A couple of weeks ago I wrote what I thought was an interesting post, which I thought I had published, and which I somehow managed to delete instead of publish! My apologies. Here is Take 2.
I have often said in recent years that we are wanting and needing to prepare your children for their futures rather than our pasts. It is easy to replicate the kind of education we received as children, but it just won't equip this generation for their futures.
Our Teacher Only Days were absolutely terrific with top quality international speakers about how to prepare our children well.
Our children will grow into :
a very culturally diverse world
-44% of the workforce currently in Auckland is born overseas
-there are over 200 ethnicities in Auckland alone
a very different job market than we currently know
-any job that can be routined is rapidly being offshored or automated
-what the world needs now is not so much what people know but what they do with what they know
a world in which the emerging careers will require creativity, curiosity and empathy
Therefore as teachers we need to be:
-avoiding the 'we've always done it that way' attitude and be prepared to think outside the box to set learners up for success
-building a culture of curiosity and collaboration
-encourage problem solving and risk-taking and a willingness to make mistakes in the process of learning
The experts tell us that these are the qualities that will help your children to be successful.
As a Christian, I am inspired by Jesus :
-his willingness to be 'outside the box' of people's expectations and to stretch others out of the boxes that kept their thinking small and self-focused
-his ability to engage people in learning wherever they were (physically, cognitively and spiritually)
-his example of embracing those who made mistakes and giving them hope for their futures - ironically it was those who 'had to be right' who missed Jesus' message and grace the most. Those who acknowledged their mistakes and were curious to learn and grow gained new revelation, and new joy in life.
So may it be with us....and with our learners.
I have often said in recent years that we are wanting and needing to prepare your children for their futures rather than our pasts. It is easy to replicate the kind of education we received as children, but it just won't equip this generation for their futures.
Our Teacher Only Days were absolutely terrific with top quality international speakers about how to prepare our children well.
Our children will grow into :
a very culturally diverse world
-44% of the workforce currently in Auckland is born overseas
-there are over 200 ethnicities in Auckland alone
a very different job market than we currently know
-any job that can be routined is rapidly being offshored or automated
-what the world needs now is not so much what people know but what they do with what they know
a world in which the emerging careers will require creativity, curiosity and empathy
Therefore as teachers we need to be:
-avoiding the 'we've always done it that way' attitude and be prepared to think outside the box to set learners up for success
-building a culture of curiosity and collaboration
-encourage problem solving and risk-taking and a willingness to make mistakes in the process of learning
The experts tell us that these are the qualities that will help your children to be successful.
As a Christian, I am inspired by Jesus :
-his willingness to be 'outside the box' of people's expectations and to stretch others out of the boxes that kept their thinking small and self-focused
-his ability to engage people in learning wherever they were (physically, cognitively and spiritually)
-his example of embracing those who made mistakes and giving them hope for their futures - ironically it was those who 'had to be right' who missed Jesus' message and grace the most. Those who acknowledged their mistakes and were curious to learn and grow gained new revelation, and new joy in life.
So may it be with us....and with our learners.
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