The Global Search for Education
“Research shows that students cheat more when they believe that grades and performance are valued in their classrooms and less when they believe that learning, deep understanding and mastery are valued.” — Dr. Denise Pope
What to do About Cheating
By C. M. Rubin with Harry Rubin and Michael Freeborn
Here are five misconceptions about a serious and widespread problem in education today: cheating isn’t a problem at my kid’s school; kids cheat in the same ways today as they did in the past; only kids who struggle in school cheat; students who cheat don’t know right from wrong; cheating is unpredictable.
Challenge Success, a non-profit organization at the Stanford University School of Education, argues that more awareness is needed among parents and teachers about cheating misconceptions in order to positively affect academic dishonesty. “Cheat or Be Cheated,” a recently released Challenge Success white paper, discusses the evidence that dispels these misunderstandings based on its review of fifteen landmark studies on cheating in addition to their own research with schools and students.
I chatted with Dr. Denise Pope, Challenge Success co-founder and senior lecturer at Stanford University, about the report and the solutions she believes parents and educators can adopt immediately to help curb cheating behavior and encourage integrity.
“When students PERCEIVE that their teachers are competent and caring, then they are less likely to cheat in those classrooms.” — Dr. Denise Pope
The white paper indicates that students cheat more when they believe that grades and performance are valued in their classrooms and less when they believe that learning and mastery are valued. If we reduce testing will we reduce cheating?
We know that if you change the forms of assessment, you can definitely decrease cheating behavior. Students are less likely to cheat on an assignment where they produce multiple drafts for review or on an assignment that is personalized — where they need to tie a concept or theory to their own life experiences. Even on a test, a teacher can reduce the likelihood of cheating by asking for in-depth responses as opposed to fill in the blanks or multiple choice, and testing for mastery/deep understanding as opposed to memorization of content. Research shows that students cheat more when they believe that grades and performance are valued in their classrooms and less when they believe that learning, deep understanding and mastery are valued.
“Students who value school and feel like they belong in the school community are less likely to cheat.”— Dr. Denise Pope
Students’ perceptions of their teachers can also affect cheating behavior. Does this mean that when teachers are competent and caring, children cheat less?
When students perceive that their teachers are competent and caring, then they are less likely to cheat in those classrooms. Most teachers care about their students, but the students themselves have to believe it. The same is true for competency: the students need to perceive it. We encourage teachers to make their caring more explicit - learn the students’ names, ask about their lives outside of class, offer to help with assignments, offer more opportunities for student choice and voice in the classroom, and show that you truly support the kids and want them to succeed. An increased focus on social and emotional learning can improve the classroom climate and help kids see that the teacher truly cares.
Students who have strong, positive “school identification” are less likely to cheat. True or false?
True. Students who value school and feel like they belong in the school community are less likely to cheat. This holds true regardless of how these students are doing in school. If kids feel like they are part of a strong community and they value the learning that goes on there, they will be more likely to work honestly and with integrity. We encourage parents and educators to help students get involved in school activities, find ways for kids to get to know school faculty and staff, and help kids make friends at school so that they have a more positive school identification.
“Students who feel pressure from teachers, parents and peers to get top grades and get into the “right” college are more likely to cheat.” — Dr. Denise Pope
When students lack confidence in their academic capabilities they are more likely to cheat. True or false?
True. Several studies show that students who reported low feelings of competence and capability were more likely to cheat. Students get to a point where they believe, “There is no way that I can get a good grade on my own. I am not smart enough and don’t have the skills to do this.” These kids tend to think cheating is their only option. Educators and parents can encourage honesty and integrity, and at the same time find ways to build a support structure for learning so that all kids can improve their skills and feel capable.
Students cite trying to “get ahead” and getting into the “right” college along with a school culture that is “overly focused on achievement” as justifications for cheating. Are students more likely to cheat when they feel achievement pressure from parents, teachers and peers?
Yes. Students who feel pressure from teachers, parents and peers to get top grades and get into the “right” college are more likely to cheat. They describe the culture at these high-achieving schools as “cut-throat competitive” and promoting a “succeed at all costs” mentality that leads to cheating on tests and assignments.
“Educators and parents should model integrity and maintain high standards for honesty.”— Dr. Denise Pope
Can you share five suggestions that both educators and parents can put in place to help curb cheating behavior and encourage integrity?
1) Educators and parents should model integrity and maintain high standards for honesty. They should discuss integrity with the students, have clear and consistent policies for handling infractions, and emphasize that cheating will not be tolerated.
2) Educators and parents should emphasize mastery and learning rather than performance and grades. This means encouraging problem-based learning and focusing on deep understanding. Instead of focusing on the final performance results of a test or paper (in other words, the grades), talk about the learning and revision process and improvement over time.
3) Educators and parents should encourage positive school identity and help kids make connections at school that will help them feel like they belong and are valued.
4) Educators and parents should promote healthy assessment and grading policies. Parents should avoid offering external rewards such as money or privileges for students who complete their work or bring home good grades, and instead should focus on encouraging intrinsic motivation. Teachers should use multiple assessments to allow students more opportunities to show what they know and improve over time, and schools might consider eliminating “zeros” and class rankings.
5) And all adults — in school and out — should learn not to confuse “rigor” with “load.” Since research shows that stressed-out and exhausted students may be more likely to cheat, schools and parents may want to abide by the “less is more” rule. Teachers can determine how much homework is really necessary to assign and be sure that students understand the purpose of each assignment. Parents can work on ways to reduce stress at home by helping students cut back on the number of extracurricular and enrichment activities and focusing on depth as opposed to breadth.
Dr. Denise Pope and C. M. Rubin
Photos courtesy of Challenge Success, Stanford University School of Education
In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (U.S.), Dr. Leon Botstein (U.S.), Professor Clay Christensen (U.S.), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (U.S.), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (U.S.), Professor Andy Hargreaves (U.S.), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (U.S.), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Honourable Jeff Johnson (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. Eija Kauppinen (Finland), State Secretary Tapio Kosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Lord Ken Macdonald (UK), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (U.S.), Richard Wilson Riley (U.S.), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (U.S.), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (U.S.), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais U.S.), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (U.S.), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland.
Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld
The Global Search for Education
“Ruskin’s concern for art education applied to the development of the power of the hand and eye for everyone.” — Professor Robert Hewison
Art in Education
By C. M. Rubin with Harry Rubin and Michael Freeborn
John Ruskin was probably the greatest British critic of art, culture and society of the nineteenth century, in addition to being an educator. He believed that art and the development of imagination were profoundly important to an individual’s education. Ruskin was Oxford University’s first Slade Professor of Fine Art. I recently had the pleasure to connect with Professor Robert Hewison after reading his illuminating book, Ruskin and Oxford: The Art of Education. “Ruskin believed that everyone had visual as well as verbal capacities that needed to be developed in order to become a complete human being, and that the apprehension of truth depended on the power of observation,” explained Hewison. “His concern for art education applied to the development of the power of the hand and eye for everyone, not just people who hoped to become professional artists.”
My curiosity to discover more about John Ruskin’s legacy found me outside the great doors of the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art on Oxford’s High Street. Would Ruskin recognize all the practices that went on there today, I wondered? I had the pleasure of discussing this with Dr. Jason Gaiger, Head of the school today and a Fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford.
“Drawing and painting are not just about producing beautiful objects. They are also about learning to look, and to learn to look is to learn to understand.” — Dr. Jason Gaiger
Jason, would you say John Ruskin’s legacy is evident in the Ruskin School today?
Ruskin’s legacy is not evident in the way that is sometimes thought. He has the historical status of being a great Victorian figure, so people sometimes think that the School is a very traditional center of painting and drawing techniques. In fact, it is a contemporary art school. Students here study everything from installation, performance, and video art to the latest multi-media technology. But they also have a strong grounding in traditional art skills. One of the things that makes the Ruskin distinctive is that it is now the only art school in the country where students still draw from the cadaver, made possible through the close connection with the School of Pathology here at the University of Oxford. There are also life-drawing classes that are open to the students and to other members of the University.
Where does the school fit in under the larger University of Oxford umbrella?
