 120%;">2036<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Source: Jim Spohrer, IBM</i></span></div>
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In light of the above, we make a case in our book for the necessity to focus on a broad, deep and versatile education as a hedge against uncertain futures. This, in turn, requires a reinvigorated focus on the deeper learning goals of a modern education:<br />
<ul>
<li>Versatility, for robustness to face life and work.</li>
<li>Relevance, for applicability and student motivation.</li>
<li>Transfer, for broad future actionability.</li>
</ul>
All of which are to be developed via:<br />
<ul>
<li>Selective emphasis on important areas of traditional knowledge. </li>
<li>The addition of modern knowledge. </li>
<li>A focus on essential content and core concepts.</li>
<li>Interdisciplinarity, using real-world applications.</li>
<li>Embedded skills, character and meta learning into the knowledge domains.</li>
</ul>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>The 'How'</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
How can AI enhance and transform education? First, it is important to distinguish between education technology (EdTech) in general, and artificial intelligence in education (AIED), in particular. A quick summary of the benefits of EdTech is appropriate at this stage, as the taxonomy and ontology of the field is quite murky. The SAMR model, outlined below, showcases how AIED will span all layers of EdTech, with its maximum impact growing as it moves up the stack.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVOPUNd88B3Ze22ICM07MqbwSzZVrIZaXDo-ZeYmlMV1c-U8VRIG-kXPCWIcdZzMormJL-sJ9Vr5SVyJxDBlvTmlqZ6CJYlSUvdSB_yt1jHA5j_43_VAORx_hB_3R3g_-AbbO/s1600/RAMS+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVOPUNd88B3Ze22ICM07MqbwSzZVrIZaXDo-ZeYmlMV1c-U8VRIG-kXPCWIcdZzMormJL-sJ9Vr5SVyJxDBlvTmlqZ6CJYlSUvdSB_yt1jHA5j_43_VAORx_hB_3R3g_-AbbO/s640/RAMS+image.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition model (SAMR)</span></td></tr>
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Note that the examples shown in the above figure represent today’s apps, not tomorrow’s, and only serve to help explain the model. Often these apps are collapsed under the term “technology”, and there is much confusion about the potential of technology. This model helps us to delineate the different types of impacts that technology can have, from mere substitution with no functional changes, to the creation of new, previously inconceivable tasks.<br />
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<b>'What is easy to measure is also easy to automate'</b></div>
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Assessments have been the hidden villain behind many education debates, and a powerful force behind enshrining institutional inertia. To repurpose a famous Aristotelian syllogism: </div>
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Lack of, or poor, education is at the root of many human problems.</div>
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Assessments define the education we get.</div>
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Therefore, assessments are the root of many human problems.</div>
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It is clear that assessments have an outsize role to play in the change process, and as part of the AI-driven systems of (mostly formative) assessments.</div>
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As Andreas Schleicher, Director of the OECD’s Directorate for Education and Skills, has pointed out: “What is easy to measure is also easy to automate”. The onus is therefore on the assessment world to readjust its focus and drive change.</div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Read the latest book from the Center for Curriculum Redesign:</i> Artificial Intelligence in Education: Promises and Implications for Teaching and Learning<i>, available <a href="https://curriculumredesign.org/our-work/artificial-intelligence-in-education/">here</a>.</i><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-66138863479942642192019-03-29T10:48:00.000+01:002019-03-29T10:48:27.437+01:00How Italy developed a state-of-the-art school assessment culture<b>By Andreas Schleicher</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Director, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeis0Wzyjif0M4DlN-ZQwr9Fn3z39W03K399mDV4FUpnnrBvKxCAeqYTYxbd9Hksx-4rl7thVm9HUm1eYOC0nICaM-qYxmMH0bMUXUOw3uazjbPqmvFtTmTFbuIAQJga6bmOKR/s1600/italy-1093076_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeis0Wzyjif0M4DlN-ZQwr9Fn3z39W03K399mDV4FUpnnrBvKxCAeqYTYxbd9Hksx-4rl7thVm9HUm1eYOC0nICaM-qYxmMH0bMUXUOw3uazjbPqmvFtTmTFbuIAQJga6bmOKR/s640/italy-1093076_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Greg Hristov/<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/italy-italian-europe-european-1093076/">Pixabay</a></span></i></td></tr>
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I first visited Italy’s National Institute for Evaluation (<a href="http://www.invalsi.it/invalsi/index.php">INVALSI</a>) in 1989. In those days, when it was called the CEDE, it was a place where academics debated educational research and contributed to international comparative studies. Back then, few would have thought the institute would build a comprehensive national assessment of the Italian school system. But two decades later, Italy has done just that. The country’s state-of-the-art assessment culture provides broad national diagnostics and tests the performance of students in multiple subjects and grade levels in all Italian schools.<br />
<br />
But that’s still the easy part. A much harder task is to convert test results into meaningful feedback that can help improve teaching and learning, and enable schools to become more effective. Publishing league tables of schools doesn’t do the trick, because the performance of students and schools can depend on many things beyond their control – including, most notably, the social and economic background of student populations.<br />
<br />
Converting results into meaningful feedback requires looking beyond aggregate school results and tracking individual student learning outcomes alongside relevant contextual information that can help explain performance differences. Not many countries have been able to do that well and systematically, but Italy is one of the few that have.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The most promising path toward building a better, fairer, more effective and more inclusive school system in Italy.</blockquote>
Since 2016, Italy has provided every school with an assessment of not only the quality of its learning outcomes, but also the value it adds relative to other schools for 5th, 8th and 10th grades. Schools can use those metrics to compare themselves with regional and national comparators and with “statistical neighbours”, i.e., schools operating in a similar social and economic context. At individual and school levels, these “value added” estimates account not just for the social background of students and basic demographics, but also for the learning trajectories and test results of students at previous stages, using sophisticated multi-level regression analyses.<br />
<br />
This month, 30 years after I first visited the CEDE, Italy published its <a href="https://invalsi-areaprove.cineca.it/docs/2019/Rapporto%20Valore%20aggiunto%202018.pdf">first comprehensive analysis</a> of the data. Its analysis provides an amazing resource for school improvement and policy development, and I am sure policy makers and researchers around the world will read it with great interest. The results show that, for individual students, preceding test results tend to be the most powerful predictor of learning outcomes, well ahead of social background. For schools, this implies that performance-related interventions targeting students with learning difficulties can be very important, together with socio-economically targeted interventions that focus on students from disadvantaged backgrounds. At the school level, the effect of prior performance tends to become even more important as students grow older, underlining the importance of early interventions to protect students from falling behind.<br />
<br />
Importantly, the data allow us to compare the results that schools achieved with what could be expected of them, given their student population and context. This gives educators and policy makers a powerful tool to target support for school development. To this end, INVALSI groups schools by their actual performance compared with their predicted performance. Over two-thirds of schools fall within their expected value, but some do better and can therefore provide inspiration for other schools.<br />
<br />
Will Italy and its schools learn from these data? It may take another decade before this new evidence-informed culture will take root among teachers, schools and the education system. But it is the most promising path toward building a better, fairer, more effective and more inclusive school system in Italy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Read more: </b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><a href="https://invalsi-areaprove.cineca.it/docs/2019/Rapporto%20Valore%20aggiunto%202018.pdf">L’Effetto Scuola (Valore Aggiunto) Nelle Prove INVALSI 2018</a></i> (Italian)</li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-61357643966830201582019-03-25T13:48:00.000+01:002019-03-25T13:48:40.683+01:00How can teachers be more effective in diverse classrooms?<b>By Neda Forghani-Arani</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">University of Vienna, Department for Teacher Education</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Steve Riot/<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/teacher-property-plant-and-teaching-3765909/">Pixabay</a></span></i></td></tr>
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Teaching is a complex, multifaceted task – especially at a time of rapid societal change. Recent migration patterns have led to increasingly diverse classrooms, which present new challenges to teachers.<br />
<br />
There is a growing body of research on classroom diversity, with much of it focusing on the challenges that diverse classrooms pose, and potential solutions. But comparatively little is known about how teachers teach in such settings, or the preparation they need to succeed. A new OECD <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/the-lives-of-teachers-in-diverse-classrooms_8c26fee5-en">working paper</a> takes a closer look at teachers’ experiences in diverse classrooms – and the competences they need to teach effectively.<br />
<br />
In order to effectively engage with students from diverse backgrounds, teachers required the relevant knowledge and understanding, attitudes, values, skills and dispositions. Their efficacy also depends on their awareness of their own perspectives, assumptions and biases, and their ability to empathise with students from different backgrounds. Competent teaching treats diversity as an asset and a source of growth, rather than a hindrance to performance.<br />
<br />
Teachers also need a high level of professionalism to select and modify methods that will meet the needs of diverse student populations; to critically evaluate the representation of diversity in teaching materials; and to systematically reflect on the impact of their own practice. This, in turn, requires professional autonomy and latitude, which empower teachers to take charge of developing their pedagogical competence.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The good news is that diversity competence can be learned.</blockquote>
Teacher autonomy and agency are important to counterbalance current policy trends that tend to minimise teacher professionalism. The standardised organisation of teaching has often left teachers without the opportunity to be creative, flexible and innovative, and many systems lack teacher agency. Successful school systems, according to OECD data, have moved to strengthen the position of teachers, and away from systems of strict accountability and administrative control.<br />
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Policy-makers frequently use frameworks to help define the competences that teachers need. Competence frameworks can provide education systems with a sound basis for planning and providing comprehensive professional development opportunities. But policies aimed at developing competent teachers are not always coherent with their objectives, and are often limited in scope or even counterproductive and misguided.<br />
<br />
Policies should instead focus more on teachers’ day-to-day needs. A teacher can be knowledgeable, empathetic and autonomous, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be effective in diverse classrooms. Even with good planning and preparation, teachers can find it challenging to make spur-of-the-moment pedagogical decisions. Working in diverse classrooms can make those decisions even more complex.<br />
<br />
The good news, though, is that diversity competence can be learned – ideally, through a sequenced process of reflection, anticipation and action. This kind of reflective practice allows teachers to step back from what is known or assumed, and look at situations from different perspectives. At the same time, teachers need concepts to help them improve their practice and develop professionally. Over time, they will learn how to make responsible pedagogical judgments – and to meet the challenges of an increasingly diverse world.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Read more:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/the-lives-of-teachers-in-diverse-classrooms_8c26fee5-en"><i>The lives of teachers in diverse classrooms</i> (OECD Working Paper, 2019)</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-47361203177730692932019-03-22T12:34:00.000+01:002019-03-22T12:34:12.084+01:00Should schools teach coding? <b>By Andreas Schleicher</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Director, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRfvOFnfk_bxOFme3kIlp__sSlLHh_U65fAZjrBg1d5d_Gl1FR1didXa4-_Vh2REkAbUmUwr-lOoEU7KH7r8EUiN4_Ld_dafmwA1kw1RsVmlW2iUQSviCjQTPEZWyTF7A1QjL/s1600/programming-593312_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRfvOFnfk_bxOFme3kIlp__sSlLHh_U65fAZjrBg1d5d_Gl1FR1didXa4-_Vh2REkAbUmUwr-lOoEU7KH7r8EUiN4_Ld_dafmwA1kw1RsVmlW2iUQSviCjQTPEZWyTF7A1QjL/s640/programming-593312_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo credit: StartupStockPhotos/<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/programming-developing-startup-593312/">Pixabay</a></i></span></td></tr>
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<br />
As technology continues to transform the skills that today’s students need to shape their future, many countries are responding by layering more content on top of their school curricula and timetables. Adding new subject material is an easy way for education systems to show that they are responding to emerging demands, but it is always harder to remove older material. As a result, teachers plough through a large amount of content, leaving students with a limited depth of understanding – one that is a mile wide and an inch deep. <br />
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In today’s technology-rich world, many schools have begun teaching coding, the language we use to instruct today’s computers. It’s a skill that is in high demand, and there are intriguing examples of schools across the world teaching it in ways that are relevant and engaging for students. But the risk is that we will again be teaching students today’s techniques to solve tomorrow’s problems; by the time today’s students graduate, these techniques might already be obsolete. We should instead focus on the computational thinking that underpins these techniques – and that students can use to shape the technologies of tomorrow. <br />
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When studying national mathematics curricula for the development of the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/school/programmeforinternationalstudentassessmentpisa/34002454.pdf">PISA 2003 assessment</a>, I often asked myself why curricula devoted so much attention to teaching things like trigonometry. The answer cannot be found in the internal structure of the mathematics discipline; most mathematicians told me that trigonometry wasn’t a foundation for mathematical thinking or reasoning, but rather a very specific application of mathematics. Trigonometry does not figure prominently in the most meaningful learning progressions for students in mathematics, nor in the way mathematics is used in the world today.<br />
