Michael Lawrence and Dr. Fabio D'Agostin | Creating Schools…

Creating Schools Where Students and Teachers Want To Be.

‘Why are we still doing what we do when all evidence indicates that it does not work?’ from Education Review

In the shadows of last year’s teacher strike in New South Wales, a number of people asked me how the Finnish education system would deal with the issues causing dissatisfaction for Australian teachers.

It is an excellent question. It is rare for a teacher to leave the profession in Finland. Indeed, teaching is one of the top career choices for young people in Finland. While teacher pay there is similar to that of Australian teachers, the conditions under which Finnish teachers operate are very different and comprise the main reason for the popularity (and success) of the profession there. Perhaps the best illustration of this is Pasi Sahlberg’s response to the question about how to best evaluate teachers.

To Education Review…

micklawrenceteachertrust

2 responses to “‘Why are we still doing what we do when all evidence indicates that it does not work?’ from Education Review”

  1. Craig Eason Avatar
    Craig Eason

    I see similar issues in the UK system which has not changed since I was at school. Change in anything requires leadership, imagination and a direction of travel. It is not something that can happen overnight but it will happen in time if you get the mechanics right. The problem comes when those who have the leadership roll do not have the imagination or vision to lead that Change and that is why poor systems do not change. It survives because a poor system in education is better than no system at all but what is needed is evolution not revolution because it is a 5 – 10 year fix. The odds are that the current leadership came through and thrived in the academic exam based environment which means they cannot see passed it irrespective of what the data says. I was sent a copy last week of the Future of Jobs report 2023 that was commissioned by the World Economic Forum. The skills of the future are not leared in a traditional academic, exam based way, but it plays to the need for a different type of teaching which is coaching and facilitation based. Teaching children modern skills for a modern world will inspire both students and teachers.

    Like

    Reply
    1. micklawrenceteachertrust Avatar
      micklawrenceteachertrust

      This is very true. There’s many who do well from the current system, both from the education system and politics, and we are not going to see any change from that quarter. The next couple of years will see major change or disaster.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment