Global Contexts and Forces of Education

- GLOBALISATION

Globalisation can be defined as a trend towards integrating the world markets for goods, services and money.

Globalisation is bringing together the world markets, developing multiculturalism in countries, increasing our access to information and also allowing us to be more easily affected by issues in other countries.

- DEVELOPMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY

“Each generation brings with it greater access to information. At the turn of the last century, print was the dominant form. Later, radio, film and television became important sources of information. Today has been described as the ‘information, knowledge or digital age’, where computers are a source of written, audio and visual texts from across the world.” (Bentley. I, 2012, p76)

Technology is continuously increasing and changing all over the world and influencing how we interact within society.

It is important for education to keep up with these trends and incorporate these new forms of technologies into the classroom and the curriculum, to prepare students for adult life and the workforce. “Education has often been labelled the most resistant profession in terms of its ability to take on change and look forward to the future.” (Bentley. I, 2012, p78) Nevertheless, current trends in education recognise the necessity to incorporate and embrace technology advances of the future.

Technology has been incorporated into the classroom in a number of ways, including; increased use of internet for researching, more computers and laptops for students, interactive whiteboards, ibooks replacing textbooks in some schools and even the use of mobile phones and apps. By including the use of technology in the classroom this helps to engage students in the learning process at a level that they can relate to and with the introduction of the National Curriculum next year there is an understanding that “we live in a digital age with rapid and continuing changes with ICT and that young people need to be highly skilled in its use.” (ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, accessed 1/10/12)

REFERENCES

Bentley. I, “EDU4CCE Changing Contexts in Education 2E,” Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd, 2012.

ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Information-and-Communication-Technology-capability/Introduction/Introduction accessed 1/10/12

Philosophical Contexts and Forces of Education

There are many different philosophies of education and as a teacher you can construct your own philosophy by asking the following questions:

“- What is truth, and how do we know and teach it?

- How do we know what is good and bad and right and wrong, and how can we teach ethical values and encourage moral behaviour in our students?

- How can schools and teachers exemplify what is true and valuable?

- How do teaching and learning reflect one’s beliefs about truth and value?” (Bentley. I, 2012, p212)

There are 5 main recognised philosophies of education including Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism, Existentialism and Postmodernism.

- Idealism believes that the world is ultimately real, created by a great universal mind (God) and that since it is perfect, it does not need to change.

Implications

Idealism aims to establish schools that are intellectual centers of teaching and learning. In this instance teachers are a vital source in guiding students to reach their full potential and understanding of essential truths that are always the same (shows no need for change in content or curriculum).

- Realism believes that reality is outside of our minds and in the 21^st century reality exists independently of our knowing it and we therefore construct theories that fit with our reality.

Implications

Realism seeks to bring students knowledge and own ideas into the world. A schools main purpose is seen as a center of disciplined academic inquiry, aimed at mastering skills and content knowledge, with no room for things such as extra curricular activities. This philosophy aims to guide students to the same response to fit with reality.

- Pragmatism tests the validity of our knowledge and ideas and establishes certainty by testing theories. It does not believe that things are unchanging and looks at how we construct knowledge, in a world that is constantly changing.

Implications

This implies that subject matter is constantly changing and that thus problem solving and researching to find your own ideas is the key to teaching students. This philosophy allows students to reach their own answers by problem solving and means that a schools curriculum would be constantly changing to meet new ideas and answers to theories.

- Existentialism is a personal philosophy, with deep thought and reflection of oneself. This philosophy suggests that we make our own knowledge and choices independently of the world we live in.

Implications

This philosophy is difficult for teachers as there is always a strict curriculum to be followed and if students select their own goals and purposes then teachers cannot plan in advance a student’s education. This philosophy also indicates constant changes to the school curriculum and may even regard parts of the curriculum irrelevant if it does not match with the students’ selection of knowledge and ideas.

- Postmodernism suggests that we construct our own truths about reality and dismisses claims about universal truth.

Implications

Implies that teachers are responsible for determining their own truths and philosophies and encouraging students to determine their own lives and ideas of knowledge. This believes that teachers have their own values and beliefs that they are likely to teach in a classroom to their students, but suggests that students may not believe these theories and will make up their own minds as they go, suggesting that school is not an institution that forms a person to fit in with society.

With all of these different philosophies of education it is hard to establish a universal philosophy that in turn provides an equal education to all students in Australia. 

REFERENCES

Bentley. I, “EDU4CCE Changing Contexts in Education 2E,” Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd, 2012.

THE LIKELY DIRECTIONS OF FUTURE EDUCATION

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Schools teach skills and subjects, but also help to form a person’s identity and help them develop skills to actively and successfully participate in society.

I believe that educations purpose is to provide and develop economic & social skills for students as well as content knowledge of subjects, in order to prepare them for adult life and the workforce.

As said by The CEO of The Curriculum Corporation, Bruce Wilson, “the task for the future is to deliver a high quality education to every child without exception.”

I consider that it is a hard task to provide an equal high quality of education to all students, as there is still a large gap between the public and the private school systems. I believe that factors such as a person’s class will also have an impact on students’ opportunities with education and that there will always be political forces that affect the way our education system operates.

I think that ICT is the way of the future and that this should and will be embraced by schools and teachers, so as to ensure that our future generations are up to date with technology, living in a digital world. This is an ongoing process and in years to come all students will have access to computers and high speed Internet, which will be used as a main source of learning and information. I believe that this form of education is motivating and engaging for students as it relates to the world that they live in now and can be used in all aspects of their lives. With the use of this technology I value that it is important for teachers to stay up to date with current trends in technology and believe that there will be more professional development provided towards teachers aimed at expanding and increasing their ICT skills to ensure teachers are helping guide students to reach their full potential.

Industrial Contexts and Forces of Education

The majority of education taught and delivered in Australian schools is subject based such as maths, science and English. This is the traditional methodology of teaching, however, there is also the implementation of industry-oriented education available for students who are disengaged from school, in order to prepare them for work in the real world. The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is an alternative option for VCE students, which offers work related experience and learning and is still an accredited secondary certificate.

With an increased importance placed on education, school life can have a significant impact on forming a person’s identity and preparing them for adulthood. The traditional schooling methods are not for everyone though; and this can lead to school leavers and students being disengaged with their school life. The development of VCAL, which came into place in 2002 and is now offered in more than 430 secondary schools in Victoria, has provided an industry-oriented approach to education for students who are disengaged from school but are keen to enter the world of work.

It is also common now that trade related industries want workers to have completed their secondary education and this is becoming an increasing requirement in current times. This means that programs such as VCAL are essential in education to help our students gain jobs outside of school life.

If we did not have programs such as VCAL available in our education system this would cause social and educational consequences that work to cement disadvantage instead of our education system providing advantage and life chances to students. (Bentley. I, 2012, p160)

REFERENCES

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vcal/index.aspx?&Redirect=1 accessed 1/10/12

Bentley. I, “EDU4CCE Changing Contexts in Education 2E,” Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd, 2012.

Economic Contexts and Forces of Education

Economic forces that impinge on education can include the availability of resources such as computers and the net. This availability of these resources can be at times linked to a persons economic status such as where you live, who your parents are and what they do.

- RESOURCES

“The Digital Education Revolution (DER) aims to contribute sustainable and meaningful change to teaching and learning in Australian schools that will prepare students for further education, training and to live and work in a digital world.” (Australian Government; Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, accessed 30/09/12)

It has become very common in recent years for schools to provide increased computer and Internet access to their students, in the form of either their own individual laptop or a higher number of school computers available to students. With the ever increasing use of technology in current times, it has become necessary for schools to not only teach students content knowledge of subjects but to incorporate the use of ICT in the classroom and ensure younger generations are up to date with current technology, as it now plays a large role in society. This digital revolution began in 1990 with the Methodist Ladies College in Melbourne being the first school to implement the program. While the government has provided funding for this revolution, economic issues such as how much money you can afford to pay for your education still play a vital role in students access to these resources.

