Sliced Bread

We believe that there is nothing more valuable you can do for your nation than go into teaching, Julia Gillard Deputy Prime Minister July 1st 2008 

I often wonder why teaching is not seen as a more valuable profession, especially as Gillard states by the ” ‘best and brightest’ of university graduates.”

We have known this for a long time,

Australia faces a looming teacher shortage, with half the profession approaching retirement within the next 10 years.

but other than past and current government platitudes, what action has been taken to actually rectify this “looming shortage”? and inadequate staffing?

As proud as I am of twenty plus years of service to public education, with another 20 still to come, I almost feel lost promoting careers in NSW DET public schools to young people who ask me about the profession. I never say this of course, but I still feel it. Why?

I dont think society values public education like it once did. Good teachers seem undervalued, in far more than just monetary terms.

Governments are quick to abrogate their responsiblity to Public Education because its expedient. Police and ambulance are two of the last frontiers of NSW public utilities that are left to “sell off”. Currently its harder for private industry to profit in those two political minefields, but private “economic rationalist” arguments will eventually pursuade future governments to change policy. If profit is on the offing and politicians need a warchest top up, it’ll be sell, sell, sell. ”It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.”

Public funding for hospitals and schools, nurses and teachers, have in real terms been on the economic decline since the 1970’s in NSW. As more and more is handed over to the largly unaccountable private sectors, it disturbs me more supporters of public don’t cry out “why?” or “stop”. Maybe we have reached that point now with electricity. 

I’m certainly not anti private, just pro accountability and transparency as increasing budgets of public money gets handed over. Just look at the current political brawl over electricity, do you think it won’t eventually happen with other as yet untouched public services?

With the constant bickering between a multitude of so called representative groups, seemingly ongoing and circuitious debate over public funding transparency (getting funding right might be a good start) edubeaurocrats justifying their existence and opining “cause its what we do”, pointless 19th and 20th century “benchmark” tests, that in no way test 21st century digital literacies, constant change with the latest and greatest “edugimmicks” and assorted other platitudes, not least of which is adequate public funding for public education, then it’s no wonder I feel despondent about outsiders who constantly reinvent the wheel of education fortune, offer old skool solutions and mess with effective learning in the classroom. 

Maybe that’s why I feel uncomfortable promoting something I see as in decline, under attack or at least mighty mixed up.

This brings me back to why I’m excited about the digital revolution, not only in education but more widely in society. The speed of the future will marginalise slothful governments and others who “don’t play nicely, or smartly in the digital mud pit”.

Excessive layers of control, especially governments that are out of touch, hey JWH etal, will themselves become rapidly irrelevant and hopefully to some degree redundant as more people blog, ask questions, empower themselves and say enough is enough.

Futuristic yes, but I can see it happening more quickly than monolithic organisations may want to admit. We live in exponential times and shift happens. Why do you think China controls their net so tightly? They realise the power it unleashes on and for people, Getup and Get with it.

I see web2.0 learning as a way for learners to move forward at a faster more enjoyable pace and leave the political agendarists to fight their boring, repetitive and ugly fights elsewhere. Motherhood statements about “kids being central” are often trotted out by Politicians grasping at straws.

Of course learning in schools should be about learners, der, an absolute no brainer comment but one so often repeated. I can’t wait until learners in schools have moved so rapidly foward that they set and control the agenda. Pollies won’t wont know which way the bus went.

Non learning will result, and worse,  as more active digital brains ”power down” to attend school’s that don’t change in the future, school education will disenfranchise more than it empowers. Many adolescent learners engage in far more enriched learning away from 9to3dom now. Often the first thing learners are told is to “unplug and disconnect because we’ve got some serious school learning to do now.” (that will prepare you for a meaningless test for a job that is rooted in 19thC literacies and wont prepare you for 2020 let alone 2060)

Another micro level issue in our much touted “web2.0 digital revolution world of learning”, at least in NSW Public schools, is the strictly controlled DET filtered web environment that blocks educational multi media, blogs and wikis. Oxymoron or paradox? I’m not sure which it is. But I do know its counter intuitive and frustrating.

Web2.0 in NSW DET schools is NOT open apps, it is therefore not the “real web2.0″ world that learners access at home. It is NOT (yet) giving my Year 7 learners the access, speed or tools they need for a successful rest of life future in 2013 and beyond.

I’m convinced schools are heading there but at what pace and with what real commitment if 30% of our change engineers are retiring within 10 years? Maybe its time to allow the digital native generation to dictate the technology, and us old cronies will just administer the appropriate heutagogy?

The challenge for those footing the bills and making the big end of town decisons then, is to increase the pace of real digital integration and speed up the monolithic departments that hinder meaningful improvements to learning. Developing countries are doing it very well and very fast, why can’t Australia?  

Those learning places currently teaching their kids digital citizenship, critical web analysis, net safety and responsibility, use of open apps and digital mobile delivery with constructivism or similar pedagogy will succeed.

Those that don’t change quickly will be on the constant treadmill of playing “perpetual catch up” or worse become “schools of last resort”. Parents and kids will soon see through anything less and vote with their feet.

Guess which learning environments in the next decade the ” ‘best and brightest’ of university graduates” who are digital experts will want to teach in? A no brainer I know.

Future teachers in the next decade will gravitate back to the places of learning where they felt valued, were taught using 21st century methods and where they used real open apps webplus4.0 digital skills.

I sure hope some of that happens in Public schools.

Photo Credits: Future teacher Slice, Faceless Bureaucrats dougsamu, dont suspect a friend report him zyphichore. all under creative commons

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