The School was founded in 1871 and was originally housed in what is now the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology. The students at that time would draw from the casts and the sculptures there. For a long while, the School was not, perhaps, central to the main concerns of the University and it didn’t have degree awarding powers. In 1974, it moved from the Ashmolean to the current site on the High Street. In 1977 it was fully incorporated and the degree course was introduced, becoming a classified BFA honours degree in 1991. Equally importantly perhaps, all the students now have a college association. That means although they study here at the Ruskin, they also belong to one of the colleges, whether it be Christ Church or St. Edmund Hall or one of the others. Students here are being trained to be artists. However, because they are studying at the University of Oxford, their experience is different from that of students at some of the London art schools who can sometimes be trapped in a fine-art bubble where they only encounter other art students. Our students share college facilities with people who are studying a range of subjects across the University. Art is as much about ideas as it is about physical materials, and here at Oxford, students have direct access to a treasure house of ideas. The University is an incredible source of knowledge that artists can draw on and allow to feed into their art practice.
“New technology is definitely on the rise and students are of course interested in the possibilities it opens up.” — Dr. Jason Gaiger
What are your thoughts on the amount of focus given to the arts in K through 12 in the UK?
What we find during the admissions process is that students who come straight from A level (secondary school) aren’t always ready to study art at degree level. A school education is not usually enough and students generally need to do a foundation course after secondary school to bring them to the appropriate level. There may be a few exceptions of incredibly gifted students or students who have received unusually good support in the secondary school they have come from. An underlying question here is whether visual intelligence is valued in the same way as verbal intelligence in secondary schools. The Ruskin is perhaps unusual in that, as well as a strong portfolio, students need to get the same high A level grades as for any other academic subject at Oxford; the same criteria apply whether you want to study fine art, medicine or law. At the Ruskin, 25% of the BFA degree is in the history and theory of art, which means that a substantial part of the program is academic as traditionally conceived. We tend to attract students who are both verbally and visually gifted. But in the portfolio we’re really looking for potential. I think that’s where we feel we are not given the support we would like from secondary schools. Fine art teaching in secondary schools often takes the form of set projects. All the pupils in a class are given the same specified tasks to complete with the result that the work they produce ends up looking rather similar. In other words, the students’ individuality has not been fully developed. For this reason, we always interview candidates and ask the students to talk to us about the work they have produced.
“Ruskin believed that everyone had visual as well as verbal capacities that needed to be developed in order to become a complete human being.” — Professor Robert Hewison
What do you believe the role of the arts should be in education today?
It troubles me when the arts are treated as something supplementary or merely ancillary to the university’s core activities. My own view is that the arts are just as intellectually rigorous, just as demanding and just as exacting in their standards of excellence as any other field of learning. The students here at the Ruskin don’t feel they have any less standing than their peers working in other subject areas. As I mentioned, there is a substantial academic component to the BFA degree involving the study of art history and theory, but the studio-based component of the degree has its own intellectual value. Art does not have to rest upon the traditional methods of academic learning in order to justify itself as an independent mode of enquiry. Perhaps the appropriate comparisons are not to be made with other humanities subjects. The sorts of activities that take place in the studio are quite dissimilar to the largely text-based research that takes place in the history faculty, for example. But there may be points of commonality with the forms of research that take place in science labs or among mathematicians. We need to recognize that there are many different forms of rigorous intellectual enquiry (like studio art) that don’t involve sitting down and writing essays.
One of the leading education systems in the world — Finland — is planning to increase the number of hours allocated to the arts in secondary education. Does that surprise you?
It doesn’t surprise me. There is a difference, of course, between the attempt to develop a more holistic approach to educational development at school level and the inevitable degree of specialization that takes place at university. By the time students come to Oxford, they have already elected to study a particular subject. However, we encourage students not to isolate themselves in a specific discipline. One of the advantages of the collegiate system is that it allows students to make connections across disciplinary boundaries and thus to acquire a much broader sense of what constitutes knowledge. I strongly endorse providing greater support for the arts at school level. Drawing and painting are not just about producing beautiful objects. They are also about learning to look, and to learn to look is to learn to understand.
“The arts are just as intellectually rigorous, just as demanding and just as exacting in their standards of excellence as any other field of learning.” — Dr. Jason Gaiger
Technology has changed the arts enormously. How do you view the benefits and the challenges of this change?
Here at the Ruskin there used to be a large print making department. It was a slow, rather time-consuming process and the equipment took up a lot of space. Today that process has been replaced in part by the use of computer imagery and digital software such as Photoshop, though print making still remains. There is an element of organic evolution in this. New technology is definitely on the rise and students are of course interested in the possibilities it opens up. However, you still have to learn how to use the technology and even then the technology is not going to do the work for you. We encourage students to acquire the necessary skills to enable them to do what they want, but without becoming slavishly dependent on acquiring skills that aren’t deployed for some purpose. The world is full of people who are technically accomplished but this doesn’t suffice to turn them into artists. Nonetheless, technical skills are indispensible. Let me give you an example. Someone may have the most wonderful ideas for building a large-scale sculpture, but unless she has learned how to construct it properly, perhaps through making a maquette, she does not yet know whether it will be sufficiently stable to carry its own weight.
For more information about the Ruskin School
Dr. Jason Gaiger and C. M. Rubin
Photos courtesy of the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art.
In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (US), Dr. Leon Botstein (US), Professor Clay Christensen (US), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (US), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (US), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (US), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. Eija Kauppinen (Finland), State Secretary Tapio Kosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (US), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (US), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (US), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais US), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (US), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland.
The Global Search for Education
Scholarship ceremony at Peking University
By C. M. Rubin with Harry Rubin and Michael Freeborn
During the course of a visit to Yale University, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Yale student Lun Pei Ng.
Lun Pei is a 1st year graduate student at Yale School of Public Health, concentrating in Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. She graduated from Peking University Health Science Center as a medical student in 2011. Her interests lie in infectious disease control as well as health care management. As a Hong Kong resident, she is passionate about applying her knowledge in medicine and public health to promote health and wellness in Hong Kong and China after graduation.
I invited Lun Pei, with her China/US education perspectives, to contribute to this week’s edition ofThe Global Search for Education.
What did you find to be the best parts of your Chinese secondary school in your preparation to pursue your life goals? What would you like to have seen more or less of?
We have a high standard for quantitative subjects like math, physics and chemistry. We go deeply into each question and try to understand the origin of the most important formulas before using it in different settings. These practices help us view problems in a more detailed and logical way, even for those who later pursue a career in arts. Moreover, since we go deeply into these subjects and students have the chance to participate in the Nationwide Olympic Games for Science (which requires knowledge comparable to university level), this overall approach is a good platform for students to see if they really have interest in these areas.
However, I think we could do more to integrate the things we learn into solving practical problems, for instance, using theories in physics and chemistry to explain real life problems and encourage students to think on their own.
Also, I think it would be better if we had fewer requirements of formula memorization, and were allowed to use calculators for complex calculations in tests. In this way, learning would be more efficient and more focus could be put on methods instead of results.
Graduation from Peking University
What are your views about standardized testing in high school? How much reliance should be placed upon it to measure the effectiveness of teachers and the capabilities of students?
Personally I think it’s fair to use a uniform system to test all students in a single subject, especially for a country with as big a population as China. The tests also serve as a guide for teachers to find where their emphasis should be. Although the result for a single exam may not fully represent your capabilities, the long-term record does help explain the difference in students’ abilities. In terms of measuring the effectiveness of teachers, I think it’s somewhat useful if we look at the trend of the whole class instead of just comparing the mean score of different classes.
I think it is important for universities to set benchmarks for test scores for admission. But once a person passes the benchmark, more emphasis should be put into evaluating a person’s experience, and whether he/she would be a good fit for the field.
Based on your personal experience, how would you compare your first tier Chinese university experience at Peking University with your first tier university education in the US at Yale University?
Since I was studying medicine at Peking University and changed to Public Health at Yale, it’s not a direct comparison with regard to curricula. But based on my personal experience and information from my classmates, I think the courses at Yale are more practical and applicable to real life, and the curriculum content is updated much faster (e.g. new articles on the effectiveness of HPV vaccine were introduced while we were learning the topic). The homework, case studies and projects require a combination of different skills rather than text memorization, designed to give us the chance to apply theories to practice. Also, this provides a good platform for idea sharing and group assignments. I think my abilities in creative and critical thinking have significantly improved at Yale.
The courses are well connected to each other. More resources are given to the individual, e.g. everyone has an advisor to help answer academic questions and guide his career choices. Professors are very accessible and encourage different ideas from students. The program gives you the basic skills you need in your future work and helps you figure out what your real interest is.
Interaction among different schools and majors is highly encouraged; for example, there are joint courses provided to Public Health and Law School students, and you can select courses from different schools. One thing that impressed me a lot is the efficient use of different media tools (like email and facebook) in spreading academic news, and you can get almost all the information you need from the Internet.
