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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on July 17, 2012 at 11:31am

I agree with you Stephen re TAFE as that is where the true artisans teach and mentor the next generation of their trade. Many professions in my opinion are both an art and a science and it is the artistic component of the profession that lends itself to mentoring.

The Compulsory Schooling System is not performing its function well as many students progressing from class to class without the competencies required for that progression. Many students seem to leave school with the notion that the world owes them a living and the word ethic of our generation is a misnomer and not applicable to them.

When they marry (or form a partnership with another) they want to have what their parents have taken years to work for and achieve and therefore over-commit themselves financially. Plastic cash cards are the worst invention I can think of as it does not help our youth to value what they have to work hard and save for what is important to them.

Fond regards

Caroline 

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on July 17, 2012 at 3:36pm

Christopher Pine spoke today about the finding that reduction in class sizes has not resulted in any improvement in educational outcomes. This suggests to me the emphasis needs to be placed on improving teacher performance rather than limitation on class size. Some room here for some good discussion Stephen.

Fond regards

Caroline

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on July 17, 2012 at 8:02pm

Beverley Prescott said:

Administrators overturned those markings with a statement they all pass or we lose funding she resigned from what had become just an Industry focussed on Money rather than a calling by people motivated by higher virtues.

 

Do you know if this is still happening these days, Stephen?  I am just not sure if your friend resigned many years ago or just recently.

If it is still the case, that is very worrying indeed.

 

Only about four years back Beverly,But in truth the greatest disaster came afterward when taking a break cruising on a cruising yacht off Melville Island the Yacht capsized and she was OK but a number of precious books were water damaged.

 

The biggest loss was a book written by a Christian Doctor missionary who had studied so many Fevers and Illnesses and had carefully worked out at what temperature the noxious little pests died for almost every common illness based on either infections or viruses.

Anns own Daughter got quite sick whilst they stayed on Melville Island and was very ill,Ann Nursed her oldest daughter for over a week until her Temperature reached the required point and the Virus died ,She then steadily regained strength every day.The alternative Ann considered was more likely a death Sentence that of being flown to Darwin where at the time expertise and facilities were not the greatest and the observe until the patient either recovers or Dies approach was not to her liking.

I have come across this issue myself in the past and think maybe it was where the saying only the strong survive came from.

 

Hence why in so many areas a major rethink is required regarding how we teach people for sadly we seem only to mass produce an inferior product these days.

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on July 17, 2012 at 8:27pm

Dr Caroline Wright said:

Christopher Pine spoke today about the finding that reduction in class sizes has not resulted in any improvement in educational outcomes. This suggests to me the emphasis needs to be placed on improving teacher performance rather than limitation on class size. Some room here for some good discussion Stephen.

Fond regards

Caroline

Caroline it seems to me the whole crux of the matter is Politicians and no doubt Teachers actually fear that if they Educate the younger generation too well they will become a threat to them and there is probably some merit in that for Politicians.

 

A pet theorey of mine for many a decade now has been that Education should follow these simple guidelines.

 

Firstly at primary school level which should go through to year 7 the basics must be taught such as the old three R's and most importantly how to interact with each other 

From that time they can learn teamwork with sport being a good basis for that as well as the oportunity of learning about vital things such as Sportsmanship.

The reason for a 7 year timespan at Primary School is that I believe we send Children into a High School enviroment too early and do not even go there with such penny pinching abominations as K12 Schools as I believe they can result in permanant psychological issues  regarding bullying when younger kids are on the recieving end.

 

When moving on to High School more subjects are covered in greater depth but most importantly the training on How to educate themselves effectively should be a compulsory part of the curriculum.

 

There is too much emphasis on pidgeonholing Children as far as career choices go way too early in life at a time when most really have only the faintest idea at the best of times of what they want to do career wise and is a driving factor behind so many winding up at University a place that may well suit them superbly ten or twenty years down the track but does them no favors straight from high school.

 

That is why teaching the ability to self educate is Vital for regardless of what life throws at them they will cope sucessfully.

It is also part and parcel of that where you develop the ability to sort the facts from fiction and that really scares the Political and Chattering classes and hence has far more value than any from this generation could even begin to imagine.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on July 19, 2012 at 8:17pm

On the 7.30 Report tonight the skills shortage came up as an issue. Owners of businesses were of the opinion that the skills set is changing and that the blue color labourer's positions were quickly disappearing. For example, he made the point that about 10 years ago his factory had only 1 computer now they have about 27 because of the changes in production technology. From another perspective, it was pointed out that graduates are not prepared for the workforce and that the workplace are not prepared for the skill set of the graduates,

One of the owners made the point that they are now up-skilling their own workforce once they are able to employ persons with certain skills. He was of the opinion that this was the most viable option for his company.