<br />
The answer lies in how mathematics was used generations ago by people measuring the size of their fields, or performing advanced calculations that have long since been digitised. As British mathematician and entrepreneur Conrad Wolfram told me, “Mathematics education has often confused these elements because the key mechanics of the moment lasted for hundreds of years in hand calculations. You couldn't execute four-step problem solving unless you could do this hard, expensive step with lots of training. But now that's been turned on its head by machinery that makes that step the easiest and cheapest, most of the time”.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
How can we focus learning on the 'essence' of a subject rather than the 'mechanics of the moment'?</blockquote>
Similarly, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, policy makers sought to strengthen financial education in school and requested that these skills be tested in PISA, as well. The assumption was that more financial education would translate into better student performance in financial literacy. But when the first results were published in 2014, they showed no relationship between students’ financial literacy and the amount of financial education to which they were exposed. The top performer in the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/finance/financial-education/pisa-2015-results-volume-iv-9789264270282-en.htm">PISA assessment of financial literacy</a> was Shanghai, whose schools did not provide much financial education. Shanghai’s secret to success on the PISA assessment of financial literacy may have been that its schools cultivate deep conceptual understanding and complex reasoning in the foundations of the mathematics curriculum. Because students in Shanghai could think like mathematicians, and understand the meaning of concepts such as probability, change or risk, they had no difficulties transferring and applying their knowledge to unfamiliar financial contexts. In contrast, students in other countries who had been taught specific tips and tricks in financial literacy had difficulties when solving problems in a different context.<br />
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These examples pose a larger question: how can we strengthen a deep understanding of and engagement with the underlying concepts of digitalisation without being distracted by today’s digital tools? How can we focus learning on the “essence” of a subject rather than the “mechanics of the moment” – the computational thinking that underpins the concept of algorithms, rather than the specific methods of coding an algorithm itself? Coding can be a great means to achieve this, but there is a serious risk that it becomes the end, and that school systems will continue teaching it years after it is obsolete.<br />
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We need to think more systematically about what we want to achieve from the design of curricula, rather than continuing to add more “stuff” to what is already being taught. Twenty-first-century curricula need to be characterised by rigour (building what is being taught on a high level of cognitive demand); by focus (prioritising depth over breadth of content to achieve conceptual understanding); and by coherence (sequencing instruction based on a scientific understanding of learning progressions and human development). Curricula need to remain true to the disciplines, while aiming at interdisciplinary learning and building students’ capacity to analyse problems through multiple lenses.<br />
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Curricula need to balance knowledge of discipline content with knowledge about the underlying nature and principles of disciplines. To help students address unknown future problems, curricula also need to focus on areas with the highest transfer value – in other words, they need to prioritise knowledge, skills and attitudes that can be learned in one context and applied to others. And to bring teachers along with this idea, they need to be explicit about the theory of action for how this transfer occurs. They need to balance the cognitive, social and emotional aspects of learning, and help teachers make shared responsibility among students part of the learning process. They need to frame learning in relevant and realistic contexts, and help teachers use approaches that are thematic, problem-based, project-based and centred around co-creation with their colleagues and their students. These are the principles against which we should assess any proposals to teach coding.<br />
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To determine what tomorrow’s students should learn, we must assemble the best minds in a given country – leading experts in the field, but also those who understand how students learn, as well as those who have a good understanding of how knowledge and skills are used in the real world. Such knowledge sharing will allow us to more precisely determine and regularly re-examine which topics should be taught and in what sequence – without succumbing to the temptations of the moment.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-16623967129744675512019-03-18T20:11:00.000+01:002019-03-22T15:18:32.796+01:00Leading together: insights from ministers and teachers on the future of education <b>By Andreas Schleicher</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Director, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Aline Ponce/<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/crayons-coloring-book-coloring-book-1445053/">Pixabay</a></span></td></tr>
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<br />
The expectations we place on teachers are high and growing. We expect them to have a deep and broad understanding of what they teach, how their students learn, and of the students themselves. We also expect them to be passionate, compassionate and thoughtful; to make learning central and encourage students’ engagement and responsibility; to respond effectively to the needs of students from different backgrounds and languages; to promote tolerance and social cohesion; to provide continual feedback and assessments of students; and to ensure that students feel valued and included in collaborative learning. We expect teachers to collaborate with each other, and to work with other schools and parents to set common goals and monitor their attainment.<br />
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These expectations are so high, in part, because teachers make such a difference in students’ lives. People who are successful today typically had a teacher who took a real interest in their life and aspirations; someone who helped them understand who they are, discover their passions and realise how they can build on their strengths; a teacher who taught them how to love to learn and helped them find ways to contribute to social progress.<br />
<br />
But our education systems are not keeping up. Most schools look much the same today as they did a generation ago, and teachers often don’t have the opportunities to develop the practices and skills required to meet the diverse needs of today’s learners. To help advance the education agenda, the Finnish Ministry of Education, with support from the OECD and Education International, brought together education ministers, union leaders and other teacher leaders in Helsinki this month for the ninth <a href="https://istp2019.fi/en/frontpage">International Summit on the Teaching Profession</a>. Over the years, the Summit has become a seminal event for education policy discourse, with this year’s edition attracting 21 education ministers and the union leaders from the best performing and most rapidly improving education systems, as measured by PISA.<br />
<br />
One topic of discussion during the Summit focused on how to ensure that schooling remains relevant and sustainable. That means that schools remain places where students want to learn; that they are both intellectually and financially attractive workplaces for teachers; that they deliver inclusive, effective and affordable learning opportunities; and that they command trust and support from parents and society. This is easy to say, but it can be difficult to achieve. As United Kingdom Education Minister John Swinney noted, there is a tussle between the moral purpose of education and the ‘wicked’ problems that can derail schools and erode trust. In the face of many distractions, it can be hard to keep schools focused on the big picture. Turning a blind eye to the shifts in society is not an answer, either. As Alejandro Tiana, Secretary of State of Education of Spain, put it: change affects everybody. We can react in different ways, but we all have to face it.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Change affects everybody. We can react in different ways, but we all have to face it.</blockquote>
Sustainability is also about inclusiveness. Union leader Larry Flanagan of the United Kingdom noted that whereas we once organised school systems around differentiation of destination, inclusivity has now become a central and shared goal. It is also one that can be achieved. Shanghai’s education leader Li Yong Zhi gave an impressive account of how the province attracts the most talented teachers to the most challenging classrooms and ensures that every learner has access to excellent teaching.<br />
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Finally, yet importantly, sustainability is about increasing productivity. Slovenian union leader Branimir Štrukelj reminded delegates that education is increasingly in competition with other public policy priorities. Countries in East Asia will often invest their last resources in the education of their children, who are the future of their country. In much of the Western world, on the other hand, governments have started to borrow money from the next generation to finance consumption today, and prioritise the urgent over the important. Economic and social progress are running straight into a growing pile of debt, so resources for education will remain scarce. In the words of Shanghai’s education leader Li, sustainability means thinking harder about how we can reconfigure the people, places, space, time and technology for learning to become more relevant, inclusive and productive.<br />
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Another major discussion at this year’s Summit focused on building strong foundations for learning, with many delegates highlighting the importance of the early years in a child’s life. The rapidly improving evidence base on the most effective provisions and pedagogies to support a child’s cognitive, social and emotional development and well-being is beginning to gain traction among both policy-makers and those working in the profession. As a result, the discourse is shifting from access to quality, and from care to learning – or EduCare, as Finnish Education Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen called it. Yet while Finland offers early childhood education and care facilities of the highest quality, Finnish union leader Olli Luukkainen told delegates that parents often have the impression that pre-school is taking something away from childhood, rather than adding something important to it.<br />
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How do we build parental trust in providers and provision, and an understanding that childhood does not stop when early childhood education begins – that early learning is not about pushing down schooling, but building strong foundations for learning and life? Spanish Secretary Tiana underlined the importance of quality assurance, but that can be a daunting task – especially amid pressure to remedy staff shortages to create places for all children. And union leader Dorota Obidniak of Poland warned us that the vanity of adults can mean that we do not always listen to what our children are telling us that they know.<br />
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Where schooling is concerned, we often try to resolve these tensions and dilemmas at the system level. We consult experts and build consensus around what and how students should learn, we build coherent curricula and instructional systems and ensure that we attract staff who can deliver them at the highest possible quality. And we check for results. In early childhood settings, however, we still seem willing to leave all this for a highly fragmented sector to sort out itself. As a result, early childhood education sometimes reinforces social inequality, rather than providing the level playing field that has always been the greatest promise of quality early childhood education and care. In many countries, there is a risk that children who need early childhood education and care the most have less access, and tend to participate in lower-quality services. How do we reach the children who need it most? Why do the pay and education levels we demand of staff remain so far behind what we demand for schooling?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHk3K7tL8wVSPGh9CiaoASDMGLZ9Q5CsCAOyIR2hmJtNk_hxeisbnWxMDefpoJLVdHo9obBQe_txihX3tXiYwwPezWciJ2xPMw9XPLj_wPpk1xAYza_tYpuSkPDuFu2gMHM6q6/s1600/jerry-wang-1223251-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHk3K7tL8wVSPGh9CiaoASDMGLZ9Q5CsCAOyIR2hmJtNk_hxeisbnWxMDefpoJLVdHo9obBQe_txihX3tXiYwwPezWciJ2xPMw9XPLj_wPpk1xAYza_tYpuSkPDuFu2gMHM6q6/s640/jerry-wang-1223251-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Jerry Wang/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/jfnUC7s3iuw">Unsplash</a></span></td></tr>
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And then there is the issue of financing. Many countries pride themselves on making education free, including university studies. But there seems to be one forgotten group in this: the youngest children, who are still asked to pay tuition in even some of the wealthiest countries. This suggests that we still consider early childhood education as an optional “extra”, rather than an essential foundation for individual and collective success – and one that provides a unique opportunity to develop important social and emotional skills. At the OECD, we generally support an equitable sharing of the costs and benefits of university education between students and taxpayers – through income-contingent loans, for example, or means-tested grants. But that’s not a good recipe for the early childhood education and care. Indeed, no educational sector justifies greater support from the public purse.<br />
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Delegates at the Summit also discussed how to develop new approaches to shared leadership. To transform schooling at scale, we don’t just need a clear vision of what is possible; we also need effective strategies to make educational change happen. As union leader Ip Kin-yuen of Hong Kong put it, we must reconcile the need to provide a stable environment for schools with their responsiveness and ability to thrive in a rapidly changing world.<br />
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The good news is that our knowledge about what works in education has vastly improved. But knowledge is only as valuable as our capacity to act on it, and the road to educational progress is littered with good ideas that were poorly implemented. One reason for the difficulty we face in reforming education is simply the scale and reach of the sector. And because everyone has participated in education, everyone has an opinion about it. Everyone supports education reform – except for their own children. And even those who promote reform often change their minds after they figure out what change actually means for them. Then there is the issue of losing privilege, because the vast structure of established providers has given rise to many vested interests. It’s sometimes difficult to ask the frogs to clear the swamp. That’s why the status quo has many protectors: stakeholders in education who have a vested interest in preventing change. There is often uncertainty about who will benefit from reforms and to what extent; the costs are short-term and benefits only accrue over time. Ministers may lose an election over education issues, but they rarely win with education, because the fruits of change rarely become apparent within an electoral cycle.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Education needs to be driven by people who feel supported by the system.</blockquote>