However, I think sometimes the atmosphere of classes in the US is too loose and random. Students are encouraged to raise questions but in my opinion this is excessive. Students in China tend to think twice before raising a question. Maybe that’s due to the cultural difference but this actually helped improve the efficiency of a class.
Yale 2012 healthcare conference
What do you think can be done to better address the emotional well-being and intellectual potential of the individual, which appear to be suffering under current secondary school education systems in China?
First of all, I think professional career offices are needed in schools to help students figure out what their real interests are and provide more information on relevant programs in different universities. Students would have strong motivation to study if they realized the things they are learning were useful for their future goals, and maybe the learning process itself would be less stressful. Many high school students in China apply for a program in the university with little information about it.
Also, it’s important to gradually change the admission evaluation system for higher education in China to have a more comprehensive view of an applicant. This would include taking into account achievements in sports, arts and community service in addition to test scores. However, the system should be clearly communicated and documented to avoid being abused by some institutes or individuals. It may also be a good idea to put more weight on the test score of subjects related to the future interests of the applicant instead of just looking at the score as a simple result.
What advantages and disadvantages does a US university degree have compared with a Chinese university degree for a Chinese person?
If you plan to stay in the US, a US university degree would help you better adapt to the environment and culture, and also build up your network of contacts.
If you are planning to pursue your career in China, a degree in a Chinese university will give you a deeper understanding of the country’s political, economic, and other systems and a better network of contacts. Since there are increasing opportunities for Chinese students to study in the US today, if the university in US is not well known in China, people might think that you have chosen to study abroad only because you cannot get into a first tier university in China.
I think that in the first one or two years of university, you will gain knowledge in more areas in the US universities and then you can focus on one or two majors. In China, you will get involved in a specific area at the very beginning. So it may be good for people still searching for their interest to begin their journey in a university with a US like system, but if you already have a clear goal in mind, you may save some time studying in the Chinese universities (for instance, you can save 4-5 years to get a medical degree in China.)
Yale Repertory Theater
From a broader perspective, does your country’s definition of educational excellence take into account the quality of life of individuals and of society?
I think educational excellence has a different definition and emphasis for the different stages of education. Before university, more focus is placed on a student’s ability to get higher scores, which may lower the quality of an individual’s life since he may need to sacrifice his interests in the arts or social work to make room for study. The test result is the main concern in terms of educational excellence.
In higher education, the general perception of successful education is that what you learn will equip you to find a good job or get into a lucrative industry. I feel that the quality of life, which includes the balance between one’s interest and job pay, is a broader concept related to a society’s standard of success and not just educational excellence. In a developing country like China, the scale tilts to the side of payment.
The quality of society, in my opinion, must always be considered in educational excellence. If one can use his knowledge and creativity to better serve the community, help address social problems, and improve public health, this should be viewed as representative of an excellent educational system.
However, China’s definition of educational excellence has changed a lot and more attention is also placed on whether one is enjoying his job rather than just on his productivity. But still there’s a gap in the definition between secondary and higher-level education, which could be a barrier in preparing our future generations to achieve their goals.]
Lun Pei Ng and C. M. Rubin
Photos courtesy of Lun Pei Ng
In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (US), Dr. Leon Botstein (US), Professor Clay Christensen (US), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (US), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (US), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (US), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. Eija Kauppinen (Finland), State Secretary Tapio Kosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (US), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (US), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (US), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais US), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (US), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland.
Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld
The Global Search for Education
“What is fundamentally different today is that education systems now need to equip all teachers, and not just some, for effective learning.” — Andreas Schleicher
In Search of Professionals Around the World
By C. M. Rubin with Harry Rubin and Michael Freeborn
“It is very clear that high performing systems generally have a high performing teacher population.” — Andreas Schleicher
Professional Capital, Andrew Hargreaves’ and Michael Fullan’s recently released book, proposes an action plan for teachers, administrators, schools, districts, and state and federal leaders as to how to create a 21st century generation of professional teachers.
Countries around the world are undertaking reforms to better prepare teachers to teach in 21st century classrooms. Today in part four of our series, The Global Search for Education - In Search of Professionals, I have asked Andreas Schleicher, given his extensive global educational perspective, to weigh in on what the US and other nations can learn from some of the high performing education systems that are doing this.
Andreas Schleicher is Deputy Director for Education and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the OECD’s Secretary-General. He also provides strategic oversight over OECD’s work on the development and utilization of skills and their social and economic outcomes. This includes the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), and the development and analysis of benchmarks on the performance of education systems (INES).
What steps or changes do you believe we should make in the US in order to further advance the quality of teachers and the teaching profession going forward?
Part of the answer lies in the changes in the demands placed on teachers. In every country, there have always been great teachers, and many of us are here today because we had great teachers. But what is fundamentally different today is that education systems now need to equip all teachers, and not just some, for effective learning. In the past, when you only needed a small slice of well-educated workers, it was sufficient, and perhaps efficient, for governments to invest a large sum into a small elite to lead the country. But the social and economic cost of low educational performance has risen very substantially and the best performing education systems now get all young people to leave school with strong foundation skills, which is what you see in the PISA results. When you could still assume that what you learn in school will last for a lifetime, teaching content and routine cognitive skills was at the center of education. Today, where you can access content on Google, where routine cognitive skills are being digitized or outsourced, and where jobs are changing rapidly, education systems need to enable people to become lifelong learners, to manage complex ways of thinking and complex ways of working that computers can’t take over easily. That requires a very different caliber of teachers. When teaching was about explaining prefabricated content, you could tolerate low teacher quality. And when teacher quality was low, governments tended to tell their teachers exactly what to do and exactly how they wanted it done, using prescriptive methods of administrative control and accountability. What you see in the most advanced systems now is that they have made teaching a profession of high-level knowledge workers, and that, not higher salaries, is what makes teaching so attractive in countries as different as Finland, Japan or Singapore. But people who see themselves as candidates for the professions are not attracted by schools organized like an assembly line, with teachers working as interchangeable widgets. You therefore see a very different work organization in high performing systems, with the status, professional autonomy, and the high-quality education that go with professional work, with effective systems of teacher evaluation and with differentiated career paths for teachers. That is perhaps the biggest challenge for the US.
“Singapore’s new TE21 Model seeks to enhance key elements of teacher education.” — Andreas Schleicher
In general what common characteristics have you observed in the high performing systems relative to their teaching profession?
High performing systems have common characteristics:
- Their teachers are well-versed in the subjects they teach and adept at using different methods and, if necessary, changing their approaches to optimize learning.
- They have a rich repertoire of teaching strategies, the ability to combine approaches, and the knowledge of how and when to use certain methods and strategies.
- Their teachers have a deep understanding of how learning happens, in general, and often also of their individual students’ motivations, emotions and lives outside the classroom, in particular.
- Their teachers work in highly collaborative ways, with other teachers and professionals or para-professionals within the same organization, or with others in other organizations, in networks of professional communities and in different partnership arrangements, including, for some, mentoring teachers.
- In some countries teachers acquire strong technology skills and skills to use technology as effective teaching tools, both to optimize the use of digital resources in their teaching and to use information-management systems to track student learning.
- Their teachers have the capacity to help design, lead, manage and plan learning environments in collaboration with others.
- Last but not least, their teachers reflect on their practices in order to learn from their experience.
Consider three advanced education systems: Finland, Singapore and Japan. What do you see as the strengths of the Finnish system?
Teacher education in Finland has several distinguishing qualities:
- It is research based. Teacher candidates are not only expected to become familiar with the knowledge base in education and human development, but they are required to write a research-based dissertation as the final requirement for the masters degree. The rationale for requiring a research-based dissertation is that teachers are expected to engage in disciplined inquiry in the classroom throughout their teaching career.
- It has a strong focus on developing pedagogical content knowledge. Traditional teacher preparation programs too often treat good pedagogy as generic, assuming that good questioning skills, for example, are equally applicable to all subjects. Because teacher education in Finland is a shared responsibility between the teacher education faculty and the academic subject faculty, there is substantial attention to subject-specific pedagogy for prospective primary as well as upper-grade teachers.
- There is ample training for all Finnish teachers in diagnosing students with learning difficulties and in adapting their instruction to the varying learning needs and styles of their students.
- It has a very strong clinical component. Teachers’ preparation includes both extensive course work on how to teach - with a strong emphasis on using research based on state-of-the-art practice - and at least a full year of clinical experience in a school associated with the university. These model schools are intended to develop and model innovative practices, as well as to foster research on learning and teaching.
“What’s interesting in Japan is their approach to build on the knowledge of the profession.”— Andreas Schleicher
What are your thoughts on the Singapore system?