- ECONOMIC STATUS

Not every student in Australia is issued with his or her very own laptop and there are still many schools that do not have equal resources when it comes to computer and internet access. A persons economic status plays a vital role in their childs access to these resources. Many wealthy people can afford to provide their children with top of the range laptops and high speed internet access, whilst some struggling parents cannot afford these resources for their children. Despite government funding in this area there is still a significant gap between some schools and this has an impact on the quality of education students' receive. It was stated by The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd and Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, that every student would have a computer without financial pressure being put on parents to pay for these resources. However, some schools have had to start charging fees to parents for the use of these computers due to the government not taking into consideration added costs such as software and insurance costs. This in turn provides a disadvantage for students whose families cannot economically afford the additional costs of providing computers for their children.

“A PUBLIC school is asking parents to pay up to $1460 to lease computers provided under Kevin Rudd's digital schools plan, while another is urging parents to buy the Apple Mac laptops their child has used for $1200.”

Article available at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/schools-levy-for-kevin-rudds-laptop-plan/story-e6frg6n6-1225820610952 accessed 1/10/12

“AT LEAST one Queensland school is charging parents up to $250 a year to use the computers promised under Kevin Rudd's much-vaunted laptops-in-schools program.”

Article available at http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/labors-school-laptops-cost-a-packet/story-e6freomx-1226065981922 accessed 1/10/12

These articles represent the economic issues associated with the governments proposal and outline how this can cause a disadvantage to a students education.

REFERENCES

Australian Government; Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

http://www.deewr.gov.au/SCHOOLING/DIGITALEDUCATIONREVOLUTION/Pages/default.aspx accessed 30/09/12.

Political Contexts and Forces of Education

With an increasing trend in Australia towards students completing their schooling education, this leads to a higher expectation being placed on not only schools but also the teachers themselves. Political factors that influence education within Australia include pay rates for teachers and school funding provided by the Government.

- Pay rates

Currently in Victoria the Australian Education Union is fighting for Victorian teachers to receive a pay increase and ongoing contracts for job security (as was originally promised by the premier).

Because of the governments refusal to fulfill its promise to the teachers of Victoria they have since gone on strike in search of the rise they were promised.

How this affects education

This political issue effects education as many schools close during days that teachers are on strike, with children staying home and losing out on their education.

As said by AEU state secretary Mary Bluett;

"To ensure every Victorian student receives the education they deserve, we need to attract and retain the best quality teachers, principals and support staff to our schools." (Frankston Standard Leader, accessed 28/09/12) The context of this political issue in relation to education is that without sufficient pay rates and reasonable working conditions people are likely to rethink a profession in the teaching industry and we will therefore be limited in the number of good quality teachers available to provide a quality education for future generations.

- School funding

Along with needing good quality teachers, schools also require sufficient government funding to provide a high quality education to students.

The majority of school funding comes from the State Governments and the remainder from the Commonwealth Government. However, the Commonwealth Government provides the majority of its funding to non-government schools, with the state providing the majority of their funding to government schools. Whilst the majority of Commonwealth Government funding is provided to non-government schools, this amount has fluctuated over time, decreasing when a Labour government is in power and increasing when a Liberal government is in power. This trend since 1977 – 2007 can perhaps indicate that school funding is a very political exercise and that education is clearly a political force. (Australia’s School Funding System, accessed 30/09/12)

Keeping this in mind I think it is hard to provide universal access to education with these political drivers in play, keeping the gap between state and private school education.

