VIEWS & OPINION
Global collaboration in education matters – both now and as we rebuild
for the future Comment by CLAUDIA BICKFORD-SMITH, Director of Education Services in the Education Division at Oxford University Press
If this year has shown us anything, it’s that collaboration across our industry has never been so important. The pandemic has placed an unprecedented burden on learning across the world and thrown
into question how we educate. The impact on young people and their education continues to be at the epicentre of the debate around lockdown restrictions and their consequences, and while the full extent of the impact won’t be realised for some time, we need to consider how we are approaching education now.
Furthermore, a recent report from UNESCO, UNICEF and the World
Bank, found that 9 out of 10 countries have facilitated access to online learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – but with differences in countries’ capacities to provide it effectively. There is a very real risk that the pandemic exacerbates inequality in learning.
That’s why it’s so important that, as an international community of
education professionals, we draw on insights and expertise from across the world so that collectively, we can respond to and navigate these uncertain times, and adapt to changes in both education, and wider society.
If we take digital learning as an example, countries should look to
learn from one another, to consider how to increase access to it, and ensure that new digital tools are rooted in excellence in pedagogy. For example, in India, engineering students recently won the CODE19 hackathon with their iClassroom invention, allowing students and teachers to interact in the same way they would in a classroom. These are the sort of innovations we need to take forward, so education can continue to thrive in our changing world.
We have seen the benefits of learning from each other first-hand at
OUP. We have colleagues all over the world, and we have found strength in cross-regional collaboration. It has enabled us to develop principles of best practice for digital learning design and assessment, integrate impact studies for key products, and establish research-based principles from the start. Equally, partnering with exam boards in key regions has been crucial to understanding local context, as has working with PISA to develop the next Science Framework for global assessment of 15-year-olds in 2025. And we have partnered with a range of key technology partners to deliver assessments for reading comprehension and Maths. One partnership in China has allowed us to deliver a ground-breaking assessment product to millions of children.
While we’ve been physically far apart, our world is more connected
than ever. The global education sector is poised to benefit from this. We are lucky to be part of an international community which can help us to navigate this changing world, and have a lasting impact on education. Our industry, like the world around us, is constantly shifting. We can, and must, learn from each other to drive positive change for the future. By bringing together this global and local expertise, we can ensure education meets both the needs of local communities, and global society.
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www.education-today.co.uk
Reversing attitudes and championing difference
Comment by RYAN KELSALL, Deputy CEO, Eastern Learning Alliance
The ethos of The Cavendish School is one of inclusion and celebration. Our mission of ‘enabling the self’ means that we will give our students the skills, confidence and abilities to take their place in the world. It is so important that young people with autism feel respected, valued and empowered to pursue the same opportunities that other young people their age have access to. We want to reverse attitudes and we believe that providing a holistic and welcoming means of education is the answer to this mission. Through the setting provided at The Cavendish School, we will focus on offering an inspirational culture in which young people with autism can enjoy learning, achieve their potential and develop the key skills they will need to thrive as independent adults.
The Cavendish School will be the world’s first International
Baccalaureate (IB) special autism school – something that we are incredibly proud of. As part of this, we will support our students to develop 10 attributes that go beyond academic success – known as the IB learner profile. These characteristics encourage students to become inquirers, risk-takers, thinkers, communicators, to be principled, knowledgeable and open-minded, as well as caring, reflective and balanced. We believe that all-inclusive development is paramount in equipping students with the skills and confidence to discover their own voice in the world. As such, regardless of neurodiverse or neurotypical development, we believe that these characteristics should be developed in all students.
Children should be allowed, and actively encouraged, to develop at a
pace that suits their needs so as to achieve, match and better their hopes, dreams and ambitions. Students at The Cavendish School will be treated no differently. The flexibility and bespoke nature of the IB curriculum implemented at the school will enable us to cater for each individual’s needs and developmental demands. Inclusion is premised on the idea of understanding each other’s differences; seeing them as bridges as opposed to barriers. The age and key stage of our students will not determine how each individual is treated; instead therapy, interventions and multidisciplinary support will be readily available to those who need additional help or guidance. Our curriculum model also allows for a wide range of activities, including: Forest School, Lego therapy and life skills, which all continue to support the idea of what it means to be inclusive.
We are very aware that we will be welcoming families and students to
The Cavendish School who previously might have experienced a less positive side to education, therefore at the heart of our school will be relationships and the important ways in which they can support the growth of each child. We are here to reassure our community that school can be an exciting, happy, and supportive place. A comprehensive and all-encompassing approach to education does
not rely on academic success and endeavour alone. The social and emotional wellbeing of our students lies at the core of our mission. At The Cavendish School, we know that happy and confident learners are ones that are best equipped to achieve their potential and have a life- changing educational experience.
December 2020
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