Singapore is easy to understand because the system is well documented and highly institutionalized. Singapore’s National Institute for Education as a university-based teacher education institution provides the theoretical foundation to produce “thinking teachers” but has strong partnerships with key stakeholders and the schools to ensure strong clinical practice and realities of professionalism in teacher development. Singapore’s new TE21 Model seeks to enhance key elements of teacher education, including the underpinning philosophy, curriculum, desired outcomes for our teachers, and academic pathways. These are considered essential prerequisites in meeting the challenges of the 21st century classroom. Their model focuses on three value paradigms: Learner-centered, Teacher Identity and Service to the Profession and Community. Learner-centered values puts the learner at the centre of teachers’ work by being aware of learner development and diversity, believing that all youths can learn, caring for the learner, striving for scholarship in content teaching, knowing how people learn best, and learning to design the best learning environment possible. Teacher identity values refer to having high standards and strong drive to learn in view of the rapid changes in the education milieu, to be responsive to student needs. The values of service to the profession and community focuses on teachers’ commitment to their profession through active collaborations and striving to become better practitioners to benefit the teaching community. The model also underscores the requisite knowledge and skills that teachers must possess in light of the latest global trends, and to improve student outcomes.
Finally what are your thoughts on the Japanese System?
What’s interesting in Japan is their approach to build on the knowledge of the profession, through regular lesson studies in which all teachers take part. The Japanese tradition of lesson study in which groups of teachers review their lessons and how to improve them, in part through analysis of student errors, provides one of the most effective mechanisms for teachers’ self-reflection as well as being a tool for continuous improvement. Observers of Japanese elementary school classrooms have long noted the consistency and thoroughness with which a math concept is taught and the way in which the teacher leads a discussion of mathematical ideas, both correct and incorrect, so that students gain a firm grasp on the concept. This school-by-school lesson study often culminates in large public research lessons. For example, when a new subject is added to the national curriculum, groups of teachers and researchers review research and curriculum materials and refine their ideas in pilot classrooms over a year before holding a public research lesson, which can be viewed electronically by hundreds of teachers, researchers and policymakers. The tradition of lesson study in Japan also means that Japanese teachers are not alone. They work together in a disciplined way to improve the quality of the lessons they teach. That means that teachers whose practice lags behind that of the leaders can see what good practice is. Because their colleagues know who the poor performers are and discuss them, the poor performers have both the incentive and the means to improve their performance. Since the structure of the East Asian teaching workforce includes opportunities to become a master teacher and move up a ladder of increasing prestige and responsibility, it also pays the good teacher to become even better.
Andreas Schleicher and C. M. Rubin
Photos courtesy of the OECD.
In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (US), Dr. Leon Botstein (US), Professor Clay Christensen (US), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (US), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (US), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (US), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. Eija Kauppinen (Finland), State Secretary Tapio Kosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (US), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Professor Dr. Wolfgang Schneider (Germany), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (US), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (US), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais US), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (US), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland.
Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld
The Global Search for Education
“The Singapore education system relies on a high quality teaching profession to achieve its aim for the nation.” — Dr. Pak Tee Ng
In Search of Professionals - Singapore
By C. M. Rubin with Harry Rubin and Michael Freeborn
Part 3 of “In Search of Professionals”
In their new book, Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School, Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan remind us that the future of learning depends on the future of teaching. Speaking out against education policies that result in a teaching force that is inexperienced, underpaid and exhausted, Hargreaves and Fullan set out a new agenda to transform the future of teaching and public education.
Singapore is recognized globally as a high performing education system with professional practices that could be adopted by other education systems seeking to improve the capabilities of their principals, teachers and overall leadership. Singapore students fared very well in the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Out of 65 countries that took part in these tests, Singapore students ranked fifth in reading, second in mathematics and fourth in science. Singapore also had the second highest proportion (12.3%) of students who are top-level performers in all three domains.
How does Singapore view the importance of a world-class teaching profession? How has its government responded? What progress has been made to date? What are Singapore’s next steps to advance the teaching profession in the 21st century?
Today in Part 3 of “The Global Search for Education: In Search of Professionals - Singapore,” we are honored to share the insights of Dr. Pak Tee Ng - Associate Dean, Leadership Learning, Office of Graduate Studies and Professional Learning, and Head and Associate Professor, Policy and Leadership Studies Academic Group, at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Republic of Singapore.
“We emphasize values very strongly because they are the beacons by which educators can navigate the seas of change.” — Dr. Pak Tee Ng
What are your views on the importance of teaching quality and the importance of a world-class teaching profession to a successful education system for your nation?
The Singapore education system relies on a high quality teaching profession to achieve its aim for the nation. While it is important for the government to formulate good education polices, the success of these polices relies on the implementation by the teaching professionals in the schools. Policies are important for they point the direction and provide the support for change. But the substance of change is dependent on the teachers and school leaders in our schools. One of my main roles is to develop school leaders in Singapore. I often say to the school leaders, “students do not experience policies. They experience teachers.” Therefore, our school leaders need to nurture teachers. Singapore takes teaching quality and the development of a professional cadre of teachers very seriously.
What decisions and actions did your government take with respect to building teaching quality and the teaching profession, and when?
In Singapore, teachers are hired by the Ministry of Education and deployed to schools after their teacher preparation programme at the National Institute of Education (NIE). Some 80% of Singapore’s 31,000 teachers today are graduates, a significant increase from 55% slightly more than a decade ago. The government intends to move towards all-graduate teacher recruitment by 2015 and seeks to recruit only from the top one-third of every cohort of students. Our teaching force is set to expand to 33,000 by 2015 and the government has put in place supporting structures to encourage teachers to acquire post-graduate degrees. We hope to enhance our teaching force, both in terms of numbers and quality.
NIE’s teacher preparation premises itself strongly on a set of values (V), skills (S) and knowledge (K), encapsulated in a model called the V3SK framework. This framework represents the underpinning philosophy of teacher development in NIE for the Singapore teacher. In particular, our set of values is premised on 3 paradigms: learner-centeredness, teacher identity, and service to the profession and the community. We emphasize values very strongly because they are the beacons by which educators can navigate the seas of change without losing their soul or direction.
The government has also put in place many professional development opportunities for the teachers, including a Structured Mentoring Programme for beginning teachers, the Professional Development Continual Model for in-service teachers to pursue higher degrees in a flexible way, in-service programmes for various disciplines, and fully sponsored career milestone programmes for school leadership development (e.g. Leaders in Education Programme (LEP) for school principal-ship development and the Management and Leadership in Schools (MLS) programme for school middle leadership development).
“Beyond stringent recruitment, enhanced career paths and better pay packages, it is the passion, commitment and professional ethos of our teachers that will enhance the quality of our education system.” — Dr. Pak Tee Ng
How do you assess your progress to date?
The Singapore education system has gone through different phases. We have made significant progress over the years. Some 30 years ago, teachers taught according to standard textbooks provided by the ministry. Today, teachers are expected to tailor education to suit their students and find breakthroughs in education practices, including curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. Teachers now have enhanced career paths and remuneration, and teaching is a respectable profession in the country.
But, we still have a lot of room for improvement. What worked in the past may not work for the future. Therefore, at this stage of our national development, our challenge is to develop our teachers so that they are able to review for themselves the “why, what and how” of teaching. We are trying to shift the focus of our education from quantity to quality. Beyond stringent recruitment, enhanced career paths and better pay packages, it is the passion, commitment and professional ethos of our teachers that will enhance the quality of our education system. So, our teachers need to continuously hone their teaching craft and deepen their content mastery. We are currently encouraging our teachers to participate actively in professional learning communities, engage in reflective practice, and undertake action research. This is still work in progress and is a long continuous journey.
What tangible benefits have you seen?
Many policy makers, school leaders and academics have visited Singapore and they told me that they were doing so because Singapore had very good PISA and TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) results and they wanted to study the reasons for these results. I suppose results can be considered tangible benefits associated with a quality teaching force. However, in some ways more importantly, a quality teaching force, trusted by the people, is a critical asset to the nation. Schools are generally seen as a safe environment for students to study and develop themselves. Indeed, Singapore is too small to afford failing schools or schools where safety and security are big question marks. Therefore, schools provide a stable platform for values inculcation and national education. Because parents in general trust schools and the teachers, we have a basis on which different stakeholders can work together to improve educational outcomes for the students. Because different stakeholders have different viewpoints and expectations, working together is never a simple or clinical process, even though it is critical for the good of the students. Hence, it is important to have a credible teaching profession that has the trust of the nation!