To address these challenges, delegates pointed to the centrality of shared leadership at every level of education systems: teacher leadership, school leadership and system leadership. In the words of union leader Mike Tiruman of Singapore, education needs to be driven by people who feel supported by the system.<br />
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Leaders calling for forward-looking changes need to focus resources, build capacity, change work organisations and create the right policy climate, with accountability measures designed to encourage innovation and development, rather than compliance. And they need to go against the grain of the hierarchical bureaucracies that still dominate educational institutions. Educational leaders need to tackle institutional structures that are too often built around the interests and habits of adults, rather than learners.<br />
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For schools to be entrepreneurial, system leaders must be able to mobilise the human, social and financial resources needed for innovation; to work as social entrepreneurs themselves both within and beyond their own organisations; and to build stronger linkages across sectors and countries to establish partnerships with government leaders, social entrepreneurs, businesses and civil society.<br />
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System leaders need to be aware of how organisational policies and practices can either facilitate or inhibit transformation, and be ready to confront the system where it inhibits change. They need to be design thinkers who are capable of recognising emerging trends and patterns, and seeing how they might benefit or obstruct the innovation they want to achieve. They need to use their knowledge about what motivates people to build support for their plans, and they need to use their understanding of power and influence to build the alliances and coalitions needed to get things done. This means not just planning and initiating change, but, as Slovenian Education Minister Jernej Pikalo reminded us, sustaining it over time.<br />
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21st century leaders help rules to become practice, and good practice to become culture. Because it is not programmes but culture which scales and becomes systemic and sustainable. And culture is about system learning, system-wide innovation, and purposeful collaboration. As Singaporean Education Minister Indranee Rajah put it, it is about combining collaborative leadership with a sense of unity, where teachers are respected professionals and where the system is designed to allow them to exercise their professionalism. Leadership is also about making hard choices. As Belgian Education Minister Harald Moller reminded us, curricula are becoming overloaded and need to be made more efficient.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwPKc0nkT8C9-QONByzekVWPMU0SfeBSJzpqUa3UZoGbnTgXEmX_tMW6uGbFLU71rzHNSnmuPAe_ciDOi_zP-vFuq3tJx2RB4zvJjR0EiysdAF3bQlCMyFURWXfFPx4czkgG1/s1600/santi-vedri-707620-unsplash+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwPKc0nkT8C9-QONByzekVWPMU0SfeBSJzpqUa3UZoGbnTgXEmX_tMW6uGbFLU71rzHNSnmuPAe_ciDOi_zP-vFuq3tJx2RB4zvJjR0EiysdAF3bQlCMyFURWXfFPx4czkgG1/s640/santi-vedri-707620-unsplash+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Santi Vedri/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/O5EMzfdxedg">Unsplash</a></span></td></tr>
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Last but not least, leadership means being transparent with teachers and school leaders about where reform is heading, and what it means for them. As Shanghai education leader Li noted, it is important for each teacher to understand a policy’s purpose in order for them to own and implement it. It became clear at the Summit that successful school systems do whatever it takes to develop teachers’ ownership of professional practice. Some argue that one cannot give teachers greater autonomy because they lack the capacity and expertise to deliver on it – and there may always be some truth in that. But perpetuating a prescriptive industrial model of teaching will continue to disengage teachers, just as someone trained to heat up pre-cooked hamburgers will rarely become a master chef.<br />
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The pace of change in 21st-century school systems remains the most essential reason that teachers’ ownership of their profession is a must-have, rather than an optional extra. Even the most effective attempts to translate a curriculum into classroom practice will drag on for over a decade, because it takes so much time to communicate the goals and methods through the different layers of a system, and to incorporate them into traditional methods of teacher education. In a fast-changing world, where what and how students need to learn changes so rapidly, such a slow process is no longer good enough. The demands of our societies are changing rapidly, vastly outpacing the structural capacity of our governance arrangements to respond. And when fast gets really fast, being slow to adapt makes education systems really slow and disoriented. Even the best education minister can no longer adequately meet the needs of millions of students, hundreds of thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of schools. The challenge is to build on the expertise of teachers and school leaders, and to enlist them in the design of superior policies and practices. Where systems fail to engage teachers in designing change, teachers will rarely help systems implement the change.<br />
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This will not be accomplished by simply letting a thousand flowers bloom and asking parents to figure out what schools are best. It requires a carefully crafted set of conditions that can unleash the initiative of teachers and schools and build capacity for change. At the Summit, Portuguese Education Minister Alexandra Leitão explained how Portugal, which used to be a highly centralised system, has reinforced both teacher and student participation in decision-making. She also pointed to the difficulty of reconciling devolution with equity, a point that was underscored by Swedish Education Minster Anna Ekström (Sweden). Finland, however, shows that this can be achieved. It is perhaps the country with the greatest emphasis on devolution, but also one where the closest school is always the best school, and where learning outcomes are both excellent and equitable.<br />
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Increased professional autonomy implies challenging idiosyncratic practice. It means moving away from every teacher having their own approach toward the common use of practices agreed to be effective by the profession – making teaching not just an art, but a science, as well. We learned how autonomy in Finland is not primarily about independence, but about interdependence, professional responsibility and trust. Trust is always an essential part of good governance and a key determinant of where great people want to work. Spanish union leader Maria Luisa emphatically told us of the importance for teachers and schools to be trusted and supported by society. But trust cannot be demanded, legislated or mandated, which is why it is so hard to build into traditional administrative structures. Trust is always intentional; it can only be nurtured and inspired through healthy relationships and constructive transparency. Education International’s General Secretary David Edwards put it more succinctly: sustainability is ultimately about trust and healthy relationships.<br />
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At a time when command-and-control systems are weakening, building trust is perhaps the most promising way to advance and fuel modern education systems. And trust is what the International Summit of the Teaching Profession is all about. We must get this right. As OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria so insightfully told delegates at this event, together, they hold the future of humanity in their hands.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>Read more:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/educating-our-youngest_9789264313873-en">Helping our Youngest to Learn and Grow: Policies for Early Learning</a> (2019)</i></li>
<li><a href="https://istp2019.fi/en/frontpage">International Summit on the Teaching Profession 2019</a></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-83076769570279652372019-03-05T11:00:00.000+01:002019-03-12T15:30:13.318+01:00Why context matters for social and emotional skills<b>By Miloš Kankaraš</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Analyst, Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/-Ux5mdMJNEA">Charlein Gracia/Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr>
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In the British documentary series <i>Seven Up</i>, director Michael Apted follows a group of young children from different backgrounds throughout their lives. The first episode aired in 1964, when the children were seven years old, and a new installment has been released every seven years since. (In the most recent film, the “stars” are 56 years old.) It’s a remarkable feat of filmmaking, and its central message – that people’s lives are greatly influenced by the socio-economic conditions of their childhood – still resonates today.<br />
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In one especially memorable moment, two seven-year-old boys from a priviledged background are asked whether they want to go to university. Both explain their academic plans in great detail, right down to the names of the Cambridge colleges they would attend. When the same question is posed to another 7-year-old who lives in a charity home, he replies: “What does ‘university’ mean?”. Needless to say, the three boys ended up having quite different, if rather predictable, educational paths.<br />
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Half a century later, the question of how we can help children achieve their full potential is as pressing as ever. The development of social and emotional skills is increasingly seen as a promising avenue of policy action in this area – especially for children who, like the boy from the charity home, come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Social and emotional skills such as responsibility, curiosity, and tolerance, are associated with better grades in school, higher salaries and generally healthier and more fulfilling lives. As a result, several intervention programmes aimed at developing these skills are being designed and implemented in school systems around the world.<br />
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These are positive developments. It is reasonable, and perhaps beneficial, to help children develop skills that have often been overlooked in educational agendas. But in focusing on the individual characteristics of students, it becomes all too easy to forget the other side of the equation – namely, the socio-economic contexts in which children develop. Without this broader perspective, programmes risk becoming part of the problem, rather than part of a solution.<br />
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Our new <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/study-on-social-and-emotional-skills-the-study.htm"><i>Study on Social and Emotional Skills</i></a>, which will be implemented later this year, aims to avoid this pitfall by examining the broader conditions in which children grow up in as much detail as possible. To this end, we have surveyed not only students, but their parents, teachers and school principals about many aspects of children’s lives: their home, school, peer networks and wider community.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To ignore the broader circumstances under which social and emotional skills develop is to miss an opportunity to improve these skills.</blockquote>
In some cases, the value of this approach is self-evident. Is it really surprising that a boy from an affluent background is more confident and assertive than a boy who grow up in a charity home? Isn’t it obvious that the gender gap in STEM fields might have something to do with stereotypes and power structures embedded within these professions? In other words, children may not necessarily lack confidence, ambition, resilience, or curiosity due to insufficient effort or limited potential. They may just be responding to the circumstances of their upbringing. This is not to say that children are exempt from any responsibility for their behaviours and their development; but the responsibility is not theirs alone. If we are to offer all children the same opportunities, we must consider important social and economic barriers that some children face more than others.<br />
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Educational intervention cannot be reduced to delivering a simple course, especially when it comes to the development of social and emotional skills. We cannot simply ask children to learn how to be cooperative or curious without addressing questions about the material they learn (curriculum) and how it is taught and how they learn (pedagogy). It is hard for children to develop curiosity when they are asked to memorise a huge volume of disconnected facts; and it is difficult to promote co-operation and empathy in classes that are organised (implicitly or explicitly) around a ‘winner take all’ mentality. A child who feels sad and anxious after repeatedly facing discrimination or mistreatment might not necessarily lack resilience or the potential to develop it. They might just lack a supportive environment in which their actions, with the help of others, can actually lead to positive outcomes.<br />
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Social and emotional skills develop as a meaningful personal response to stimulating life circumstances. To ignore the broader circumstances under which social and emotional skills develop is to miss an opportunity to improve these skills. Worse yet, we could end up holding students responsible for outcomes that were largely beyond their control – effectively blaming the victims of inequity, rather than addressing the issue directly.<br />
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Our study does not simply assess social and emotional skills in school-age children. It instead focuses on both the factors that promote their development, and the barriers that hinder it. Such empirical evidence could help policy makers and educators to create educational interventions that account for wider issues of equity when promoting social and emotional learning. After all, if we want to motivate our children to attend university, they must first know what the word ‘university’ means.<br />
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<b>Read more: </b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/study-on-social-and-emotional-skills-the-study.htm"><i>OECD Study on Social and Emotional Skills</i></a></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-35380618363698374742019-02-28T12:23:00.000+01:002019-02-28T12:23:33.409+01:00Why the Sustainable Development Goal on Education matters for everyone<b>By Michael Ward</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Senior Policy Analyst, OECD Development Co-operation Directorate</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/traveller-world-ball-globe-person-349963/">PublicDomainArchive/Pixabay</a></span></td></tr>
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The 17 <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/">Sustainable Development Goals</a> (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations in 2015, are a universal call for action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all. The fourth SDG (<a href="http://www.sdgfund.org/goal-4-quality-education">SDG 4</a>) aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. SDG 4 encompasses ten targets, which together represent the most comprehensive and ambitious agenda for global education ever formulated.<br />
