the challenge of tomorrow final thursday admin session
TRANSCRIPT
“Between the four walls of a school sits our future”
The Challenge of Tomorrow
We cant get to where we want to be by remaining where we are...
1. The Context for Changing our Schools
Alberta FacesContinued economic challenges
Low productivityTrade barriers being erected in relation to
the oil sands30 years of low gas prices – the basis for our
royalty revenuesHigh labour costsHigh wage expectations – Alberta in the top
10 for GDP per capita world wide
Alberta Faces• Continued demographic challenges– Fast growing number of first nations youth in
Alberta– Baby boomer retirement kicking in now – some
agencies of Government face a 40% staff loss due to retirement in the next 5 years
– Changing immigration – significant growth of immigrant communities in our cities and regions• proportion of foreign-born and visible minority
populations in Canada are projected to grow from 16 per cent to 31 per cent of the total population by 2030
Alberta FacesContinued social challenges
Elderly population make growing demands on health care system
44% of Alberta Provincial revenues in health care and growing at 6% per annum Cuts made in K-PhD to fund health systemsSystem is problematic and reform is inevitable, but
no one willing to have the conversationObesity significant threat to our social fabric
Alberta FacesEnvironmental challenges
Alberta will become the single largest CO2 emitter in Canada by 2017
Oil sands reclamation progressing slowly – creating concerns for ENGO’s
Water scarcity and water quality significant issues, especially in southern Alberta
Air quality an issueEnergy supply an issue
Alberta FacesTechnology changes are rapid
Homo-zapiens now in schoolStem cell genetics will transform health care
and raise ethical issuesNew energy sources and new transport fuels
are in development that will change our approach to energy
New devices appearing daily…
Mindful teaching challenges us to be authentic learners
2. School Change
We are looking at “informed transformation” as the agenda for change in Alberta (Inspiring Education, p.18)
We are looking at some key changes simultaneously in a variety of different areas:GovernanceCurriculum and AssessmentRole of teachers and importance of professional
developmentAccountabilityTechnology
Imagine an Alberta with educationLESS Focused on the
schoolCentered on the
systemFocused on
contentTechnology to
support teaching
MORE Focused on
educationCentred on the
learnerBuilding
competenciesTechnology to
support the creation and sharing of knowledge
And alsoLESSRules basedOperational
focusedCentral influenceAccountability to
the bureaucracy
MOREPrinciples basedGovernance
teamsLocal directionResponsibility for
learning excellence
Some Likely Changes• A new School Act in 2010/11• Changing governance – governance teams• Changing role of teachers– Personal accountability for performance of learners– More control over the curriculum– More opportunities to localize curriculum– More use of technology and project based learning
• Changing curriculum – less is more and competencies not content
• Changing accountability regime – continuous, competency based and about and for learning
• Changing how learners leverage technology for the creation of materials to aid learning and support competencies
Notice..• Each school is unique in terms of place,
community, personnel and learners – no one size fits all
• Each school is at a different place in its development – no one strategy fits all
• Each teacher needs support to be the teacher they can be – reinventing initial and ongoing professional development will be key
• Each learner has their own learning opportunities and challenges – personalizing learning and leveraging technology to help will be critical
What We Need to Start Thinking About..What will we STOP doing?What will we IMPROVE?What will we need to REDESIGN ?What will we START doing?
“If we do the same as we have always done and expect different results….”
RememberChange
Takes time (3-6 years)Is always “messy” and will involve failure as
well as successAlways involves surprises, risks and
uncertaintiesWill be of great interest to some and a turn-off
for many, especially if the changes are majorNeeds leadership and stewardship at every
levelNeeds to be owned by the community