As debate continues over a national curriculum, the ABC has an interesting forum on 21st learning. The forum is in response to Rupert Murdoch assertions in the Boyer lectures that “Australia has a 21st century economy with a 19th century education system”.
In the first of a series of six lectures, Murdoch argued that: we need to reform our education system … the bottom line is this: it is an absolute scandal that we are spending more and more and getting less and less in return. For those still in school or just entering the workforce, the opportunities a global economy offers are greater than at any time in our history—provided you have the right skills.”
The forum, recorded at the National Curriculum Corporation Conference, examines what a 21st century education might look like.
Guests Professor Barry McGaw (Head of the National Curriculum Board and Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute), Valerie Hannon (Director of Strategy for the UK Innovation Unit), Chris Wardlaw (Former Deputy Secretary of Education in Hong Kong) and Michael Stevenson (Vice President of Global Education at Cisco Systems) “discuss the current major reform of curriculum in Australia, skills and knowledge needed in the 21st century, how Hong Kong transformed its education system and the role of technology and innovation.” Download audio file here.
Other Links:
Curriculum Corporation Conference
Cisco paper on 21st century learning
Boyer lectures by Rupert Murdoch
Image: ‘Planet of Taris‘
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