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The OECD works closely with <a href="https://en.unesco.org/">UNESCO</a>, the lead UN agency for SDG 4, and plays a key role in the implementation of the SDG agenda through monitoring and assessing measures of learning outcomes and skills. We take a closer look at SDG 4 in the latest edition of our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/cdc2482b-en"><i>Education Indicators in Focus</i> </a>brief, and explain why they matter for OECD countries.<br />
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Two facets of SDG 4 distinguish it from the preceding <a href="http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">Millennium Development Goals</a> (MDGs) on education, which were in place from 2000 to 2015. First, it is truly global. The SDGs establish a universal agenda that does not differentiate between rich and poor countries. All countries are challenged to meet the SDGs and, so far, none can claim success. As our brief shows, even the richest countries still have some way to go to achieve SDG 4. Second, and even more important, SDG 4 puts the quality of education and learning outcomes front and centre. Access, participation and enrolment – the main points of focus under the MDG agenda – are still important; but the SDGs treat access to and participation in education as only a first step, rather than an end goal.<br />
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What matters for people and economies – and for the achievement of the SDG agenda – are the skills that children and young people acquire in education. The competence, skills and character qualities developed through schooling – even more than qualifications and credentials – make people successful and resilient in their professional and private lives; and they determine their individual well-being and the prosperity of their societies.<br />
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As we describe in our brief, SDG 4 defines learning as a lifelong process that begins with early childhood development, care and pre-primary education. These early years are an important opportunity to give every child a chance to learn, regardless of their social and economic background. Social and economic background remains one of the most significant predictors of a child’s educational outcomes, according to OECD data. These inequalities are apparent from a young age and often grow wider over a lifetime. Increasing access to quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) is one of the most effective and efficient ways to improve the educational outcomes of children from poorer families. Investments in ECEC also improve employment and earning prospects, health outcomes, and other dimensions of well-being.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5LlKce7qi19_K7BA1NSMboQuM9zg6F-K6pGimTZ2paXNwosul82UeCxmuujUFD18u1dMHjimtNAeese9igpRrH0uHQXWwXic0KqrMF9YItwt9T-NYswvgWER41QKAW-ShWek/s1600/EDIF67_parity_5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="726" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5LlKce7qi19_K7BA1NSMboQuM9zg6F-K6pGimTZ2paXNwosul82UeCxmuujUFD18u1dMHjimtNAeese9igpRrH0uHQXWwXic0KqrMF9YItwt9T-NYswvgWER41QKAW-ShWek/s1600/EDIF67_parity_5.png" /></a></div>
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SDG 4 also reaffirms the importance of equity in education, as we detail in our brief. Social inequalities exist in education systems across all countries, whereby children from disadvantaged backgrounds systematically under-perform compared to their advantaged peers. Students’ performance in reading and mathematics is relatively weakly associated to their gender, as the above chart makes clear; but it remains strongly determined by their school’s location and their socio-economic status. There is a strong urban-rural divide in many countries – and especially in low- to middle-income ones – where by the age of 15, children in urban areas are often at least one year ahead of their rural peers in terms of learning achievement.<br />
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OECD countries have a key role to play in supporting this ambitious agenda – not just in terms of achieving the targets themselves, but also by helping to develop the methodologies and approaches necessary to measure progress. This is particularly important in areas such as quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education and knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, where data and methodology are still lacking.<br />
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The experience of the past two decades has confirmed that data – especially learning assessment and household data – is an essential component to achieving SDG 4. The availability of up-to-date, quality education data is vital for supporting evidence-based policy dialogue and decision-making, particularly in contexts where budgets are limited. The OECD is working closely with its institutional partners in the SDG 4 architecture (UNESCO and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, most notably) to make the investment case for more high-quality data to ensure complete geographical coverage of the global SDG 4 indicators, especially those related to learning and equity.<br />
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Through its work to support the SDG agenda, the OECD reaffirms its commitment to reducing social inequality in education to ensure that all children and young people have the same opportunities – regardless of their background or where they live.<br />
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<b>Read more: </b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/cdc2482b-en">Education Indicators in Focus no. 67: "Why does the Sustainable Development Goal on Education (SDG 4) matter for OECD countries?"</a></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-73541940014218291532019-02-26T13:52:00.001+01:002019-02-26T13:52:17.015+01:00Why aren’t more girls choosing careers in science and engineering?<b>By Tarek Mostafa</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Analyst, Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/microbiologist-scientist-woman-1332376/">FotoshopTops/Pixabay</a></i></span></td></tr>
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It’s no secret that women are under-represented in the offices of most tech companies and laboratories today. Although more women than men complete tertiary education across high-income countries, they account for just 25 percent of graduates in information and communications technology, and 24 percent in engineering. Less clear, however, are the reasons behind this gender gap.<br />
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Some studies have pointed to discrimination or the absence of affordable childcare, while others have highlighted the importance of professional networks and personal preferences. Now, new research has shed light on another factor that may be at work: girls’ confidence in science, and their relative strength in other subjects.<br />
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The latest issue of <i><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/why-don-t-more-girls-choose-to-pursue-a-science-career_02bd2b68-en">PISA in Focus</a></i> takes a closer look at this research, which was published last year by Gijsbert Stoet and David Geary. Their paper analyses PISA 2015 data to explore the nature of the gender gap in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Girls outperformed boys in science in 19 of the 67 countries and economies that participated in PISA, the paper notes, while boys outperformed girls in 22. (Gender differences were not statistically significant in the remaining 26 countries.)<br />
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The authors then analysed gender gaps by looking at each student’s “relative performance” (or “strength”) across the three subjects: reading, mathematics and science. In nearly all countries, they found that boys scored higher in science and mathematics compared to their average across all subjects, while girls scored higher in reading. These differences could explain why boys are more likely to choose careers in STEM fields, even though both girls and boys perform at similar levels: students may choose their field of study based on their comparative strengths, rather than on their absolute strengths. Girls may be as competent in science as boys, but they are likely to be even better in reading.<br />
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Students’ career choices may be influenced by their understanding of their relative academic strengths, as well as their confidence and interest in science.</blockquote>
The findings also show that in 2015, boys’ self-efficacy in science (a measure of confidence when dealing with science topics) was higher than girls’ in 39 out of the 67 countries and economies. Similarly, boys expressed a stronger interest in general science-related topics in 51 countries and economies. These cross-gender differences in relative academic strength, self-efficacy, and interest in science account for a large proportion of the deficit in women’s STEM graduation rates.<br />
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The authors used different PISA-based criteria to calculate the share of girls whom one could expect to complete a university STEM degree. Among all students, the share of girls who attained PISA proficiency Level 4 in all three domains (49%) was far higher than the share of women who graduated with a university STEM degree between 2012 and 2015 (28%). When the authors further restricted the field of potential STEM graduates to high performers who expressed strong enjoyment, interest and self-efficacy in science, girls accounted for 41% of the pool.<br />
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Notably, the difference between expected and actual proportions of women among STEM graduates shrank significantly when the authors further restricted their student pool to those who were relatively stronger in science and mathematics, rather than reading. Using this definition, only one in three girls (34%) was expected to complete a STEM degree. In most countries, however, the percentage of women graduating in a STEM field was still smaller than expected.<br />
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The study suggests that students’ career choices may be influenced by their understanding of their relative academic strengths, as well as their confidence and interest in science. Unlike high-performing boys, high-performing girls may not pursue a career in science simply because they are likely to be at or near the top of the class in non-science subjects, too. For policy makers working toward greater gender parity in STEM fields, this implies that tackling boys’ underperformance in reading may be just as important as supporting girls’ attitudes towards STEM subjects.<br />
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<b>Read more: </b><br />
<div>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/why-don-t-more-girls-choose-to-pursue-a-science-career_02bd2b68-en">PISA in Focus no. 93: "Why don't more girls choose to pursue a science career?"</a></i></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-76957421323986070282019-02-21T12:51:00.000+01:002019-02-21T12:51:25.583+01:00What a California school survey can tell us about measuring social and emotional skills<b>By Thomas Toch and Raegen Miller</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Guest authors</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/9o8YdYGTT64">Banter Snaps/Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr>
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Educators across the globe increasingly agree that the social and emotional dimensions of learning are critical for a student’s success – a trend that is underscored by the OECD’s forthcoming <i><a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/study-on-social-and-emotional-skills-the-study.htm">Study on Social and Emotional Skills</a></i>. But there is little consensus around how to measure these important factors – and how to strengthen them.<br />
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A consortium of six urban school districts in California has taken a pioneering approach to measuring social and emotional development, using school climate surveys to assess how students feel about their experiences at school and how they view themselves as learners. The consortium, known as the <a href="https://coredistricts.org/">CORE Districts</a>, initially planned to integrate the survey results as part of systems to rate schools. Instead, they’re now trying to harness the information they collected to improve student performance.<br />
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One major finding from the annual study, which involved nearly one million students, is that girls lose their self-confidence when they reach adolescence far faster than boys do. Another is that students of color are less likely to feel a sense of belonging at school, and report less confidence in their ability to master the toughest material in their classes. (Self-efficacy and a sense of belonging are among the elements measured in the CORE Districts’ surveys.)<br />
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So, how did educators respond to these findings?<br />
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To find out, we visited the Fresno Unified School District, which teaches 74,000 students in California’s San Joaquin Valley. During in-depth visits to three schools, and interviews with dozens of administrators, teachers and staff, we discovered Fresno is a <a href="https://www.future-ed.org/core-lessons-measuring-the-social-and-emotional-dimensions-of-student-success/">valuable case study</a> of how efforts to encourage social-emotional development are playing out on the ground.<br />
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An important new avenue for improving schools and student performance through the development of social and emotional skills.</blockquote>
Fresno's experience suggests that surveys don't have to be part of accountability systems to be influential. Researchers have found that the CORE surveys are valid and reliable measures of students' perspectives, and that results align with achievement scores and other indicators. And Fresno educators told us that by merely administering their annual surveys to students, teachers and parents, and conveying results to schools, the CORE Districts have signaled that social and emotional skills are important contributors to student success; and they have galvanized educators to act on problems that their surveys identify.<br />
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Findings on students’ self-perceptions as learners were often discouraging, but the dozens of teachers we spoke with did not feel absolved of their responsibilities as educators. They said they didn't lower their standards or think less of students after receiving the survey results. On the contrary, we heard a lot of discussion about building school cultures that promote learning.<br />
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But many teachers and administrators told us they were initially at a loss for how to remedy the problems identified in the surveys. And it was clear that the school district needed to build substantial infrastructure at the district and school levels to deepen teachers’ understanding of new concepts, help them interpret results accurately, and enable them to respond to the findings in the most effective ways. District leaders recognised and responded to this need by providing a range of supports, including training sessions and a team of experts to help school staff respond in ways that help children. We also learned that overloading schools with many different improvement strategies can be counterproductive.<br />
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More work is needed to identify the most effective ways to improve school climate and students' social and emotional skills in response to the survey results. And researchers need to determine whether future surveys can measure the effectiveness of schools' responses reliably. There are also concerns that educators could be encouraged to shape students' responses if there are substantial consequences tied to survey results.<br />