“A quality teaching force, trusted by the people, is a critical asset to the nation.” — Dr. Pak Tee Ng
What additional steps or changes do you believe should be made or are you making in order to further advance the quality of teachers and the teaching profession going forward?
Singapore has a strong and robust education system, generally speaking. It is a system recognized by many for its high level of student achievements. However, we have to prepare our students for the future, not the past or the present. This may require fundamental educational reforms. We need teachers who can drive such change from within, rather than rely on central directions. Fundamental education reform requires schools to move beyond pre-specified performance indicators. Otherwise, we may end up reinforcing the current system, which is adequate for now, but inadequate for the future. We need teachers and school leaders who can think about the future and scan the horizon for change, and yet keep connected to the present and work faithfully on the ground. To do that, we need to emphasize critical reflection for the teachers and school leaders, and empower them to challenge existing thinking and practices in their own schools. Looking for a fixed recipe of reform implementation in all schools will not work. Allowing more degrees of freedom at the local level will bring out the best in a mutually dependent and dynamic relationship between the ministry that sets the central direction and the educators who work on the ground. Instead of relying on top down directions, schools draw upon the expertise of the professional teaching community to search for solutions to issues that are close to their hearts. As practitioners explore ideas, implement them and make adjustments as they go along, the quality of the teaching profession is enhanced through the cycles of empowered practice and critical reflection. Change is also more organic within the schools. Our education system has begun to move in this direction, but this is a long process and we are doing it in a patient, calibrated manner. This process may actually increase the tension within the system because the system is no longer so neat and orderly. But, as long as we have dedicated and reflective teachers, we will be able to bring positive change out of the tension.
Dr. Pak Tee Ng and C. M. Rubin
Photos courtesy of Dr. Pak Tee Ng.
In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (US), Dr. Leon Botstein (US), Professor Clay Christensen (US), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (US), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (US), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (US), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. Eija Kauppinen (Finland), State Secretary Tapio Kosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (US), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (US), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (US), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais US), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (US), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland.
Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld
The Global Search for Education
“You have to invest in the whole system.” — Randi Weingarten.Photo courtesy of the American Federation of Teachers.
In Search of Professionals - Part 1
By C. M. Rubin with Harry Rubin and Michael Freeborn
Here’s a powerful challenge to the world of education: Improve the profession of teaching. If you believe that the future of learning depends on the future of teaching, Andy Hargreaves’ and Michael Fullan’s latest collaboration, Professional Capital, proposes an action plan for teachers, administrators, schools and districts, and state and federal leaders as to how to create a 21st century generation of professional teachers.
Over the next few days in The Global Search for Education series, I discuss with Michael Fullan, Andy Hargreaves and Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, some of the issues as well as some of the strategies necessary to make this a reality. First up, I asked Randi to summarize what she believes the Professional Capital model would mean in terms of changes in policy and practice?
Randi explained:
In Professional Capital, Hargreaves and Fullan are saying you have to invest in the whole system as opposed to believing that individual strategies will get you where you need to go. They are totally right. This push on individual effort, meaning if individuals just work really hard they will see huge returns, is wrong. In the long term it will backfire if you are trying to help all kids instead of some kids. They make that point brilliantly. And now of course you have examples of this all around the world. Look at Finland and Singapore and Japan and Canada. These countries are taking a page out of Hargreaves’ and Fullan’s book
“The new generation of teachers must be an entire community of professionals who are deeply committed to their work and highly capable of carrying it out.” — Andy Hargreaves.Photo courtesy of National Elementary School Principal Association and Andy Hargreaves.
To find out more about the thinking and action plan laid out in their book, I asked Hargreaves and Fullan for their answers to these questions:
How do you envision the next generation of teaching in your book, Professional Capital?
The new generation of teachers must be an entire community of professionals who are deeply committed to their work and highly capable of carrying it out. This requires teachers to be highly motivated, thoroughly prepared, continuously developed, properly paid, well networked with each other to maximize their own improvement, and able to make effective judgments using all their capabilities and experience. This generation will require three kinds of capital that make up what we call professional capital. First is the individual human capital of rigorous training and qualifications, as well as high emotional intelligence and proven success in working with young people. Second is the social capital of schools as communities where teachers collaborate together, are committed to their students and each other as people, are able to have challenging conversations about their own and their students’ performance, and have the benefit of working in the high-trust environments that are associated with superior performance and results. Last is the decisional capital that comes from accumulating and reflecting on sufficient years of practice — at least 8 in most cases — to reach peak levels of performance in making the effective judgments that are central to all professional practice.
Many believe that education policy at the moment focuses on the extremes of teaching, i.e. those teachers that are good and those that are bad. How has teaching to the test handicapped the art of teaching?
One of the most misunderstood and misapplied research findings is that if two students start equally and one experiences very good teachers for three years in a row, and the other has poor teachers for the same time period, the former student will move 50 percentile points above the less fortunate student. So far, this is only a statistical proof, but even if it were literally true, the leap in logic to reward the top teachers and punish the weak ones would still be misguided. Teaching to the test and allocating merit based on test results compounds the problem. The truth is that in high performing countries, policies and development focus on the entire profession getting better all the time. This means that most students will predictably encounter three good teachers in a row—-not by fortune but by design. This is why those countries with the best teaching profession continually get the best results. Furthermore, when almost every teacher is good and is constantly learning rather then getting drive-by training in top-down priorities, they rub off on each other. They create a positive culture in which they push and also pull each other into energizing improvements where all teachers and therefore all students are bound to learn.
“All levels of leadership, from the very top must, like Finland, portray teaching as one of the most socially valuable and intellectually challenging jobs in society.” — Andy Hargreaves.Photo courtesy of National Elementary School Principal Association and Andy Hargreaves.
In Finland, teaching is not just a job, it is a profession. How does your model propose to turn teachers into pros in terms of their skills, knowledge, capacities, and emotional intelligence?
First, all levels of leadership, from the very top must, like Finland, portray teaching as one of the most socially valuable and intellectually challenging jobs in society. This is why applicants to elementary teaching in Finland have a less than 10% chance of being accepted. Teachers are valued and respected in the society, not just because they make sacrifices, but also because they are smart. Teacher education should be rigorous, university based, and also profoundly rooted in school practice, and there should be fewer institutions providing it — creating more quality and coherence as a result. More resources should be moved to support the quality of teaching and learning in all schools and classrooms and less should be squandered on things like transportation because of proliferating school choice, on the legal and other costs associated with escalating levels of special needs identification because an excessively standardized curriculum cannot accommodate differences, and on the exorbitant cost of educational testing services in a country that tests more students on more things more of the time than any other developed nation. Teachers need more freedom, not less, to respond to and collaborate around their students’ diverse needs and circumstances as is true in the highest performing nations such as Finland, Singapore and Canada. Accountability occurs because teachers work transparently with each other and are committed to ongoing improvement and openness about progress and results. When schools fall short, there should be incentives and resources so higher performing schools can assist them — peers helping peers and schools helping schools — rather than parachuting in temporary turnaround teams from the top.
Andy Hargreaves is the Thomas More Brennan Chair in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College (www.andyhargreaves.com).
Michael Fullan is Professor Emeritus of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (www.michaelfullan.ca).
More information about Professional Capital
Randi Weingarten, Michael Fullan, Andy Hargreaves, C. M. Rubin
Later this week in the Global Search for Education: In Search of Professionals, Part 2 — an interview with Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers.
In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (US), Dr. Leon Botstein (US), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (US), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (US), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (US), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. Eija Kauppinen (Finland), State Secretary Tapio Kosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (US), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (US), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (US), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais US), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (US), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland.
Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld
The Global Search for Education
“Dwight Seoul is about creating real leaders and not just test takers.” — Kevin Skeoch
From South Korea
By C. M. Rubin with Harry Rubin and Michael Freeborn
The first IB “through school” (primary years, middle years and diploma program) will open its doors to students in one of the world’s leading education systems in August 2012 — Seoul, South Korea. The school is located in Seoul’s new Digital Media City, considered Korea’s Silicon Valley.
