Principal Reflections

A Short Message from Dr Jake

Dear Parents & Friends,              

Over the past couple of hundred years, education has been delivered in a one-size-fits-all approach. However, it is now changing more rapidly than ever before - and not just because of COVID. Our learning spaces, curriculum and teaching methodologies are all changing to meet the growing needs of our learners.

Further, the response to coronavirus has shown us how technology can be used to change how we teach and learn. But this push for transformation started well before the pandemic, and will continue long after things have calmed down again. For years, policymakers have been working on new approaches to K-12 education that go much further than simply providing online lessons from home.

With schools now reopened to uninterrupted face to face learning, it's a good opportunity to consider the future of education, particularly as we plan to transition into a new academic year. Children who begin school (in Kinder) from this point forward will grow up and enter a workforce that is largely digital-based. They will need skills and ways of thinking that differ significantly from what their parents needed when they were in school. Therefore, it's crucial these children have access to rich learning experiences that provide emotional, social, and academic support.

To put it bluntly, education's long-standing three Rs - Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic - are being accompanied by a fourth: Rethink.

This is an important consideration as we re-imagine what learning can look like in a post-COVID world. We must move beyond the traditional classroom setting to create environments that are flexible, collaborative, and engaging. We need to use technology as an enabler for teaching and learning, not just a tool for delivering lessons online. We need to recognize the strengths and needs of individual learners and provide them with the right learning opportunities, at the right time.

It is clear that education must go beyond the traditional model to prepare our children for the future. We need to focus on creative problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and digital literacy - all of which require an adaptive K-12 system that can evolve as the needs of our learners change. We need to make sure that our schools are not just teaching, but equipping students with lifelong learning tools and skills that will prepare them for an uncertain future.

As we emerge from the "Information Age" into what the futurists are calling the "Experience Age", our education system needs to reflect this shift. Now is the time to think more deeply about how we can create learning environments that enable each student to reach their full potential, build strong relationships with teachers and peers, and prepare them for success in our ever-changing world.

The fundamental objective of communication in the "Information Age" was to make information accessible. In contrast, the focus during the "Experience Age" is creating an experience. Our society is gradually evolving from wanting information to instead craving experiences that coincide with said information.

Why is it important to have as many varied experiences as possible? Neural connections, called synapses, are built in a young child's brain each time they have an experience. The more experiences a child has, the more neural connections are made. And the more meaningful an experience is, the more likely it is that a child will want to repeat it.

At St Edward's we are continually rethinking the ways in which we provide learning experiences for our students. We understand that children learn best when they are actively involved and engaged with their environment, so we strive to create meaningful opportunities for them to explore, iterate, and reflect on their own learning. Through a combination of digital technologies like AR/VR, immersive simulations, and experiential field trips, we are providing our children with diverse and engaging learning experiences that will serve them well in their educational journey.

It is more important now than ever to embrace the concept of rethinking learning. By doing this, we can create an educational environment that meets the needs of all learners and challenges them to explore new ideas, discover their passions, and build the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century.

It is time for us to embrace change and create an education system that can support our current learners, as well as those of the future. As we move into 2023, let's continue to explore new ways of providing meaningful learning experiences for our students. Let's rethink the learning environment and create a future that is bright and filled with promise.

Rethink. Refine. Redefine. That is our goal at St Edward's as we continue on our journey to equip our learners with the skills they need to succeed in this ever evolving 21st century.

Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us as we are only too happy to help.

Peace & Best Wishes

Dr Jake Madden

(Principal, St Edward's Primary School)