MS SUSAN CLOSE THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE DECD DEAN OF EDUCATION, FLINDERS UNIVERSITY THE DIRECTOR OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION

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1 THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT MS SUSAN CLOSE THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE DECD DEAN OF EDUCATION, FLINDERS UNIVERSITY THE DIRECTOR OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION MR TONY HARRISON - PROFESSORDAVID GILES MS HELEN O BRIEN CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS OF SA MS CAROLYN GRANTSKALNS DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER OF DECD - MS JAYNE JOHNSON PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP DR JENNY STANLEY DISTINGUISHED GUESTS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN I AM THRILLED AND HONOURED TO RECEIVE THIS SOUTH AUSTRALIAN AWARD ESPECIALLY AS I KNEW ALBY AND SHIRLEY JONES QUITE WELL. ALBY AND I SERVED ON MANY COMMITTEES TOGETHER, AFTER HE HAD RETIRED. I WAS GREATLY INFLUENCED BY HIM. HE COMPLETED A PHD WHEN HE WAS 80. HE HAD AN INCREDIBLE PASSION FOR EDUCATION. WHEN ALBY WAS THE DIRECTOR- GENERAL OF EDUCATION AND ISSUED HIS FAMOUS FREEDOM AND AUTHORITY MEMORANDUM IN 1972, I WAS A MATHEMATICS CONSULTANT IN THE THEN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, AND I HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT MEANT OR EVEN WHO 1

2 ALBY WAS. IF HE HAD WALKED PASSED ME IN THE STREET, I WOULD HAVE HAD NO IDEA. THAT WAS TO CHANGE MANY YEARS LATER WHEN I WAS A STATE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL. I SPENT MANY HOURS CHATTING WITH HIM ABOUT EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP. IN FACT, IT WAS ONLY THEN DID I REALISE THAT THE NAME JONES IN SEARLE AND JONES, THE AUTHORS OF THE SA MATHEMATICS TEXT BOOK FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS, WAS ALBY JONES. HE ALSO WORKED CLOSELY WITH ANOTHER REMARKABLE LEADER, LYALL FRICKER, WHO WAS THE HEAD OF FURTHER EDUCATION AND BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM, THEY PUT SA ON THE EDUCATION MAP. ALBY WAS A REMARKABLE MAN AND HE TAUGHT ME A LOT. TWO THINGS I REMEMBER AS IF IT WAS YESTERDAY: 1. THE GOAL OF EDUCATION IS LEARNING AND GOOD TEACHERS WITH GOOD LEADERSHIP CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN. 2. EDUCATION HAS THREE PURPOSES: PERSONAL/SOCIAL LEARNING, INTELLECTUAL/ACADEMIC LEARNING AND VOCATIONAL LEARNING. ALTHOUGH, WE DID OFTEN ARGUE ABOUT EQUITY AND QUALITY IN EDUCATION. AND WE ALSO DISCUSSED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TEACHER AND THE LEARNER AS BEING FUNDAMENTAL TO QUALITY LEARNING. HOWEVER, I AM NOT HEARING THOSE CONVERSATIONS MUCH ANYMORE. 2

3 I AM HEARING ABOUT NATIONAL CURRICULUM, TEACHER STANDARDS, NAPLAN, SAFETY, BULLYING, SOCIAL MEDIA, STRATEGIC PLANNING, CHILD PROTECTION. AND MUCH MUCH MORE. AND THESE ARE ALL GOOD THINGS IN EDUCATION. BUT I AM NOT HEARING ABOUT TEACHING AND LEARNING. IN FACT, I WORK FOR THE GROUP WHO DEVISED NAPLAN AS TESTS OF MEMORY AND I WAS AN OFFICIAL ON THE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL CALLED MCEETYA WHEN THEY WERE FIRST RAISED AND DISCUSSED BY THE THEN FEDERAL MINISTER FOR EDUCATION DR DAVID KEMP. THE PLAN WAS TO GIVE AN OVERALL SKETCH OF THE HEALTH OF EDUCATION FOR THE STATES AND AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND THAT S HOW NAPLAN WAS DEVISED. HOWEVER, DISAGGREGATING THE RESULTS TO LEVELS BELOW 2 OR 3 SCHOOLS IN A LOCATION IS FRAUGHT WITH STATISTICAL ERROR. THE NAPLAN TESTS ARE FINE AND THEY ARE NECESSARY BUT THE USE OF THEIR RESULTS IS APPALLING. THE ONLY TESTS THAT ARE USEFUL FOR STUDENT LEARNING ARE TEACHER DIAGNOSTIC TESTS. HOWEVER, MY CAREER HAS BEEN DEVOTED TO PEDAGOGY. THAT IS, HOW WE TEACH IN ORDER TO MEET STUDENT S LEARNING NEEDS AND TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT VALUES STRIVING TO LEARN AND WHERE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND. WHEN I FIRST WENT TEACHING IN 1967, TEACHING APPEARED TO BE EASY. WE HAD ONE SET OF TEXT BOOKS, A FIXED TIMETABLE, FRIDAY TESTS AND MILITARY CLASSROOMS. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE STUDENTS LEARNT BECAUSE DISCIPLINE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT SUBJECT WE TAUGHT. AND FUNDING WAS NOT AN ISSUE. IT CERTAINLY WAS NOT QUALITY EDUCATION. 3