Founded in 1968, the IB currently works with 3,371 schools in 141 countries. Dr. Siva Kumari, Chief Operating Officer of the IBO Schools Division explains:
“The IB has integrally believed in creating an intellectually challenging but age-appropriate program of study for students. Internationalism and inclusion are part of our DNA, both as an organization and within our curriculum. To understand others, the students must understand their own culture and respect their own language, as well as develop a deep understanding that knowledge and knowing are dependent on perspectives. Alongside intellectually rigorous academics, we feel the need to develop students who are open-minded, caring and principled, and that can effectively function anywhere in the world. We value innovation both in our curriculum and among our students. Our curriculum is co-created with IB teachers from all around the world. We gather their best ideas and germinate those via pilots in other schools; best practices are then circulated to our schools worldwide. We also create a framework where students’ innovative spirits are fostered, given room to grow and are mentored within guidelines. At all levels, we allow students to exhibit their own individualized investigation of a topic that they are deeply curious about.”
Principal Dianne Drew, Ambassador Young-mok Kim, Chancellor Stephen Spahn
The Dwight Family of Schools, headed by Chancellor Stephen Spahn, was selected by the Seoul Metropolitan Government after viewing 100 schools for the project because of its outstanding IB curriculum, as well as Dwight’s leadership in international education.
To find out more about how a leading global education system and a celebrated 140 year old family of IB schools plan to marry their models, I chatted with Head of School in Seoul, Kevin Skeoch:
Apart from being the first IB “through school,” why is the Dwight school in Seoul different from other international schools available?
There are a number of reasons. Dwight Seoul stresses innovation and leadership at its center. It is a continuum of education in the best practices of teaching and learning that follows a tested Dwight Family of Schools model of IB education already working in four IB World Schools on three continents. Dwight Seoul is a non-denominational school that believes there is a “spark of genius” in every child. Its teachers come from a network of experienced IB professionals who know what it means to educate internationally. Dwight Seoul will be an innovative flagship IB school specializing in technology.
“Students who receive an IB diploma are prepared to go on to universities anywhere in the world.” — Kevin Skeoch
Can you speak about your technology focus in Korea and how you envision this will evolve?
If a student wants to know something today, they automatically turn to one of several electronic devices; that’s their dictionary. That in itself represents a major paradigm shift from the way those over 30 were taught. But no school can keep up with technology today. Dwight Seoul is a BYOD (bring your own device) school for grades 6 through 12 and operates on a one to one supported technology framework. Whether a laptop, IPad, tab or something else, your piece of technology is an extension of you in school. Technology is not the answer, but the tool to support you in your search for knowledge and understanding. We will be supplying devices on a 1:3 ratio up to Grade 3, and 1:2 in Grades 4 - 5. We will also have two fully equipped iMac labs. What we want from technology is the ability to turn the classroom into a more collaborative learning experience. When you enter the Dwight school in Seoul, the first visual should be students working together in small groups.
We are taking a very progressive approach to incorporating technology in the classrooms: making all our lessons available in an online learning system, which would be made available to students to use wherever they are. In the classroom, this translates into students being able to replay a lesson in their own time if at first they don’t understand. The individualized approach to learning enables students to review the day’s learning at their own pace in their own environment.
LCD television screens are provided for teachers and students to present multimedia applications in all classrooms. Full wireless access is provided to enable everyone to access our catalogue of online resources for individual and collaborative learning. Students can access the resources at home and in school. In the library and resource center and central foyers, live feeds will present events of the day, news feeds, etc. throughout the school.
Dwight Seoul is taking an approach to online learning environments that will not only bring all Dwight students together (not limited by location) but also network students around the world. Collaborative learning happens by default and together with our virtual classroom. Talking to one another and learning across continents will enhance this online environment even further.
We’re also looking at ways to use technology to educate teachers. The interest in IB in Korea, other parts of Asia, and indeed other underdeveloped countries is huge, but it comes down to basic teacher training. How you change teachers from rote learning styles to the IB style of learning is the challenge for the future. We have built a teacher training center at the Seoul school along with the appropriate technology for teachers to do this.
“How you change teachers from rote learning styles to the IB style of learning is the challenge for the future.” — Kevin Skeoch
Stressed out South Korean students have received significant media attention in the US. Thoughts on stress created by SAT tests and other assessments, including the IB?
Dwight Seoul is about creating real leaders and not just test takers. The SAT in a school like ours is less important than creating a well-rounded individual who is able to rise above exams. We will have a clear roadmap for how students prepare for their IB exams, and the SAT is a part of that preparation for university. The worst schools I have visited are those that dump the tests on kids at the end of grade 10 and it just becomes too much for them to handle on top of all the other internal assessments as well as the diploma exams. Koreans are known for their testing performance and they probably work themselves to the bone to make sure they do well on standardized tests. However, parents applying to our school have told me they want to get their kids out of that traditional testing environment. They want a more progressive school that maps students’ testing on a continuum of learning and is more geared towards what is required for their children to compete globally. Dwight Seoul students will take the SAT test if they intend to apply to US colleges where the SAT is required, but the SAT will not be the main focus of their education. The majority of the focus will be on the IB and supporting individualized journeys to discovering each child’s spark of genius.
Have students completing the IB diploma in the US, UK, Canada, China or South Korea been prepared for universities anywhere in the world?
The IB is not only the preferred international school curriculum today, it is also highly regarded by over 4000 universities around the world who accept the diploma as an entrance requirement. Students who receive an IB diploma are prepared to go on to universities anywhere in the world. A child who is going to university in the UK, Australia, Switzerland or the US will have different requirements to meet depending on their course of study and the type of university they are applying to. A recent poll of top UK universities indicated the IB middle years program is a good preparation for the diploma program, which was preferred by 80% of universities polled. With an IB education, students develop a breadth and depth of knowledge, they are known to stay the course and not drop out of university, they approach knowledge with alternative views, share a deeper understanding of critical thinking and research, and they know how to work under stress.
For more information: http://dwightseoul.org/
Dr. Siva Kumari, C. M. Rubin, Kevin Skeoch
Photos courtesy of Ian Wilson and the Dwight School.
In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (US), Dr. Leon Botstein (US), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (US), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (US), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (US), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. Eija Kauppinen (Finland), State Secretary Tapio Kosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (US), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (US), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (US), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais US), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (US), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland.
Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld
The Global Search for Education
“Nurturing innovation is an important priority for us in our school system” — Tapio Kosunen
More From Finland
By C. M. Rubin with Harry Rubin and Michael Freeborn
Nations around the world continue to re-think and reform education policies to better prepare children for life and work in a rapidly changing world which places a high value on innovation. What vocational skills will future teachers require to do this? What professional development is needed to prepare them for the 21st century classroom? What are the different roles and responsibilities of 21st century school leaders? How do countries succeed in developing these leaders? What lessons can we learn from successful education systems?
Finland’s schools became famous around the world because of the PISA study. This survey, conducted every three years by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), compares 15-year-olds in different countries in reading, math, and science. Finland has ranked at or near the top in all three competencies on every survey since 2000, very close to other high achievers such as South Korea and Singapore.
I had the pleasure of meeting State Secretary Tapio Kosunen during his recent visit to New York to discuss some of Finland’s educational priorities going forward.
“Our teachers in Finland are quite autonomous already. They are allowed to choose their methods and they are allowed to be creative.” — Tapio Kosunen
Where does creating future innovators stand in Finland’s educational priorities?
Nurturing innovation is an important priority for us in our school system. What it means to innovate is important when we think about a high quality education. We want more economic growth and nurturing innovation is an important way to do that. We have good examples of work being done in this area in Finland, for example, the research that has been done at Aalto University.
How do you believe your education system nurtures the theme of innovation - what are the building blocks or the key drivers?
You have to think about education incorporating both critical and creative thinking, and these things can and should be nurtured in children starting as young as possible. You then have to find solutions to combine things in a creative way, that is, to include all the important factors affecting a problem together. I also think our view of learning is that you learn all your life and you learn from many different sources, and the individual is the one who has to combine this knowledge and to find solutions. Nurturing innovation is a question of orientation, which is written into our core curriculum because everything comes back to education.
Finnish teachers have become the gold standard for many educators around the world. Can you talk about the training and preparation you believe have been instrumental in achieving this goal?
First of all, I believe our teacher training programs are of high quality because our teachers are required to do a masters degree. This degree is research based but it also requires our teachers in training to work in schools. And so their training combines theory and practical training periods. All our teachers receive help from a mentor teacher at the teacher training school who is giving feedback all the time on their teaching. I like to think they also acquire a sense of creativeness in terms of planning their lessons and thinking of the whole teaching area they are being prepared for. Our teachers are encouraged to think creatively.
“One thing we are interested in learning more about is how to use technology and social media in education more effectively.” — Tapio Kosunen
Looking forward, what vocational skills will teachers of the future require?