REFERENCES

Frankston Standard Leader

http://frankston-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/teacher-strike-to-affect-700-schools-close-160/ accessed 28/09/12)

Australia’s School Funding System

http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/PolicyBriefs_Dowling07.pdf accessed 30/09/2012

Social context and forces of education

There are many different social factors that shape students’ experiences and outcomes in relation to their education. Factors such as class and culture play a role in a student’s education within Australia.

- CLASS

A person’s social class within society plays a critical role in relation to their or their childs education. The wealth or status of a family can determine the type of education their child receives.

During the 20^th century State schools were the institution attended by the large majority of children. State schools accept children from all classes, cultural backgrounds and geographic location and in turn provide opportunity to everyone in society regardless of their social status or class. While this provides all students with access to the education, there is still at times a large gap between the education for children in State schools and the education of children attending wealthy private schools. (Bentley. I, 2012)

Students’ from a high social status family are more likely to attend a private school, which often charge large fees per annum for students’ to attend and/or accept students whose parents have also attended the school or hold a high place in society.

These high fees help private schools to provide top of the range resources such as computers, extensive library resources and theatre rooms. They also provide a range of extra curricular activities and accelerated learning programs for their students to participate in and excel in their chosen discipline. As well as the cost to attend a private school there are often a number of other fees throughout the school year such as uniforms, excursions and overseas school trips, which can often only be afforded by those of a higher class in society. With all these additional resources and programs students that attend a private school often experience a different form of education to students attending a State school and for over a century this has resulted in private schools producing a large number of leaders in society in comparison to state schools. This shows the social inequality caused by social class that can affect a persons education within Australia.

- CULTURE

Culture is a factor that affects a person’s educational experience, based on the level of importance that is placed on education. In Australia education is considered as not only compulsory but also an essential aspect of an individuals life and these days there is an increasing importance placed on finishing school. Completing school in Australia has become more important in recent years, these days completing school increases job prospects and ones chances of continuing on to further education, providing more options for the future.

“Some facts:

•       Higher educational attainment leads to significantly better wages, with each additional year of schooling being associated with around a 10 per cent increase in earnings.

•       Research shows that young people who complete Year 12 are approximately six times more likely to make a smooth transition to post-school activities than those who leave before completing senior schooling.

•       In Australia, 20–24 year olds are more likely to be unemployed if they didn’t complete senior schooling than those who did complete.” (Youth Attainment and Transitions; Australian Government, accessed 28/09/12)

Years ago it was common for people to drop out and not complete their secondary education as their were more low-skilled jobs available that did not require higher education qualifications. The Australian Government supports this culture of completing higher education to obtain more employment opportunities and set the target that by 2010 90% of young people will complete their year 12 educations or its equivalent. 

Table 1: Percentage of 19-year-olds who have completed Year 12 or an equivalent, 1999 to 2007

	1999 (%)	2000 (%)	2001 (%)	2002 (%)	2003 (%)	2004 (%)	2005 (%)	2006 (%)	2007 (%)	Change 1999 to 2007
Metropolitan	75.0	76.0	77.5	77.7	79.5	80.5	79.1	80.2	79.3	+ 4.3 % points
Non-Metropolitan	70.3	70.6	71.4	71.5	74.9	74.8	72.6	74.4	73.5	+ 3.2 % points
Victoria	73.6	74.4	75.7	75.8	78.4	78.8	77.2	78.5	77.6	+ 4.0 % points

(Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, accessed 28/09/12)

This culture of the increasing importance to complete secondary school also places a higher level of expectations on schools and teachers within the Australian education sector and therefore also contributes to political factors of education.

REFERENCES

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/researchinnovation/vcams/children/16-2completingyear12.htm accessed 28/09/12

Attainment and Transitions; Australian Government;

http://transitions.youth.gov.au/sites/transitions/thebigpicture/pages/whyisyear12important accessed 28/09/12

Bentley. I, “EDU4CCE Changing Contexts in Education 2E,” Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd, 2012.