4 TODAY, WE HAVE MUCH BETTER EDUCATED TEACHERS, AMAZING SCHOOL LEADERSHIP, MUCH DEEPER SOCIAL ISSUES, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, A DEMANDINGLY EXPECTANT PUBLIC AND A LACK OF APPROPRIATE FUNDING. GONKSI WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY STRONGLY EVIDENCE BASED FUNDING REPORT, BUT IT HAS FALLEN OFF THE TABLE BECAUSE EDUCATION IS NOT A BUSINESS. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES HAVE CHANGED THE SOCIAL, PROFESSIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FABRIC OF OUR SOCIETY. EDUCATION HAS JUST BECOME MORE COMPLEX AND KNOWLEDGE HAS JUST EXPANDED EXPONENTIALLY. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND CONNECTEDNESS HAVE CHANGED THE WAY THAT WE RELATE TO ONE ANOTHER AND ALSO HOW WE RELATE TO KNOWLEDGE AND EVENTS. THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL PEDAGOGY HAVE JUST BECOME SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN IN THE PAST. OLD SOLUTIONS NO LONGER WORK OR ARE INAPPROPRIATE OR INEFFECTIVE. SO WHAT CAN WE DO? WE DO NEED STRONGLY LED AND FREQUENT TEACHER AND LEADERSHIP PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, RESEARCH TELLS US, WE DO NEED TO INTEGRATE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES INTO LEARNING ACTIVITIES BECAUSE STUDENTS ARE UNABLE TO USE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR LEARNING AND RESEARCH, RESEARCH TELLS US, AND WE DO NEED TO FOCUS ON EQUITY IN EDUCATION (LOW SES, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS, INDIGENOUS STUDENTS AND STUDENTS IN REMOTE AND VERY REMOTE LOCATIONS) AS WELL AS FOCUS ON THE QUALITY OF LEARNING. WE DO NEED TO HAVE THAT SAME CONVERSATION THAT I HAD WITH ALBY OVER MANY YEARS. 4

5 IN A MODERN GLOBAL DIGITAL WORLD WHERE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS EXPECT PARTICIPATION, INSTANT COMMUNICATION, INSTANT ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND COLLABORATION, WE NEED TO RESOLVE: WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF EDUCATION NOW AND IN THE FUTURE? SECONDLY, WHAT ARE ITS PURPOSES? I MEAN, WHAT DO WE WANT EDUCATION TO ACHIEVE FOR OUR SOCIETY AND OUR STATE? AND THIRDLY, WHAT PEDAGOGIES CAN WE UTILISE TO MEET THESE GOALS AND PURPOSES IN ORDER TO MAKE THE STRUGGLE OF LEARNING RELEVANT, ENGAGING AND OF A HIGH ORDER? I CAN ALMOST HEAR ALBY ASKING ME, GERRY WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT TECHNOLOGY STUFF? AND I WOULD SAY, ALBY, WE LIVE IN A CONNECTED SOCIETY NOW AND RESEARCH TELL US THAT TEACHERS AND STUDENTS WHO HARNESS CONNECTIVITY SUCCESSFULLY WILL MOVE TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR AWARDING ME THE GREAT HONOUR OF THE ALBY JONES AWARD. 5