I believe in the future the most important vocational skills required of teachers will fall into four categories. These are:
1. Knowledge of the subject area they are teaching.
The teacher of the future must be a professional of knowledge and have a wholistic, in-depth knowledge of his subject areas, teaching, education, and the related expert information networks.
2. Expertise in learning and teaching.
As the concept of learning becomes broader and more essential over people’s lifetimes, the teacher of the future must be able to apply this expertise flexibly across the boundaries of age, municipalities and educational institutions, in many different forms, including on-line environments.
3. Social and ethical competence.
The teacher of the future’s work must include passing on social and ethical values such as democracy, human dignity, civic participation and the well-being of people, and being able to engage in multi-professional cooperation and coordination with the home.
4. Versatile skills in practical work in schools.
The teacher of the future must have practical skills needed in the daily life of schools, including running of the school, rights and duties of the teacher and pupil, and financial and administrative issues, in order to continue our practice of incorporating decision making by teachers at the school level in our education system.
What do you believe are the characteristics of a strong school leader?
A strong school leader has to understand how the school operates as part of the overall society. I think the most important thing is that he or she is a pedagogical leader. He has to be a child-centered thinker. He must understand how to enhance learning and how to support teachers in their work. Then comes the administration, taking care of budget, and doing timetables. But pedagogical leadership must come first and he or she must be able to share it. What I mean by that is he or she sets the vision and must ensure that the goals of the core curriculum are being met along with learning outcomes, but he has to appreciate his teachers and remember they are professionals. They have a professional way of thinking about their work. He has to be able to trust and rely on them. Our teachers in Finland are quite autonomous already. They are allowed to choose their methods and they are allowed to be creative.
What do you most look forward to learning from OECD world conferences?
I am interested in learning more about leadership and teacher training from countries around the world because it is important to understand how to continue to motivate teachers and inspire them to stay in their professions long term. Teacher education in Finland has been a popular choice by international comparisons. Young people in Finland are interested in education and surveys indicate that jobs in the educational sector are among five of the most popular professions. I am interested in learning more about the Asian countries and the USA and Australia. Each of the cultures is different to Finland and that is a good thing because it makes the comparisons very interesting indeed. One thing, for example, that we are interested in learning more about is how to use technology and social media in education more effectively. The OECD conference is all about what we can learn from the rest of the world, and I think we can learn a lot.
Tapio Kosunen and C. M. Rubin
Photos courtesy of Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture, archive, Institute of Design 2011.
In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (US), Dr. Leon Botstein (US), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (US), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (US), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (US), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. Eija Kauppinen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (US), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (US), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (US), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais US), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (US), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland.
The Global Search for Education
“Healthier children are more effective learners, and girls who spend less time fetching water have more time for school.” — Susan Durston Image UNI75614: © UNICEF/NYHQ2009-2062/Estey
Water
By C. M. Rubin with Harry Rubin and Michael Freeborn
“We have reached an important target, but we cannot stop here. Our next step must be to target the most difficult to reach, the poorest and the most disadvantaged people across the world. The United Nations General Assembly has recognized drinking water and sanitation as human rights. That means we must ensure every person has access.” — Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General.
World Water Day on March 22 is a day on which all global citizens should focus their attention on the importance of fresh water to sustainable development. Earlier this month the UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Report, Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation 2012, announced the world had met its MDG (Millennium Development Goal) target of halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water. Despite this achievement, ensuring every child’s right to water, sanitation, and hygiene education remains a major challenge for policy makers, school administrators and communities in many countries. What are the major challenges and obstacles that must be overcome? Which are the communities most at risk? What education programs are currently in place and what progress is being made? What can each of us as global citizens in classrooms around the world that have safe drinking water and sanitation do to help classrooms that do not? I had the pleasure of discussing this among other things with Susan Durston, Associate Director, Education Programmes and Global Chief of Education for UNICEF.
“Among other things, education can break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and deprivation, create opportunities for further education, and promote gender equality.” — Susan Durston Image UNI118045: © UNICEF/NYHQ2011-1758/Pirozzi
Which communities of the world remain the main targets for safe drinking water today?
Of the 36 countries that are not on track to meet the MDG global water target, two-thirds are in Sub-Saharan Africa. There are many pockets in other regions as well that are lagging behind. UNICEF and its partners are strengthening efforts to help these countries successfully meet drinking water goals by 2015 or shortly thereafter.
UNICEF is deeply concerned for hundreds of thousands of children without access to improved water sources. And in some countries that have made good progress, the poorest people have hardly benefitted. Attention must focus on the poorest people to ensure they gain access to these services, and inequities must be addressed through targeted interventions to reach those being left behind.
Disparities between regions, countries, rural and urban areas, women and girls, and household income reveal some of the key matters that need attention today.
What educational programs has UNICEF put in place in schools to help children understand the water situation in their particular regions and what they can do about it?
UNICEF, through its water and sanitation programs in schools (WASH), works towards making schools healthier and more attractive to children. Healthier children are more effective learners, and girls who spend less time fetching water have more time for school.
UNICEF and partners are funding WASH in Schools activities in 94 countries, including initiatives in some of the most difficult situations for children.
The Essential Health Care Program (EHCP), implemented by the Philippines’ Department of Education, is an outstanding example of large-scale action to promote children’s health and education.
Three group activities - washing hands daily with soap, brushing teeth daily with fluoride toothpaste, and deworming twice a year - are the core of this nationwide program. The purpose is to lower rates of diarrhea, respiratory infections, worm infections and severe tooth decay. The program has scaled up rapidly, currently reaching about 2 million children.
It has also generated strong evidence to indicate that after just one year, rates of oral infection, malnutrition and worm infections were significantly reduced among children in participating schools.
“Schools are often the focal points for a community’s water supply.” — Susan Durston Image UNI74569: © UNICEF/NYHQ2009-1894/Estey
What obstacles does UNICEF face in providing an education where needed most?
Access to water and sanitation affects children’s right to education in many ways, and lack of these facilities in schools can have a detrimental effect on children. It can lead to intestinal worms which research shows, saps a child’s learning ability, affects their food intake, and can lead to diarrheal diseases that may cause children to lose school days. In essence, this impacts their learning, leading to children not being able to catch up classes, and can eventually lead to children dropping out of school all together. This is particularly true for girls, who with no water or private toilets may miss 25% of classes every month.
The biggest challenge in children’s education today is inequity in access to school and the quality of education. Among other things, education can break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and deprivation, create opportunities for further education, and promote gender equality.
For example, more than half the world’s primary age out-of-school children live in 15 countries. In Nigeria: A poor, rural Hausa girl completes only 0.3 years of education; a wealthier or urban boy completes 10.3 years.
UNICEF’s Education Program is working towards sharpening the focus on the “equity” in education through multiple strategies and initiatives, by paying particular attention to excluded and marginalized children. At the global level, they include tools for planning such as bottleneck analysis, the Out-of-School Children Initiative, and advocates for Child Friendly Schools that address social norms including sanitation practices. Research on social norms and teachers provides data for better planning. Similarly, education programs across countries and regions are working to address specific issues as they get played out within the regional, national and sub-national contexts to further promote and support equity. Education colleagues work with social protection and other sectors to address the barriers children face in access to good quality education.
What are the main challenges you are facing in relation to WASH in Schools in these communities?
The lack of quality data on WASH in Schools coverage is a significant barrier to identifying children’s needs, establishing and carrying out effective programs, and monitoring progress. Because many countries have not defined their minimum standards for WASH in Schools, and the monitoring systems do not reflect WASH in Schools as an indicator, the quality of data on coverage and access remains questionable. It is common, for example, that a national monitoring system thinks it’s adequate to report that a school with 300 children, which has just one latrine hole, has sufficient access to sanitation.
Lack of clear guidelines and policies is yet another challenge and can have an added disadvantage on children with disabilities. Unhygienic sanitation affects all children, and disabled children even more. An analysis of surveys from 14 developing countries finds that children with disabilities, age 6-17, are much less likely to have enrolled in school or be in school than their peers. Research shows, accessible WASH facilities are key to their attendance in school. Conflicts — both natural and man-made — can sometimes go as far as to undo WASH practices so carefully taught and instituted in schools. Sustainability and maintenance of facilities is another challenge. Many schools do not have funds to buy soap and keep it at hand washing stands and also repair and maintain toilets and water supply facilities.
Schools are often the focal points for a community’s water supply. UNICEF has supported and continues to support programs that focus on water and sanitation in the school, thereby strengthening the role of the community and access to safe water for the whole community as well.
