This morning , the third keynote from Distinguished Professor Pedro Nogeura on equity, empowerment and deeper learning.
Proposed for education to leverage off the pandemic, as an
opportunity to change. The pandemic is a form of ‘disturbance’ and we should
use this, as a way to relook at what schooling is about and create an
educational system for the future.
Questioned the current system – does it meet the needs of
the children currently? Which children are not served and have unmet academic
and social needs? Do these children belong at your schools? What barriers might
be getting in the way of change?
How can our school, education and child-development systems,
more individually responsive to the needs of our students? Why not construct a
system that meets children where they are and gives them what they need inside
and outside of school, to enable their success?
Rationalised the need to change. Schools NEED to change as
they are a product of history and reflect the inequalities present in society.
There are deep disparities in achievement based on socio-economic status and
race. Challenged the audience to find out how deeply engaged children are at their
school? How are children of colour treated?
To create the schools we need, we need to shift the
paradigms. Not only changes in systems but a shift in beliefs about what is
possible and needed. From measuring and sorting to developing talent. From pressure
and competition to encouraging collaboration. From assessment OF to FOR
learning. Content teaching to cultivation of the love of learning. Parents from
consumers to stakeholders.
To pursue excellence through equity, need to understand,
child development, neuroscience and context. Holistic approach to provide differentiated
education. Understand the plasiticity inherent in the brain, encouraging
learning when learners are engaged.
Explained the concept of the effect of race on the achievement
gap as not useful. This encourages racialisation, reinforcing stereotypes and
preventing the development of effective solutions.
To advance equity, educators need to find the balance
between technical and adaptive work. Technical work focuses on managing
operations and systems, ensuring procedures are working and employees and students
comply with policy. Adaptive work indicates a focus on the dynamic and complex
nature of work, work that is guided by a long-term vision and an awareness that
ongoing work required to achieve goals
in a constantly changing environment.
Unfortunately, technical and logistical changes dominate the
conversations, for example about how to keep schools open through the pandemic.
In the current pandemic context, key adaptive questions
include how to better support student mental health? How can gaps in learning,
unmotivated students, frightened adults? Are teachers prepared to address the
heightened awareness about racial prejudice? How will the sense of community be
build? How do we better support students as they learn from home?
Five essentials ingredients for school improvement include
coherent instructional guidance system; ongoing professional development for
teachers; strong parent-community-school ties; a student centred learning
environment; and shared leadership to drive change (Bryke et al., 2010).
Provided guidelines to help make schools ‘race neutral’ as
aligned to the above five essentials.
Encouraged the need to reflection on what occurred across
pandemic on ‘school opening’. Evaluate and build school community first before
moving forward.
Shared the visual definitions of equality, equity and how
they are perceived. Eliminating barriers is a key. Barriers include complacency,
racial bias, teaching and learning as disconnected, punitive mindset, unequal
access to external support and ignoring the need to compensate for the effects
of inequality outside of school.
Need to shift, post pandemic, to better ways of support all
learners.