One researcher said that the growing sectors would be in the service industry, including health. He did mentor a couple of others but I cant remember what they were. 

Fond regards

Caroline

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on July 23, 2012 at 11:04pm

ABC's Q and A tonight did little to assist in policy development in the area of education.

But I was able to see a parallel between teacher education and nursing education as, it appears, that universities are putting a greater emphasis on theoretical learning so that at least one transition year is necessary where experienced teachers mentor new graduates. But we have already had a conversation in the nursing context and I would prefer that it stays somewhere out there in the blog sphere as it had been brought to its logical conclusion where no new knowledge or understanding was emerging.

Kind regards

Caroline

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on July 24, 2012 at 9:41pm

Caroline where we are now is in truth the future of higher education.

The Government controlled system should focus purely on the basics as these days people find what they seek on the internet including Mentors and a vaster scope of information.

Often with far more up to date relevance to real world conditions than what can ever be incorported in a formal Education Syllabus,Yet even with this ability to almost mimic real time learningof current technology the Net also offers acess to learn old or seen to be obsolete skills or knowledge,For knowledge is never Obsolete as long as someone has a need for it.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on July 24, 2012 at 10:54pm

You must have taken a Philosophy major during your tertiary studies.

Talking about finding a mentor on the internet, I have recently found Dr Connie Vance again and we have been in contact. She has just published another book on Mentoring for beginning practitioners. She was one of the Examiners for my PhD thesis. We have not been in contact since I retired as we did not see the need to have the added expense of the internet as we saw ourselves as hobby farmers.

Through the book publishers I was able to get my details to Connie and she was able to contact me. You may remember that it was Connie who was the first person to study mentoring (in nursing) but Levinson et al. were the first to publish their work (on male mentoring).

As Connie wrote she is still riding the mentoring horse as it is seen in a much more favourable light in the US than it is in Australia. This may be because nursing had been in Universities in the US for so much longer than it has in Australia. It may take a generation for it to be seen as valuable for developing nurses with leadership potential in another 10 to 20 years.

Fond regards

Caroline

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on July 25, 2012 at 7:05am

Actually other than Trade  Schooling and Various Industry Centric Qualifications,Granted in a Number of Industries and Diciplines my Formal Schooling by Public Education finished in Year 10.

 

However I had brilliant teachers who gave a damm and who Educated us on how to learn ourselves and how to mentor others,Possibly what was unique at our High School was a number of exchange teachers from America for along with the oportunity to play and more importantly understand Gridiron and baseball they also brought fresh thinking and Ideas to the Australian System.

 

That is an opportunity that needs addressing currently by a number of naturally aligned Countries where more overseas teacher trading will benefit all countries involved.

How to be for Instance a better French Teacher do a few semesters working an exchange posting in France,How to be a better Geography Teacher Work exchange positions in Canada,Japan,the US,Argentina  etc.

The same approach would also pay benefits at TAFE and UNI Levels for all countries involved as well as round out the Education skills of the Teachers involved in having to learn how to communicate with different pupils with differing cultural backgrounds.

For even across America a place I consider as being 50 Countries in a Union within a common border they can see the benefits even within their own borders,Australia on the other hand being still isolated in many aspects will benefit much more than we have done by immigration purely,After all Immigration has bought as many negative aspects as positive  and later immigration seems to have in the last 20 years been more negative than positive for the country.

However broadening the Education outlooks for a balanced viewpoint from the Teachers in the system a position of vital importance that should be recognised and just as importantly held accountable for doing the right job and being more importantly apolitical due to the influencial position they hold.

 

The Education industry has lost it's way becoming Politicised and teaching the worship of false politically driven agendas it has betrayed an almost Sacred position of Trust within Society and that is why so few appreciate and respect Teachers these days for they have become in effect Political Lackeys at least in State Schooling Systems.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on July 25, 2012 at 10:25pm

I can see the idea of Higher Education teacher exchange as a great idea as a reward system for those considered by students and their peers as excellent teacher role models. I can also see a similar system working in the Compulsory Education System.

I agree that immigration has not assisted in the exchange of cultural ideas to any large extent.

Life long learning and knowing how to find information when it is needed are skills that need to be a priority in all educational institutions as well as the learning of problem-solving skills.

Fond regards

Caroline 

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