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Still, the CORE surveys have clearly opened up an important new avenue for improving schools and student performance through the development of social and emotional skills – and perhaps a new model for other policy makers and practitioners to follow.<br />
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<i>Thomas Toch is the director of <a href="https://www.future-ed.org/">FutureEd</a>, an independent think tank at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, where Raegen Miller is research director. Thomas Toch can be reached at ttoch@future-ed.org and on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thomas_toch">@thomas_toch</a>.</i><br />
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<b>Read more:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li><i><a href="https://www.future-ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/FutureEd_Core_Report.pdf">CORE Lessons: Measuring the Social and Emotional Dimensions of Student Success</a> </i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/study-on-social-and-emotional-skills-the-study.htm">OECD Study on Social and Emotional Skills</a></i></li>
</ul>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-67562547081042687032019-02-05T11:01:00.003+01:002019-02-06T10:31:02.991+01:00How do teachers respond to diverse classrooms? <b>By Aakriti Kalra</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Consultant, Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Kelsey Knight/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/SFRw5GChoLA">Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr>
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Demographic change and large-scale migration have raised important challenges for education systems today, as teachers and school leaders work to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body. Research shows that students’ cultural and ethnic backgrounds, native languages and immigrant status are strongly linked to inequalities in educational achievement. But a better understanding of how teachers, schools and education systems respond to diversity could help close the gap.<br />
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This is why classroom diversity is a major area of focus in the upcoming OECD Teaching and Learning Survey (<a href="http://www.oecd.org/talis/">TALIS</a>). Slated for release in June 2019, the third cycle of TALIS is based on questionnaires that were circulated across 200 schools and 4,000 teachers in nearly 50 countries. The questionnaires collect information on various aspects of teachers’ work and learning environments, including their experience in diverse classrooms.<br />
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Our survey looks at three dimensions of school diversity: the cultural composition of classrooms and schools; diversity-related teaching practices and school policies; and the attitudes of teachers who work in diverse schools. This will help us determine whether schools have become more culturally diverse over time, the practices that teachers use to teach students from different backgrounds, and whether teachers feel prepared to teach in multicultural classrooms.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>An example of a diversity-related question on TALIS 2018</i></span></td></tr>
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The answers that teachers and school leaders provide could also shed light on the diversity-related challenges they face, and their efforts to overcome them. For example, knowing whether teachers feel prepared to teach in highly diverse classrooms could help shape policies to support them through professional development opportunities and other resources.<br />
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When it first launched ten years ago, TALIS was envisioned as a “voice of teachers” – a way to make sure that their opinions and concerns are accounted for in policy making. The insights gained from TALIS have helped us to understand the role of educators in shaping student learning across the world. These insights will only become more important as classrooms continue to diversify and as teachers’ jobs become even more complex.<br />
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<b>Read More:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/1baa285c-en"><i>Teaching in Focus no. 25: How education systems respond to cultural diversity in schools</i></a></li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-47826274348162942122019-02-01T10:42:00.002+01:002019-02-01T12:18:34.801+01:00Reducing the immigrant gap in education: What Sweden can learn from other countries<span style="background-color: white;"><b>By Francesca Borgonovi</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Senior Analyst, Directorate for Education and Skills</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Jonathan Brinkhorst/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/FMtCI4zIVGk">Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr>
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For decades, Sweden has served as an exemplary model for integrating immigrants. The country’s well-developed integration system, together with its innovative and effective education sector, have helped immigrants and refugee students to feel more at home in their new country. But Sweden faced new challenges in 2015, when it began seeing a large inflow of new arrivals. More than 440,000 people immigrated to the country between 2015 and 2017, adding significant pressure to its integration system and its education sector, in particular.<br />
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Large-scale international assessments have shed light on some of the difficulties that Sweden faces in meeting the needs of immigrant students, who still lag behind their native-born counterparts in academic and well-being outcomes. According to PISA 2015, 76% of native-born students achieved the PISA benchmark proficiency levels in reading, mathematics and science, compared to just 49% of immigrant students (either first or second generation). Immigrant students are also more likely to experience high levels of schoolwork-related anxiety than native-born students (75% reported high levels of anxiety compared to 64% of native-born students).<br />
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In an effort to help Sweden narrow these gaps, the OECD’s <i>Strength through Diversity</i> project, in collaboration with the Swedish Ministry of Education and Research, has published a new <span style="background-color: white;"><i><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/strength-through-diversity-s-spotlight-report-for-sweden_059ce467-en">Spotlight Report</a> </i></span>that offers tools that Sweden (and other countries) can use to build inclusive school systems. Drawing on previous OECD work on immigrant integration in education, as well as good practices used in other countries, the report provides Sweden with 20 detailed policy pointers aimed at reinforcing the capacity of its education system to support students with an immigrant background and foster social cohesion for all.<br />
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Part of Sweden’s educational performance gap can be explained by the demographic composition of its schools. Some have high concentrations of disadvantaged students, while others lack exposure to diversity. Promoting diversity across Swedish schools can make their composition more balanced, and help ensure that all students receive a high-quality education. Sweden should therefore promote lightly controlled school choice schemes that use quotas or reserves to avoid further disadvantaging certain students. The country should also implement weighted funding programmes, which provide additional funds to schools serving disadvantaged students. In other countries, such programmes have successfully delivered the resources that disadvantaged students and schools need to improve academic performance.<br />
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Strengthening diversity management can help all students feel socially and academically involved in school.</blockquote>
It is also important that Sweden increase teacher quality and quantity through specific diversity training and professional development to accommodate the influx of new students. Other countries have raised teacher salaries and improved working conditions to effectively attract and retain teachers in disadvantaged schools. One approach that Sweden can draw from is the <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/index.html">Teacher Incentive Fund</a> in the United States, which develops incentive systems to encourage teachers to work in disadvantaged schools. To better prepare teachers for diverse classrooms, the country should also provide comprehensive diversity training programmes to ensure they are prepared to teach in multilingual classrooms.<br />
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According to PISA, immigrant students who are not native Swedish speakers are less likely to attain baseline academic proficiency than their native-speaking counterparts. Given that the overwhelming majority of its new arrivals are non-native Swedish speakers, Sweden should implement more strategies to improve language support for immigrant and refugee students. Although Sweden has an early assessment plan to asses language needs, individualised learning plans for all students can better support new arrivals and follow up on their progress and needs. Integrating Swedish as a Second Language (SAS) in the curriculum and adapting it to newly arrived students could also help combat negative perceptions around learning the language.<br />
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Strengthening diversity management to promote multiple perspectives can help all students feel socially and academically involved in school. To achieve this, the country could implement a curriculum that promotes diversity, develops critical skills and challenges prejudices. Promoting inclusive, flexible education ensures that all students can benefit from a quality education. The <a href="http://www.gemengdescholen.nl/">Knowledge-centres for Mixed Schools</a> programme in the Netherlands, for example, aims to reduce segregation in schools by creating useful ways to foster diverse school environments. A similar approach could help Sweden adapt to its recent increase in student diversity.<br />
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Our <i>Strength through Diversity</i> project will continue to support Sweden and its commitment to inclusive education – especially through the project’s second phase (<i>Education for Inclusive Societies</i>), which focuses on multiple dimensions of diversity in addition to migration. Although it still faces challenges, Sweden has the opportunity to serve as an exemplary model for how countries can adapt and build a more inclusive school system in an increasingly diverse world.<br />
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<b>Read more:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><i><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/strength-through-diversity-s-spotlight-report-for-sweden_059ce467-en">The Strength through Diversity Spotlight Report for Sweden</a></i></span></li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07336680228551729964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-72571719297563930422019-01-22T10:55:00.000+01:002019-01-31T18:00:26.625+01:00What the fourth industrial revolution could mean for education and jobs<b>By Andreas Schleicher</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Director, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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It’s so much easier to educate students for our past, than for their future. Schools are inherently conservative social systems, and as parents, we become anxious when our children learn things that we don’t understand – especially when they no longer study things that were so important for us. Teachers are more comfortable teaching how they were taught, rather than how they were taught to teach. And politicians can lose an election over education, but rarely win support over it, because it takes much more than an election cycle to translate good intentions into better results.<br />
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But the world is changing fast. The charity <a href="https://www.educationandemployers.org/">Education and Employers</a> recently asked some 20,000 primary school children to draw their own future, and the opportunities children see for tomorrow are amazing. At the OECD, their report has inspired us to look at the future of education and jobs more systematically. We will present our findings and a selection of the drawings with them tomorrow in Davos, where world leaders are gathering to discuss the Fourth Industrial Revolution.<br />
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Some people will question how we can talk about the future when we can’t even figure out what will happen tomorrow. But there is quite a bit we know about the global megatrends that shape education, and much has been written about the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including the recent <a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2018"><i>Future of Jobs</i></a> report by the World Economic Forum. And if we look at the future as the result of a series of advances shaped by these megatrends, then we have a better chance of being prepared for the challenges that lie ahead, rather than being ambushed by them.<br />
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Education also provides the key to shape these megatrends. Our economies are shifting toward regional hubs of production that are linked by global chains of information and goods, but concentrated where comparative advantage can be built and renewed. The distribution of knowledge and wealth is therefore critical, and it is intrinsically tied to the distribution of educational opportunities. The right skills can empower people and communities to take charge of their future. And employers and governments have a key role in helping young people understand the world of work and the jobs of the future.<br />
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Let’s take a look at some of these <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/trends-shaping-education-22187049.htm">trends shaping education</a>.<br />
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Within the next ten years, the majority of the world’s population will consist of the middle class, a trend that is largely driven by China and India, which will make up 90% of the entrants to the middle class. This will not only increase pressure to provide better education for more people; it will also place higher expectations on education from more demanding customers.<br />
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Not everyone has benefited equally, however; income and wealth have become more concentrated. In OECD countries, the richest 10% percent earn almost ten times the income of the poorest 10%, and this inequality ends up on the doorsteps of schools. Today, social heterogeneity in classrooms already poses one of the biggest challenges to teachers. Economic inequality can lead to inequality of opportunity, which can translate into disparities in well-being, and drive political and social unrest.<br />
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We are also seeing a lot more people on the move. Asia has replaced Europe as the most popular region of destination, attracting about 2 million migrants each year. This migration brings more diversity to classrooms, and it raises important questions. How can schools better serve students from various social and cultural backgrounds? And what does this mean for teaching citizenship and identity? What responsibility do schools have in teaching the values of society? How do we deal with brain gain and brain drain?<br />
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There are other pressures, as well. Think about economic security for individuals, such as financial security or work-related security. On average, household debt has been rising while savings have been declining. Depending on the affordability of debt and the accessibility of savings, sudden changes in expenses or income can result in severe shocks if debt is already high. And when the effects of such shocks are widespread, large parts of the economy can be at risk. People can care for their economic security with the right knowledge and skills, but nearly a quarter of 15-year-old students lacked the baseline level of financial literacy on the last global <a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/">Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)</a> test.<br />