Therefore, renewed commitments are needed to 1) set minimum standards for WASH in Schools by adopting standards based on UNICEF-World Health Organization guidelines, and 2) to monitor WASH in Schools coverage through education management information systems (EMIS) and support the compilation of data on coverage and practices at the global level.
“Educating girls is not only the right thing to do but it is an investment in our collective future.”— Susan Durston Image UNI93200: © UNICEF/NYHQ2010-1545/Asselin
While volunteering in Tanzania I noticed that women and girls were responsible for domestic water supply and sanitation. What is being done to elevate the position of women so that they may support the development of their communities better?
UNICEF especially believes in girls’ education (primary, secondary and tertiary). Educating girls is not only the right thing to do but it is an investment in our collective future. Communities and governments are also recognizing this. Girls equipped with a quality education are more empowered and better prepared to protect themselves against violence and exploitation and are also less vulnerable to disease, including HIV and AIDS.
When water is not available on premises, including domestic use, women and girls are much more likely to be the main water carriers for families. This is a great concern because it takes up time when they should be in school or enjoying their childhood.
Bringing water sources closer to home will cut the time spent in water collection and help cleanliness in the home.
A WASH in Schools evaluation in Kenya indicates that girls were absent less in schools where there was more hand washing and very high toilet use. In Bangladesh and India, innovative projects demonstrate that menstrual hygiene can be incorporated into broader WASH in Schools interventions. Training and information for peer groups of children and female teachers show how women and girls can be empowered through improved menstrual hygiene management.
Starting today and every day going forward, what can classrooms around the world that have safe drinking water do to help the classrooms around the world that do not?
Engage with WASH in Schools programs, by contributing to the bigger picture and bringing individual or small-scale projects into cooperative initiatives that reach more schools, more effectively.
Schools can buddy with each other in advocating and sharing knowledge about healthy water and sanitary practices. In turn, children can carry this message to the wider community.
Schools or classrooms can also raise funds to help students without water and hygiene sources to also have access to these basic facilities.
We have proof of the impact of WASH in Schools and we all have a role to play to ensure its success. Every child deserves to be in a school that provides safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education. After all, it is their right.
Susan Durston and C. M. Rubin
All photos courtesy of UNICEF.
In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (US), Dr. Leon Botstein (US), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (US), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (US), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (US), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. Eija Kauppinen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (US), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (US), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (US), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais US), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (US), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland.
Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld
The Global Search for Education
“In the Finnish public education system we already have a music, visual arts, and crafts education that is compulsory for all students.” - Dr. Eija Kauppinen
The Arts Face to Face
By C. M. Rubin with Harry Rubin and Michael Freeborn
The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable, a member driven association of arts education entities, held its 2012 Face to Face conference last week. Presentations were made on best arts practices in both domestic and international communities, which included successful programs in Dallas Texas, Venezuela, Scotland and Finland.
Co-Chair Kati Koerner commented, “These are places where they are thinking about arts education across entire nations. Given the fact that arts education access is still (despite NYC Department of Education Office of Arts and Special Projects efforts) distributed quite inequitably across our 1700 schools in New York City, it is inspiring to hear that in other places every child has the opportunity to engage in hands on arts learning. That is a beacon for us. It makes us realize that we have a long way to go.”
I had the opportunity to have a more private “face to face” with conference participant Dr. Eija Kauppinen on the thinking behind arts education in Finland today and for the future. Dr. Eija Kauppinen has been Counselor of Education at the Finnish National Board of Education (the FNBE) since 2006. In the FNBE, she is responsible for issues related to music and dance education from pre-school to professional training.
What is Finland currently doing in terms of an arts curriculum in primary/secondary school education and what are your goals and objectives going forward?
In the Finnish public education system we already have a music, visual arts, and crafts education that is compulsory for all students aged 7 to 16. However, over the past decade there has been a lot of pressure (especially from arts advocates and other experts) to further increase arts education in Finland. Our ministry of education established a working group in August, 2011 to draw up a proposal covering new general educational objectives in Finland. That proposal (Future of Basic Education) was published last Friday and aims to strengthen many areas including arts education, physical education, civic and citizenship education, education in environmental issues, and diversification of language teaching. The working group proposed increasing the number of required lesson hours in music, visual arts, and crafts for all students (music from 7 to 8 hours per week, visual arts from 8 to 10 hours per week, and crafts from 11 to 12 hours per week). The extra hours will guarantee the availability of qualified teachers in the arts subjects. The proposal would also enable specialization in teaching arts. Our government now has to agree this proposal and issue the Government Decree on the General National Objectives and Distribution of Lesson Hours, and then the FNBE will draw up National Core Curricula for basic education.
“Arts subjects are essential if we think in terms of personal development.” - Dr. Eija Kauppinen
Can you explain how you will be able to get better qualified arts teachers by adding more hours to your curriculum? How many years do your teachers study before they are considered qualified?
We have two kinds of teachers in basic education: class teachers who teach in grades 1-6, and subject teachers who teach in grades 7-9. There has been a slight shortage of qualified subject teachers in grades 7-9, because there have not been enough lesson hours for full-time arts teacher positions in some schools. The situation has been the worst in music. I think that the working group’s idea has been that increasing the number of lesson hours may bring more full-time teacher positions, which may facilitate the recruitment of qualified teachers.
In Finland’s basic education system, all qualified teachers must have a Master’s degree. The Master’s degree can be completed in five to five and a half years from entry to college.
How do your teachers assess students studying the arts in the current system?
Teachers are responsible for pupil assessment. Pupil assessment is divided into assessment during the course of studies and final assessment. According to our national curricula, the tasks of assessment are to guide and encourage studying and to depict how well the pupil has met the objectives established for learning. The task of the final assessment is to define how well the pupil has achieved the objectives of the basic education syllabus in the different subjects.
Our national curricula include the criteria for final assessment in core subject areas and also in music, visual arts, and crafts. Teachers have to assess the pupil’s performance with those criteria on the basis of diverse evidence. For instance, in music education we have eight criteria for different kinds of key competences in music, for instance, the pupils will “master, as individuals, the basic technique of some rhythm, melody, or harmony instrument so as to be able to play in an ensemble” or “know how to listen to both their own music and music produced by others, so as to be able to make music together with others.”
“If we want to promote our children’s creativity, the arts play an important role.” - Dr. Eija Kauppinen
How do you see the impact of the arts on students’ personal development?
First, arts subjects are essential if we think in terms of personal development. The arts are essential tools to increase self-awareness and understanding of your own and other’s experiences; the arts are a means to understanding emotions and the emotional aspects of life; the arts are also essential tools in self-expression.
Second, if we want to promote our children’s creativity, the arts play an important role. Creativity should be part of teaching in all subject areas, of course, but the arts are key for learning active problem solving and for understanding and learning creative processes.
In addition, in terms of students’ abilities in other subject areas, based on cognitive studies, it seems that the arts promote our capability to learn other subject areas too. For instance, learning music in early childhood seems to develop one’s linguistic capacity. (Please see the work of Minna Huotilainen at the University of Helsinki).
What other things do you believe need to be added to the current arts curriculum in Finnish schools?
The arts should be part of everyday life in schools and a part of the operational culture of our schools.
We need to draw up objectives for an arts education in such a way that it is able to foster the development of critical thinking skills, i.e. the ability to apply skills and knowledge, to analyze, to evaluate and to create.
At the moment, the aim of our music education is to develop basic knowledge in music and skills in singing, playing instruments, and composing. We should continue to strengthen all these skills in the future, but what we should promote in particular is composing. To get children involved in composing is an excellent way to promote their creativity.
“The arts should be part of everyday life in schools and a part of the operational culture of our schools.” - Dr. Eija Kauppinen
What is your perspective on arts education in the US today?
You have great teachers and great practices, but every child should have access to an arts education, which I understand is not the case everywhere. All children need a broad general education, including arts. You have excellent arts institutions and artists too, and have the opportunity to be a leader in arts education.
What did you learn in Face to Face 2012 about the state of the arts in the US?
I learned that you have excellent practices and practitioners in the field of arts education. We have always believed that the reason Finland is so successful in education is because we have excellent teachers. However, what also matter are the resources (time, classrooms, equipment, etc.). A high quality education is not only dependent on teachers’ personal characteristics; conditions matter too.
For more information on the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable
Dr. Eija Kauppinen and C. M. Rubin
Photos courtesy of the Finnish Arts Association of Basic Education for the Arts, Sorin Sirkus, and Dr. Eija Kauppinen.
In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (US), Dr. Leon Botstein (US), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (US), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (US), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (US), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (US), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (US), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (US), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais US), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (US), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland.
Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld
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