TEACHING IN THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY an overview of findings from conversations with Australian teachers 2015
SURVEYS RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS 1 SURVEY RESULTS 3 IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS 5 KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY & THE FUTURE OF WORK 6 HOW TEACHERS MEASURE SKILLS FOR THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY 7 STUDENT ATTITUDES 8 TEACHER CHALLENGES 9 EQUITY & INCLUSION 9 TEACHING TECHNIQUESW 10 RESOURCES 11 CONTACT 12 ABOUT 12 TABLE OF CONTENTS Image: ClemensLocker, 2013
SURVEYS RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS CURRENT POSITION Full-time Part-time Retired Other 2 3 8 32 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION YEARS EXPERIENCE 60% 20% VICTORIA QUEENSLAND 20% 22% 33% 2% SOUTH AUSTRALIA 13% 11% 7% 11% NEW SOUTH WALES NON-RESPONSE 0-5 years 6-10 years 11-20 years 20+ years no response 1
SELECTION OF SUBJECTS TAUGHT BY RESPONDENTS science careers studies engineering VET VCAL english junior legalbusiness management physicshumanities general 2
SURVEY RESULTS 67% are 9% 24% unsure are not Respondents who are familiar with the term 'knowledge economy'' 62% yes 11% unsure 27% no Schools where the 'knowledge economy' is a topic of discussion' 33% Completely agree 60% Agree 5% 0% 0% Unsure Disagree Completely disagree 2% Non-response Teaching students skills for the 'knowledge economy' is important 3
SURVEY RESULTS cont. 33% 33% Leading the way Progressive Middle of the pack A little behind Not on our agenda 13% 7% 7% Unsure Non-response 5% 2% How teachers rate their school in terms of how well they prepare students for the 'knowledge economy' 40% 31% Leading the way Progressive Middle of the pack Cautious 11% Not on my agenda 7% Unsure Non-response 7% 4% 0% How teachers rate themselves in terms of how well they prepare students for the 'knowledge economy' 4
IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS CURRENT POSITION Full-time Part-time Retired Other 4 1 0 1 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION YEARS EXPERIENCE 50% 33% 67% 33% VICTORIA NEW SOUTH WALES 17% 0-5 years 6-10 years 11-20 years 20+ years no response 5
KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY & THE FUTURE OF WORK WHAT IS THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY? Over half of all respondents cited a lack of clarity and understanding about the term knowledge economy as being a barrier to effectively equipping students for the careers of the future. Compounding this lack of clarity is a lack of guidance about how to best equip students for a knowledge economy future. WHICH SKILLS ARE IMPORTANT? Respondents indicated that with changing trends in future jobs, having a 'kit bag' of skills highly valued. Respondents primarily identified social/subjective skills such as communication and collaboration as being most necessary to prepare students for future work. However, the need to educate students with technical/quantifiable skills in critical thought and evaluation of information was identified as being of increasing importance, in an age where information is so readily available. Also of note, is the fact that the respondents provided no consensus about the language used to describe soft/subjective and technical/quantitative skills, which appears to be consistent with the broader discussion in this space. SOCIAL/ SUBJECTIVE SKILLS Critical thought and evaluation Problem solving Technology Communication Interpersonal Confidence Time management Self-awareness Compassion Empathy Enterprise Collaboration Creativity Independent learning Emotional intelligence Resilience Values TECHNICAL/ QUANTIFIABLE SKILLS 6
Respondents also identified a potential skills gap in students. With the majority of current students fitting into the category of digital natives i.e. having grown up immersed in digital technologies, it can be easy to assume that many students have an intrinsic ability to interact with technology. However, while it is true that much of this population has been immersed in the technology for their entire lifetime, their principal interaction with technology has been through social activities such as social media and games. Many respondents noted that this immersion with technology does not necessarily extend to having an intrinsic ability to use technology for non-social activities such as knowing how and where to source specific information. Further, in a realm where information is so readily available, the ability to critically evaluate the accuracy and intent of information sources is an increasingly necessary skill. HOW TEACHERS MEASURE SKILLS FOR THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY Despite the articulated importance of teaching students Social/Subjective skills, core assessment practices remain focused on quantitative outcomes in the form of NAPLAN, PISA and academic testing of technical content. Respondents identified the need to assess qualitative skills such as individual engagement, participation, interaction and collaboration. Respondents reported that a variety of methods are currently used by teachers to capture this data, however, these methods, where used, are sporadic and ad hoc. Some examples of assessment techniques to capture Social/Subjective skills include: using an Exit Ticket to learn what students are thinking and what they have learned at the end of a lesson scoring each student for effort, participation, etc in each class using a log book or spreadsheet to track the interaction e.g. number of questions asked by each student in each class. 7
STUDENT ATTITUDES LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT FUTURE CAREERS Respondents perceived that many high school students lack specific knowledge about the variety of jobs that exist in the present, and struggle to conceptualise the skills required for jobs that don t yet exist. While students may know what their parents job title is, their understanding of what that means in terms of actual activities, responsibilities and skills is limited. Further, there appears to be a lack of awareness among some teachers as well as students about the skills, knowledge and behaviours expected by businesses both for present and future employees. Recently, careers information websites My Career and Job Guide have been de-funded by the government, further reducing the available pathways for students to gain this knowledge. DISENGAGEMENT WITH STEM SUBJECTS Some respondents reported that students are intimidated by complex maths and science, leading to disengagement with these subjects. CHANGING ASPIRATIONS Some respondents perceived that the status of attaining a university degree is on the rise. University participation rates among school leavers has more than doubled since 1982. PROPORTION OF DOMESTIC UNIVERSITY PARTICIPATION RATES 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1982 1992 2002 2012 YEAR Source: Grattan Institute, 2014 8
TEACHER CHALLENGES TIME Respondents cited a lack of sufficient time as being one of the greatest challenges they face in their role. Specifically, grievances around this topic included: not having enough time to plan and share ideas with colleagues having too much content to cover during the year time required for administrative and reporting activities such as setting and marking assessment, and reporting related to modified work for some students. SUPPORT Many respondents sense a general lack of support for teaching and learning processes. Others cited difficulties keeping up with ever-changing curriculum, resources, tools, research trends and a lack of structures to assist this. For instance, a number of respondents mentioned a preference for in-person Professional Development, but often struggle to attend sessions due to cost and time away from the classroom. EQUITY & INCLUSION SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS OF ALL SKILL-LEVELS The gap between students performing at an A-level and a D-level gets bigger during each year of schooling. The students who are behind at the beginning continue to get further and further behind each year. PREPARATION FOR UNIVERSITY vs TRADES Despite the increasing trend towards university enrolments, not all students are interested in pursuing this pathway. Respondents reported that the conversation about the changing future of work is leading to some students who are pursuing trades, to worry that there will be no work available for them and their skill sets upon completion of an apprenticeship. 9
TEACHING TECHNIQUES LINKING CLASSES TO REAL LIFE/ CAREERS Respondents indicated a variety of approaches they have used to link what students are learning to real life and careers. These include: students engaging in community service/ volunteering, affording student the opportunity to gain leadership and interpersonal experience engaging speakers from universities and professional bodies to share career experiences from fields such as psychology, IT and accounting projects where students set up their own businesses in groups to learn enterprise, presentation, communication skills students exhibiting their businesses at their own Trade Display where local business people are invited investigating topics of interest e.g. Lie to Me, a subject where students perform an in-depth analysis of advertising students engaged to make their own movies and radio programs (sometimes in conjunction with a local station). TECHNIQUES TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT Some respondents shared techniques they use to increase student engagement in a variety of classes, including: asking questions and creating discussion about a topic rather than writing notes for students to copy using self and peer-grading as a reflection and engagement tool encouraging students to be creative in thinking about how they can solve a challenge. PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING A number of respondents reported an increase in the use of problem-based learning (PBL) approaches within their school. With the rise in popularity of this pedagogy, a new set of challenges has arisen. For instance, many respondents expressed a need for easy-to-use PBL resources that complement existing curriculum and practices. Additional issues associated with PBL, as identified by respondents include: approaches are all or nothing meaning, either they are really successful and the class is fully engaged, or they fall over in a heap if a student has no interest in the topic, it is very easy to switch off and not participate. On a positive note, respondents also noted that this technique allows students who are interested in a topic to extend themselves beyond what they may be able to using traditional teaching methods. 10
RESOURCES CAREERS RESOURCES USED BY TEACHERS Some of the most commonly used careers resources used by respondents include: My Future - myfuture.edu.au Job Guide - jobguide.thegoodguides.com.au ACTU Worksite for Schools - worksite.actu.org.au Oz Apprenticeships - australianapprenticeships.prod.slicedlabs.com.au Skills Road - skillsroad.com.au Information from industry associations Information from Universities and TAFE. OTHER RESOURCES USED BY TEACHERS & SCHOOLS Additional resources used by respondents and/or their schools include: New Tech Network - newtechnetwork.org 6 C's Framework by Michael Fullan Department of Education PBL resource Book Creator - link to app Explain Everything - explaineverything.com Nearpod - nearpod.com 5 11
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