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These days, digitalisation connects people, cities, countries and continents in ways that vastly increase our individual and collective potential. There are now more broadband subscriptions than people. But digitalisation has also made the world more complex, more volatile and more uncertain. Digitalisation can be incredibly democratising – we can connect and collaborate with anyone - but it can also concentrate incredible powers. Digitalisation can be incredibly particularising – the smallest voice can be heard everywhere – but it can also be incredibly homogenising, squashing individuality and cultural uniqueness. Algorithms behind social media are sorting us into groups of like-minded individuals, creating virtual bubbles that amplify our views and leave us insulated from divergent perspectives; they homogenise opinions while polarising our societies. Digitalisation can be incredibly empowering; the most powerful companies today start with a big idea, rather than a big industry, and they have the product before they have the money. But it can also be incredibly disempowering when we end up following the dictates of computer algorithms.<br />
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In most countries, the majority of 15-year-olds said in our PISA survey that they feel bad if they are not connected to the Internet. And in some countries, the time 15-year-olds spend online on a regular school day has effectively doubled in just three years. The Internet has become an integral part of our lives. Many common activities that once required physical contact or social interaction – such as talking to family and friends, or banking and shopping – are now carried out online. But the digital sphere is not a virtual second life; it’s increasingly part of our physical reality. Whether it is a job, a room for the night, or the love of your life, online activity often translates into offline outcomes. Education must take advantage of the tools and strengths of new technologies while simultaneously addressing concerns around potential misuse, such as cyberbullying, loss of privacy or illegal trade in goods.<br />
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The dilemma for education is that the kinds of things that are easy to teach and test have also become easy to digitise, automate and outsource. For those with the right knowledge and skills, digitalisation and globalisation have been liberating and exciting; but for those who are insufficiently prepared, they can mean vulnerable and insecure work, and a life without prospects. Think about the increasing role of technology in providing a marketplace for those demanding and supplying freelance work. Online platforms such as Upwork and Freelancer have 49 million combined users, as well as a global reach that is only somewhat mitigated by barriers of language, currency and jurisdiction. Every year, these kinds of platforms facilitate billions of dollars’ worth of work. The connected economy has changed the way we work, and indeed, the way we live. What are the consequences for on-the-job learning and training if increasing numbers of workers have no permanent fixed employer to sponsor such education?<br />
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Education must be prepared to change with technology. Students will need skills for future job and labour markets, and they will need the ability to navigate the increasing uncertainty and potential precariousness of the gig economy.<br />
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What will the growth in artificial intelligence do to this in the years to come? Today we need to think much harder about how human skills complement the artificial intelligence of computers, so that we end up with first-class humans rather than second-class robots. Education has won the race with technology throughout history, but there is no guarantee it will do so in the future. The future is about pairing the artificial intelligence of computers with the cognitive, social, and emotional skills and values of human beings. It will be our imagination, our awareness and our sense of responsibility that will enable us to harness digitalisation to shape the world for the better.<br />
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Tomorrow’s schools will need to help students think for themselves and join others, with empathy, in work and citizenship. They will need to help students develop a strong sense of right and wrong, a sensitivity to the claims that others make, and a grasp of the limits on individual and collective action. At work, at home and in the community, people will need a deep understanding of how others live across different cultures and traditions, and how others think, whether as scientists or artists. Regardless of the tasks that machines take over from humans at work, the demands on our knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully to social and civic life will keep rising.<br />
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It is also worth looking at some broader trends. It has never been easier to express one’s opinions and reach out to fellow citizens as it is in today’s digital world. Yet key processes for democratic decision-making in our societies, such as voting, are declining. And even if the digital world has expanded opportunities for people to use their voice, this is no guarantee that they can access reliable and balanced information, or have the willingness to listen to and compromise with others. How can citizens sort fact from fiction in a digital society? What kind of civic virtues do modern democracies require? At the same time, new forms of collaboration are emerging. Cities are increasingly collaborating to promote knowledge exchange, and to ensure that national and international decision-making includes urban perspectives. The growth of city networks is impressive.<br />
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And we are living longer, of course, which means that we will work longer, too. Although the average retirement age in OECD countries has remained relatively stable since 1970, longer life expectancy has increased the amount of time in retirement, from an average of 13 years (for women and men) in 1970 to 20 years in 2015. When we expect schooling to prepare young people for life, that means something very different if average life expectancy is 80 to 90 years, rather than 60 to 70 years. Combine longer lives with a rapidly changing workplace and you arrive at perhaps the biggest challenge. Whereas we once learned to do work, learning has now become the work. Longer working lives and changing skill demands increase the need for continuous learning throughout life. Should some form of lifelong learning be compulsory? Should lifelong learning be a right? It’s certainly not working now. Those who need adult education and training most – the low-skilled – currently receive it least.<br />
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But let me return to the dreams of children. Huge numbers of them want to go into culture, media and sports, but economies currently provide limited space in these areas. Few want to become corporate managers, but the economy needs lots of great people in this field. The last thing we should do is level down the dream of our children to fit our current needs. But we should do a better job of telling kids more about the world around them, and about the trends that are shaping it.<br />
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For me, the most troubling aspect of the children’s drawings was the myopic perspective that children from disadvantaged background had about the world of work – a perspective that was narrowly constrained to what their parents or relatives do. We can certainly do better. Technology now allows us to give all children – regardless of social background, where they live or the jobs their parents do – the same chance to meet people (online and offline) who do all kinds of jobs, and to help them understand the vast array of opportunities open to them. Employers and educators need to work far more closely together to help broaden young people’s horizons and raise their aspirations.<br />
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<b>Our report, "Envisioning the Future of Education and Jobs: Trends, Data and Drawings", will be released at the World Economic Forum on 23 January at 12:30 CET. Watch the event live on <a href="https://twitter.com/deloitte">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deloitte/videos/2260862447277634/">Facebook</a>. </b></div>
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<b>Read more:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/trends-shaping-education-22187049.htm"><i>Trends Shaping Education 2019</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2018"><i>The Future of Jobs Report 2018</i></a> (World Economic Forum)</li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-25058939667073726792019-01-21T10:00:00.000+01:002019-01-21T16:43:15.534+01:00The future of education is now<b>By Tracey Burns</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Senior Analyst, Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<b>and Joshua Polchar</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Policy Analyst, Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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There is no shortage of challenges facing the world today. Conflict and instability are driving waves of migration, prompting political responses that range from open to hostile. Inequalities are rising and wages are stagnant in many OECD countries, a phenomenon widely blamed for public discontent. Trust in government is at its lowest in decades. Societies are more connected than ever, but also more divided and polarised – and many of our online interactions are tainted by anger, misinformation and cyberbullying.<br />
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When discussing such a wide array of diverse and complex problems, it is astonishing how often people come to a single, clear and convincing solution: better education. We certainly believe in the power of education to transform the world for the better. But in our rapidly changing world, education cannot rely on lessons of the past to prepare us for the future. Responsible policy making does not push present problems into the future; it pulls future developments into the present, and turns them into an opportunity to learn and prepare.<br />
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The newest edition of <i><a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/trends-shaping-education-22187049.htm">Trends Shaping Education</a></i>, published today, examines major economic, political, social and technological trends affecting the future of education, from early childhood through to lifelong learning. The report aims to inform strategic thinking and stimulate reflection on the challenges facing education globally, at the societal level and for individuals. Below are just a few of the challenges the report addresses.<br />
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The future is not a distant, external world where we can send our problems to be fixed by education.</blockquote>
Globally, climate change will bring rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather events. Last year, hurricanes, floods, droughts and wildfires took hundreds of thousands of lives. Efforts to mitigate climate change may be bearing some fruit, such as the growth in renewable energy production, but more remains to be done. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/b4f4e03e-en">balance of economic power is shifting</a> towards Asia, with giant economies emerging in China and India. Yet globalisation is also bringing new challenges: growing consumption, unsustainable use of resources and, for some, a feeling of being left behind. Education has an important role to play in equipping students with the skills needed to succeed in the global future – but it cannot act alone. More work must be done to help make the next phase of globalisation work for all.<br />
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On the societal level, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264276284-en">digitalisation</a> has completely transformed our lives. We may seem to live in a more individualistic world, with a declining sense of belonging to the traditional reference points of community, church or workplace. But digital connectivity suggests that our sense of belonging is changing, not disappearing. Digital markets make it easier for buyers and sellers to come together across time and space; and social networks provide spaces for individual and collective expression and creativity while allowing us to communicate with the wider world. But digitalisation has its downsides. While the digital era has given rise to entirely new categories of work such as social media managing, automation has rendered other jobs obsolete. And although digitalisation can help address many of the risks linked to increased frailty and dependency in our ageing societies, it also opens up new threats, such as Internet fraud, that explicitly target the elderly.<br />
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On the individual level, much of the world has long benefited from more effective medicines. But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264307599-en">recent work</a> has demonstrated that the rising resistance of many infections to our most common medicines poses a grave threat to our health. In Greece, Turkey, and many of the emerging economies, the average share of infections caused by resistant bacteria is expected to be over 40% by 2030. At the same time, fewer new antibiotics are receiving regulatory approval, limiting the prospects for new treatments to replace current medicines when they become ineffective. For education systems, this raises important questions: What role should schools play in inspiring healthy behaviour? Should children be allowed to go to nursery school or kindergarten if they do not have up-to-date vaccinations? Is there a trade-off between personal choice and better security for society?<br />
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All of these trends are important to consider for our education systems. The future is not a distant, external world where we can send our problems to be fixed by education. The future is here, and education systems need to learn from it. Our success will depend on how effectively we use our knowledge to anticipate the future, and how quickly we take action to shape it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://survey2018.oecd.org/Survey.aspx?s=6d6993852ff8408fa3098238bb3f2528&&forceNew=true&test=true">Are you future ready? Take our quiz on the latest trends shaping education!</a></b> </span> </div>
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<b>Read more:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/trends-shaping-education-22187049.htm">Trends Shaping Education 2019</a></i></li>
<li><a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/b4f4e03e-en"><i>The Long View: Scenarios for the World Economy to 2060</i> </a></li>
<li><i><a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264276284-en">OECD Digital Economy Outlook 2017</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264307599-en">Stemming the Superbug Tide: Just A Few Dollars More</a></i></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-31257218461344970412019-01-17T13:14:00.000+01:002019-01-17T13:14:48.829+01:00How is students’ motivation related to performance and anxiety?<b>By Jeffrey Mo</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Analyst, Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has extensively measured student achievement for more than 15 years, but there’s more to student success than academic performance. Parents and educators today are increasingly concerned about the emotional well-being of children and teenagers, which is why we expanded the PISA student questionnaire to better measure these variables.<br />
