Megan O'Connell Consulting

The last two weeks have provided me with a renewed sense of optimism about education in Australia.

I attended the AISNSW conference and heard insights from futurists that confirm what the data tells us – robots just can’t replace humans at complex tasks (like folding clothes, unfortunately) or creativity.

The conference reinforced the importance of supporting learners to develop their unique talents. Schools shared fantastic examples of entrepreneurial learning and partnering with industry.

They also shared the frustration of trying to develop broad capabilities in students, whilst being confined to narrow measures in the senior years.

In a similar vain, the Bright Spots Thought Leadership Gathering enlightened me about the range of amazing work occurring across the country. It became obvious that if we can remove the system barriers at the top end of schooling, schools are ready and able to support young people to develop a breadth of knowledge and capabilities.

I presented at these conferences about the need to prepare young people to locate and answer the big questions of the future.

The need for change in our education system was highlighted most starkly by Macinley Butson– a phenomenal 19 year old inventor who has won local and international acclaim. Macinley spoke of her inventions, from protective armor for radiation patient to water purification technology for third would countries. Macinley is seeking and solving major questions – yet was not very engaged at school. The model of being presented with small questions to answer didn’t excite her when there were far bigger issues she was independently researching. Macinley would not be viewed as a success in our education system – even though she exhibits the traits we need to cultivate in learners.

We need better measures of success to support schools and students to answer the big questions. The clock is ticking – we need action on this now. Last week has affirmed for me that our schools and students are ready.

Below is a copy of my presentation to AISNSW.