Week 27 - APC - Broader Professional Context

Global context

US National Intelligence Council (2012)’s “Global trends: Alternative Worlds” and KMPG International’s (2014) “Future State 2030” provide an insight into the megatrends that will shape the future of the world’s politics and enconomies. Understanding the global contemporary trends and issues will help you see the bigger picture your practice is situated within and the trajectory your practice should be heading toward.

One of the trends that both publications point out is the empowerment of individuals and the game-changing role of technologies in every aspect of society. In education, it is reflected by the ubiquitous presence of digital technologies integrated in the learning and teaching space.

International context

In the era of globalisation, your professional context is no longer confined within the boundaries of a local community. Over the last decade, technology has moved so swiftly that teachers are increasingly connected across a variety of platforms and in a variety of settings.

21st century learners are digital device and platform users. Their learning goes beyond passive receipt of knowledge towards actively seeking knowledge and their learning extends beyond the classroom walls to the digital learning environment. These changes in learning behaviour are a global phenomenon and not confined to a specific country or region. It is within this interconnected world that your context of practice needs to be able to respond to changes in technology and new educational paradigms.

The New Zealand education context

New Zealand is among the high quality education performers globally, but also faces critical issues that need to be addressed. A report by the Education Review Office (2012) indicated that New Zealand’s education system needs to pay more attention to three key aspects including i) students-centred learning, ii) responsive and rich curriculum, and iii) assessment used for students’ learning.

Suggested readings:

• National Intelligence Council.(2012). Global trends: Alternative Worlds.National Intelligence Council: US. Retrieved fromhttps://globaltrends2030.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/global-trends-2030-november2012.pdf: This publication discusses the macro-scale mega trends in an accessible manner. The future envisage is made convincing with visualised statistical data.
• Education Review Office. (2012). Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools - Education Review Office. Retrieved 5 May 2015, from http://www.ero.govt.nz/About-Us/News-Media-Releases2/The-three-most-pressing-issues-for-N: This report drawing from the data of previous national evaluation and reports specifies and analysed in-depth the 3 key issues that facing New Zealand’s education system and what should be done to address the issues.

Supplementary readings:

• Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2015). NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf: This report drawn from the panel of experts around the globe provides informative and easy-to-access reading around technology trends that impact on the educational practices and what plan and actions should be done to effectively address the changes.
• OECD. (2016). Trends Shaping Education 2016. OECD Publishing:Paris. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2016-en (this publication can be read online by following its DOI’s hyperlink): This document compiles the analysis of the global trends affecting education and raises relevant questions for education policy makers and practitioners to consider how to act towards those trends.

Activity 3: Contemporary issues or trends in New Zealand or internationally

After reading the Class Notes, create a blog post where you identify and evaluate two contemporary issues or trends that are influencing or shaping NZ or international education, which you find most relevant to your practice.

Elaborate in your own words how you would address those issues or trends in your context within your learning community or professional context.

References

Education Review Office. (2012). Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools. Retrieved 18 May 2016, from http://www.ero.govt.nz/About-Us/News-Media-Releases2/The-three-most-pressing-issues-for-N

KPMG International. (2014). Future state 2030: the global megatrends shaping governments”. KPMG International Cooperative: USA. Retrieved fromhttp://www.kpmg.com/Global/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/future-state-government/Documents/future-state-2030-v3.pdf

National intelligence council.(2012). Global trends: Alternative Worlds. National Intelligence Council: US. Retrieved fromhttps://globaltrends2030.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/global-trends-2030-november2012.pdf