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This month’s <i><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/how-is-students-motivation-related-to-their-performance-and-anxiety_d7c28431-en">PISA in Focus</a></i> takes a closer look at two components of student well-being: motivation and anxiety. Motivated students consider themselves ambitious, want top grades and want to have a broad choice of opportunities when they graduate from school. Such students tend to perform better in class, according to findings from PISA, but for some, academic success comes at the expense of greater anxiety.<br />
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In 2015, we asked 15-year-old students in 55 education systems around the world about their motivation to achieve, both in school and in life more broadly. On average, students in Israel, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates reported the highest levels of motivation, while students in Finland, Japan and Macao (China) reported the lowest. In Finland, for example, only 36% of students said they want to be the best at whatever they do, compared to 90% in Israel.<br />
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PISA results show that students who are more motivated also have greater anxiety.</blockquote>
Cultural differences make it difficult to interpret cross-country differences in how students describe their motivation. In some countries, it may be less socially acceptable to admit that one wants to be the best or that one is ambitious, and even what being the best or being ambitious means can differ across countries. Within countries, however, we found a positive correlation between motivation and PISA performance; students who said they were more motivated also performed better in all but two of the 55 education systems.<br />
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We can therefore think of motivation as a self-fulfilling prophecy: students who aim higher end up going further. They make the necessary effort to reach their goals and as they progress, they receive encouragement from their parents and teachers to aim even higher. Similarly, low levels of motivation may lead to poor performance, which could fuel further frustration and even lower motivation.<br />
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But there may be drawbacks to high levels of motivation. PISA results show that students who are more motivated also have greater anxiety. This correlation exists both across and within countries. Students in Colombia, Singapore and Turkey, for instance, are especially likely to feel both driven to succeed and anxious before a test. In all but three education systems, students who said they want the top grades in their courses were also more likely to feel very anxious before a test – even if they were well prepared for it.<br />
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Motivation seems to be more closely linked to anxiety when it is imposed by others. Students who feel undue pressure to meet the expectations of their parents or teachers, or who constantly compare themselves with others, may feel tenser and more anxious. Conversely, PISA data show that when motivation is intrinsic – when it comes from a student’s own desire to be the best that he or she can be – students may feel slightly less anxious.<br />
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That doesn’t mean that parents and teachers should take a completely hands-off approach. They should still encourage students to set ambitious goals, but these goals should focus on personal development rather than on comparisons with classmates. They should also remind them that failures and setbacks are an inevitable – and valuable – part of learning. Such students are likely to achieve higher levels of performance without being crippled by anxiety.<br />
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<b>Read more:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/how-is-students-motivation-related-to-their-performance-and-anxiety_d7c28431-en">PISA In Focus No. 92: How is students' motivation related to their performance and anxiety?</a></li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-58693402534202668252019-01-16T14:40:00.001+01:002019-01-16T15:01:21.623+01:00TopClass episode 14: How will technology and A.I. affect education? <b>By Amar Toor</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Digital Communications Officer, Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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Technology has changed the way societies function, and schools will need to adapt in order to prepare students for the technology-rich environments they will face. But the gadget-filled modern world is still relatively new, and understanding how education should respond to it is still a work-in-progress. The influence of artificial intelligence, in particular, deserves serious consideration from educators.<br />
<br />
In this episode of our TopClass podcast, we sit down with <a href="https://twitter.com/YuhyunPark_">Yuhyun Park</a>, founder of the DQ (Digital Intelligence Quotient) Institute, and <a href="https://twitter.com/RubenLaukkonen">Ruben Laukkonen</a>, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Amsterdam, to discuss the effects technology and A.I. might have on schooling worldwide.<br />
<br />
Listen to the latest episode below, or on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/oecd-education-skills-topclass-podcast/id1317843072?mt=2">iTunes</a> and <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/topclass-podcast/e/58173486?autoplay=true">Stitcher</a>. And be sure to subscribe to receive new podcast episodes as soon as they're released.<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/558776676&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-79398698373151038332019-01-11T12:20:00.000+01:002019-01-11T12:20:06.012+01:00Ireland is rethinking its curriculum for young children. Here’s what it can learn from other countries<b>By Derek Grant, Claire Reidy and Arlene Forster</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), Ireland</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Aaron Burden/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/1zR3WNSTnvY">Unsplash</a></span></i></td></tr>
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Changes are on the horizon for students in Ireland, where for the first time in 20 years, stakeholders are reconsidering what (and how) children should learn in state primary schools.<br />
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Much has changed in Irish society, classrooms and educational policy over the last two decades, and the skills that today’s children need to develop have transformed, as well. Ireland’s review and redevelopment of the primary curriculum, marks an important opportunity for the country to consider how the curriculum for this phase of education can best prepare children for an uncertain future – and, importantly, build on what they learned in preschool. <br />
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Continuity in curricula between early childhood education and care (ECEC) and primary school is critical to building on what children learn in preschool – but it is not always easy to achieve. Whereas ECEC curricula tend to promote a balance between education and care, primary school curricula tend to have a stronger focus on academic content, with specific goals or standards for each age. To ensure greater continuity in curriculum, and to better understand its implications, policy makers in Ireland will need to draw on solid research evidence, as well as practice evidence from various schools and settings.<br />
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A new <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/curriculum-alignment-and-progression-between-early-childhood-education-and-care-and-primary-school_d2821a65-en">working paper</a> published by the OECD, and funded by the <a href="https://www.ncca.ie/en">National Council for Curriculum and Assessment</a> (NCCA), makes an important contribution to this evidence base. In seven case studies, the paper details how curriculum policies in other jurisdictions support continuity between ECEC and early primary education, thereby offering a range of different approaches for Ireland to consider as it reforms its curriculum.<br />
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Curriculum can play an important role in promoting continuity in children’s educational experiences. </blockquote>
In Japan and New Jersey, for example, ECEC and primary school adhere to separate curricula. Yet both education systems make efforts to promote continuity between ECEC and primary school in different ways, including through cooperation among different government agencies. On the other end of the spectrum are countries like Luxembourg and Scotland, where ECEC and primary school curricula are closely integrated. As the paper notes, however, it is not easy to draw conclusions about the impact and effectiveness of these different policy approaches. <br />
<br />
As we consider how to best support continuity for young children in Ireland, approaches that fall in closer to the middle of this continuum may be most informative. For instance, the ECEC curriculum in New Zealand, known as Te Whāriki, is separate from the curriculum used in primary school; but strands of Te Whāriki, correspond to key competences in the primary curriculum, thereby providing learners and teachers with a clear sense of continuity and direction. Both curricula also contribute to continuity through a shared focus on ongoing and lifelong learning. <br />
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Ireland could also draw insights from Norway, where the primary curriculum is currently undergoing adjustments to more closely align with the ECEC curriculum. The two curricula share common purposes and values, and learning areas identified in the ECEC curriculum reflect the subjects in the primary curriculum. Norway’s approach demonstrates that alignment in learning can happen without using traditional academic disciplines in ECEC curricula. <br />
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As the paper makes clear, curriculum can play an important role in promoting continuity in children’s educational experiences and supporting their transition from ECEC to primary school. As education systems continue to establish stronger links across ECEC and primary school curricula, they will also have to monitor the implementation process, which is an ongoing challenge for many. <br />
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It is important to note, however, that all curricula are the products of broader education systems, and are therefore shaped by political and socio-cultural contexts. Approaches that work in one country or jurisdiction may prove less effective in Ireland. But Ireland can nevertheless learn from the experiences described in our paper, and perhaps adapt some strategies to its own political and social environment. By successfully incorporating continuity in curriculum, the benefits for Ireland’s youngest children could be tremendous. <br />
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<b>Read more:</b></div>
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<ul>
<li></li>
<li><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/curriculum-alignment-and-progression-between-early-childhood-education-and-care-and-primary-school_d2821a65-en">"Curriculum alignment and progression between early childhood education and care and primary school: A brief review and case studies" (OECD Working Paper)</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-31531748774911298472019-01-04T14:47:00.001+01:002019-01-07T10:20:59.882+01:00Key publications on education and skills coming up in 2019 <strong>By Andreas Schleicher</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Director, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/new-year-2019-books-3d-rendered-1088021411">Shutterstock</a></span></i></td></tr>
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Revolution. Contained within that often frightening word is another, less destabilising one: evolution. If we look at the future as the result of a series of advances propelled by megatrends, then we have a better chance of meeting the challenges it presents, rather than being ambushed by them. We will also be better equipped to prepare tomorrow’s learners. So we will start the year in <b>January </b>with our tri-annual report <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Trends Shaping Education</span></i></b>, which scans the horizon for megatrends that will shape the demand and supply of educational opportunities, and outlines the most significant challenges facing education over the years to come.<br />
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But how will education reinvent itself to respond to these megatrends and educate learners for their future? Governments cannot innovate in the classroom, but they can help build and communicate the case for change. Government can also play a key role as platform and broker, as stimulator and enabler; it can focus resources, set a facilitative policy climate, and use accountability to encourage innovation rather than compliance. But education needs to better identify key agents of change, champion them, and find more effective approaches to scaling and disseminating innovation. That is also about finding better ways to recognise, reward and highlight success, and making it easier for innovators to take risks and pursue new ideas.<br />
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It is easy to talk about innovation in education, but how do we know where and how this innovation is happening? With our <i><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Measuring Innovation</span></b></i> report in January, we will look at some of the tools that can make innovation visible, and explore what these tools reveal about the capacity of our education systems to prepare learners for their future, rather than our past.<br />
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Another trend shaping education has been the rapidly increasing social and ethnic diversity in student populations. Our <i><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Strength Through Diversity</span></b></i> report in <b>February</b> will summarise successful policies and practices for integrating students with an immigrant background through education.<br />
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In <b>March</b>, ministers of education and teacher union leaders from the best performing and most rapidly improving school systems will meet in Helsinki to explore how to build strong foundations in early childhood education and care in order to shift the emphasis from access to quality, and from care to fostering learning and child well-being. They will also explore how to best support staff in early childhood education to develop the right balance of cognitive, social and emotional competencies. Our background report, <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Starting strong through quality early childhood education and care</span></i></b>, will shed light on this.<br />
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In <b>April</b>, we will publish our report on <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">work-based learning in school-based VET programmes</span></i></b>, a topic that has been of growing interest to countries seeking to improve the relevance of learning.<br />
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What knowledge, skills, attitudes and values will be at a premium in tomorrow’s world, and how can countries best design curricula and instructional systems to support schools in fostering them? Over the last couple of years, governments and a wide range of stakeholders – including students, educators, researchers and those who represent the demand side of education – have been working together to answer these questions. Their answers will be published in our <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Education 2030 learning framework</span></i></b> in <b>May</b>.<br />
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Most countries have well-established institutions for educating young learners, but how do we elevate the skills of adults in the face of rapidly changing requirements in life and work? The 2019 edition of the OECD’s <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Skills Outlook</span></i></b> in May will focus on the interplay between digitalisation and the development and utilisation of skills. May will also see an update of the <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">OECD Skills Strategy</span></i></b>, which provides a compilation of tools and policies to ensure that countries effectively develop and use the right skills.<br />
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One of the highlights of this year will be the first results from the new Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). For the last five years, nearly 50 countries have been working together to develop internationally comparable data on the changing landscape of teaching; on how to attract and effectively prepare candidates for the teaching profession; and on how to provide opportunities for their professional growth and continuous development. Our report <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Teachers and School Leaders: Continuous Learners</span></i></b> in <b>June</b> will present a initial analysis of these questions.<br />
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In <b>July</b>, we will be publishing results from the third and final round of the OECD’s <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Survey of Adult Skills</span></i></b>, which will further expand the geographic reach of the first global assessment of adult skills. In July, we will also publish a synthesis of results from our project <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Benchmarking Higher Education System Performance</span></i></b>.<br />
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In <b>September</b> we will publish our annual indicators report <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Education at a Glance</span></i></b>, which provides the OECD’s report card on the output of educational institutions and the impact of learning; access to education, participation and progression; the financial resources invested in education; and teachers, learning environments and school organisation. This year, for the first time, <i>Education at a Glance</i> will focus on tertiary education.<br />
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During this month, we will also publish our comparative analysis of education policies, with the 2019 edition of our <i>Education Policy Outlook</i> under the theme "Working Together to Help Students Achieve Their Potential". The volume will examine the evolution of policy priorities related to school improvement, evaluation and assessment as well as governance and funding.<br />
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In <b>October</b> we will be publishing an analysis of the very first survey of <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">staff in early childhood education and care</span></i></b>. The results will give those working in early childhood education a voice on how to better support quality learning and the well-being of children. We will also mark another "first" in <b>November</b>, with the publication of results from the<b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> first international assessment of early learning and child well-being</span></i></b>.<br />
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And we will conclude the year in <b>December</b> with the first results from the <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)</span></i></b>: the most rigorous and comprehensive international assessment of quality and equity in student learning outcomes to date.<br />
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This is just a small selection of more than 50 publications and reports that we plan to publish this year to improve the evidence base on learning outcomes and the performance of education systems, to deepen our understanding of human learning and effective pedagogies, and to help countries with implementing policies that work. So stay tuned!<br />
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<b>Keep up with our latest work:</b><br />
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Our
website: <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education">www.oecd.org/education</a></div>
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Publications
and papers: <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education">www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education</a></div>
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Sign up to receive our newsletter: <a href="http://oe.cd/edunewsletter">oe.cd/edunewsletter</a></div>
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Explore our education data: <a href="http://gpseducation.oecd.org/">gpseducation.oecd.org</a></div>
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<b>Connect with us:</b></div>
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/oecdeduskills?lang=en">@OECDEduSkills</a></div>
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OECDEduSkills/">www.facebook.com/OECDEduSkills</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03215251895855987798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-48864212686751148252018-12-21T10:46:00.000+01:002018-12-21T10:46:59.655+01:00Year in review: a look back at our most popular posts of 2018<b>By Amar Toor</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Communications and Digital Officer, Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo credit: Element5/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/OyCl7Y4y0Bk">Unsplash</a></i></span></td></tr>
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It's been another productive year here at the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills, and we're gearing up for an even busier 2019. Next year, we'll release new data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and the annual <i>Education at a Glance </i>publication, in addition to our steady stream of working papers and policy briefs.<br />
<br />
We'll cover all the latest news here on <i>Education and Skills Today</i>, with insights from OECD analysts and experts from across the world of education. But before we look too far ahead, here's a look back on some of our most popular posts from 2018.<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.com/2018/03/japan-kosen-school-innovation-technology.html"><b>"How Japan’s Kosen schools are creating a new generation of innovators"</b></a></li>
</ul>
In our most popular post of the year, OECD Education and Skills Director Andreas Schleicher describes his visit to a truly unique school in Japan:<br />
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“At Kosen schools, learning is both cross-curricular and student-centred, and teachers are mainly coaches, mentors, facilitators and evaluators. This is not one of those contrived, one-week projects that have now become quite fashionable in many schools around the world; on the contrary, Kosen students will typically work for several years on developing and realising their big ideas.”</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.com/2018/10/finland-teaching-method-american-classroom.html"><b>"How Finnish-inspired teaching methods improved learning in a US classroom"</b></a></li>
</ul>
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Guest author Janet English writes about what she learned in adapting Finnish teaching methods to her classroom in California:</div>
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"[H]ow did I adapt Finnish methods to an American classroom? I combined the Finnish pedagogical approach for optimizing learning with the American approach of increasing competition. The result: high rates of proficiency and increased student motivation to solve problems."</div>
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<br /></div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.com/2018/04/internet-use-student-learning-school-pisa.html"><b>"Taking a break from the Internet may be good for learning"</b></a></li>
</ul>
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Drawing on recent PISA findings, analyst Alfonso Echazarra notes that although Internet connectivity is increasing across the globe, it appears to have various effects for different student groups: </div>
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"However, this greater connectivity may not necessarily be good news for disadvantaged students. In every school system, students who reported using the Internet more frequently, particularly on school days, scored lower in science than students who reported using the Internet less frequently."
</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><a href="http://oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.com/2018/07/teaching-standards-education-teachers.html">“How can teaching standards improve teaching?”</a></b></li>
</ul>
Reflecting on her own experience as a teacher in Hungary, analyst Nora Révai makes a compelling case for how strong standards can improve teaching:<br />
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<div>
<div class="indented">
"When I started teaching English in my native Hungary, I was excited, confident, and maybe a bit nervous, about managing a group of students and helping them grow. My first year went well: I established good relationships, my students were actively engaged in their learning, and they made huge progress. A year later... the experience was entirely different."<br />
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><b><a href="http://oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.com/2018/10/migrant-skills-education-jobs-integration.html">"Why we should dispel the myth of migrants as a homogeneous group"</a></b></li>
</ul>
Andreas Schleicher, OECD Chief of Staff Gabriela Ramos, OECD Deputy Secretary General Ludger Schuknecht and Stefano Scarpetta, head of the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, argue for a more nuanced view of migrants and the skills they bring to their new homes:<br />
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"On television, in newspapers and on social media, migrants are often described in blanket terms: they’re mostly unskilled, they have little chance of integrating in their host country, and they are a burden on the public purse because they rely on benefits more than they contribute to financing them. It’s a broad generalisation, and it often forms the basis of a polarised debate. But the data tell another, more differentiated story."<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950169.post-44713322326617677372018-12-18T11:07:00.003+01:002018-12-21T15:19:47.272+01:00For immigrant adults, a higher education does not always lead to equal employment opportunities<b>By Marie-Helene Doumet</b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Senior Analyst, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills</span><br />
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In our inter-connected and digitalised world, more people are looking abroad in search of better jobs and opportunities. At the same time, conflict and poverty have forced millions of adults and children to leave their country in pursuit of a better future elsewhere. While many may find better conditions than in the country they left behind, fitting into the workforce can be tough.<br />
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An immigrant’s ability to integrate and contribute to their host community depends on their skills and education, and where they ultimately land. Some countries have welcomed migrants and refugees of all backgrounds; others have implemented policies to attract only those with highly demanded skills. However, as we analyse in this month’s <i><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/cf52bacd-en.pdf?expires=1545128231&id=id&accname=ocid84004878&checksum=87F7694F0960E129B5D27EB3474C40DC">Education Indicators in Focus</a></i>, a better education does not always translate into better employment opportunities for foreign-born adults.<br />
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In our brief, we examine the effect of education on employment outcomes for both foreign-born adults and those born within the country. The findings highlight just how much immigrants’ educational background differs from one country to another. In about half of the countries with available data, foreign-born adults tend to be more educated than the local population. Much of this has to do with a host country’s economic context or immigration policies. For example, while about one-fifth of people in Belgium and Ireland were born in a different country, foreign-born adults living in Ireland are much more likely to hold a tertiary degree than those living in Belgium. With the second highest GDP per capita across OECD countries and a highly innovative economy, Ireland has attracted an educated workforce whose skills have fuelled its growth.<br />
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Foreign-born, tertiary-educated adults are less likely to be employed than native-born adults with the same education</blockquote>
While higher education may help foreign-born adults avoid unemployment, being better educated does not always guarantee a higher quality of life, relative to native-born populations. In fact, in all countries, foreign-born, tertiary-educated adults are less likely to be employed than native-born adults with the same education – even in countries with a highly qualified international workforce.<br />
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In some countries, differences in pay are even more stark than differences in employment: while foreign-born tertiary-educated adults in Italy are 14% less likely to be employed than native Italians, they earn 32% less. In other countries, it is the opposite. France has one of the lowest employment rates for foreign-born tertiary-educated adults compared to its native population, but those who do have a job earn about as much as workers who were born in the country.<br />
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Even if they have a tertiary degree, foreigners face many challenges to put their skills to use in their host country. Foreigners may face language barriers, and the skills developed in their home country may not match those that are in demand in their new communities, forcing many to work in lower level jobs. In Sweden, for example, tertiary-educated foreign-born adults score more than 40 points lower on the literacy assessment of the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) relative to their native-born peers; and one out of four works in a job requiring only an upper secondary degree or lower.<br />
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The relationship between migrants’ skills and employment is more complex than it may seem, but understanding these dynamics is essential to ensuring their successful integration. Skilled immigrants offer opportunities for economies to develop and grow competitively, yet unskilled workers are at risk of exclusion as they move to knowledge-based economies that place a higher premium on skills. Targeted education policies can support the continuous development of migrants, while promoting sustainable employment opportunities and benefiting the community.<br />
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More than 250 million people around the world today live outside their country of birth. Ensuring their smooth integration should be a win-win scenario.<br />
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<b>Read more:</b></div>
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<li><i><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/cf52bacd-en.pdf?expires=1545128231&id=id&accname=ocid84004878&checksum=87F7694F0960E129B5D27EB3474C40DC">Education Indicators in Focus no. 65: How do the educational attainment and labour market outcomes of foreign-born adults compare to their native-born peers?</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/">Education at a Glance 2018</a></i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/matching-economic-migration-with-labour-market-needs/migrants-skills-use-mismatch-and-labour-market-outcomes-a-first-exploration-of-the-international-survey-of-adult-skills-piaac_9789264216501-11-en"><i>Matching Economic Migration with Labour Market Needs </i>(OECD, 2014)</a></li>
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