Past #SHAPELive events

Lost in translation?

What is the role of English in education globally?

English learning at its best can be empowering and transformative - bringing access to jobs, promoting social, geographic and economic mobility, and connecting local and global communities. Parents, schools and governments across the world have bought into the need for children to become proficient in English, and at an ever earlier age.

But who are the individuals who benefit, who does not, and what are the costs? The use of inappropriate curricula, resources and methodologies can limit the desire or ability of learners to identify with English in a positive way and may even have a negative impact on outcomes. At its worst, English can be an aggressor to individual identities and cultures, to acquisition of knowledge and skills, and to creativity and collaboration.

Join us for a lively discussion around the shifting role of English: how government targets might best impact learning outcomes, how education providers can balance high-quality education and simultaneously champion the individuals and communities in their care, and why plurilingual practices might hold a key to the future of English teaching and learning.

Speakers: Stephen Dobson, Lina Mukhopadhyay and Ianthi Tsimpli

Are we just scratching the surface?

Innovating for fundamental change in schools

The pandemic has brought into focus a renewed desire for change in education, whether that’s a call for a different balance in the curriculum, different approaches to teaching and learning, or more equitable access, wellbeing and inclusion. We’ve come to realise that ‘the ways we currently organize education across the world do not do enough to ensure just and peaceful societies, a healthy planet, and shared progress that benefits all’ (UNESCO 2021). But it’s one thing to innovate at the edges or during crises, and another to shift the educational paradigm.

We know that some schools are doing things differently. What does it take to go beyond scratching the surface and change the organising principles of a school? What is it that allows schools to break away from a previous model of teaching? And how do they ensure quality outcomes within their new paradigm? Join us to explore how two schools ‘of the future’ have forged their own paths forward, and how they hold themselves to account.

UNESCO, 2021, What you need to know about UNESCO’s Futures of Education report

Speakers: Kata Csuba and Dr Jeremy Hannay

What do you mean ‘personalised learning’?

Teachers and schools everywhere match learning to the needs of their students, but in some areas there’s growing frustration with existing models. There’s a feeling that we can do more to help shape teaching and learning to individual needs.  

Edtech has responded with the promise of more efficient and effective learning. Apps and platforms seek to deliver learning at the point of need, tailor learning pathways, cater for preferences, and serve up data and recommendations.  Such tools can support teachers and learners both in and out of the classroom, but what exactly can the technology measure and how does this facilitate or limit student-centred learning? What about development of learning skills, autonomy in learning, or collaborative knowledge building?  And what kind of data or recommendations should we be presenting to teachers and learners? 

In our session we’ll be hearing some different perspectives on personalisation and the value it can bring to learning – not just to the individual on their singular journey, but in terms of what we want education to be like and what we want it to deliver. Vivek Agarwal, CEO and Founder at Liqvid, will be sharing what they’ve learned from 100M data points in their learning platform and Rosina Dorelli, Founder and Director at Da Vinci Life-Skills, will be talking about the future of education and the introduction of a Biophilic Education Movement, which nurtures the whole human ecosystem as an integral part of the local and global ecosystems.

Speakers: Vivek Agarwal and Rosina Dorelli

‘What do you want to be when you grow up? What should we be asking instead?

As we move through the fourth industrial revolution there’s no doubt that we need highly knowledgeable and competent citizens to solve the problems we encounter; from ensuring continuity in the face of disaster to rapid vaccine development to the disposal of orbital clutter. However the future needs people who ‘can not only answer the question, but can formulate the question, frame the question that needs to be addressed’ (McGowan 2021).

What does the relationship between knowledge, skills and mindset look like for individuals who are innovating in their work? What enables them to embrace and create change? And what do they want to do when they ‘grow up’?! Join us for a cross-sector panel discussion with individuals working on solutions to deep-rooted problems in their work… and beyond.

Speakers: Mark Andrews, Letitia Seglah, Katuta Lumpa, Jose F. Otero

Learning, unlearning and relearning

In a 2020, pre-covid, McKinsey Global Survey on future workforce needs, nearly 90% of executives and managers said their organisations either face skill gaps already or expect gaps to develop within the next five years. Although most respondents said their organisations consider it a priority to address skill shortages, few thought their organisations understand how to equip themselves with the workforce skills they will need most. And only one third of respondents said their companies are prepared to cope with the workforce disruptions resulting from technology and market trends.  

Now, thanks to Covid-19, the concept of unlearning and relearning has never been more relevant. As the futurist Alvin Toffler wrote: ‘The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.’ How do companies help their employees develop these skills in order to address the skills gap, so that both the organisation and the employee grow and thrive? How do we ensure that our education systems help people develop the skills they need for life and work from the very start? How can we narrow the gap between school and employers, and reimagine the way that skills development happens in our education systems? 

Speakers: Joysy John and Andrew Geake

Does education need ‘faster horses’?

What can we take out of education? There is a human tendency to add to, or reinforce systems rather than going back to first principles; we add rather than remove. Removing what is important can be counter-intuitive but, like the move to cars, the horses were not the point. The point was getting from A to B. Likewise, in education we need to challenge what we think is important because we might just be trying to build faster horses.

Do we want everyone to have the same baseline knowledge and skills, or can we allow them to capitalise on what they bring or want to follow as individuals? Do we need a school day? Do we need the school year? Do we need classrooms? Do we have to do things in the ways we’ve done them before, or can we try new ways that are not just tweaking the models, but doing ‘radically’ different things?

Speakers: Ralph Tabberer and Maria Cass-Zubiria

How can we create real learning with technology?

Lockdown has shown that, in schools around the world, we are largely witnessing the application of a digital bandage, rather than effective digital learning. Will the situation improve as lockdown continues, or is online education fundamentally years behind where we need it to be?

How can we create meaningful learning with better outcomes for learners and move beyond simply providing tools to teachers? Can we get away from today’s models of learning designed for the ‘classroom’, and delivered by the ‘teacher’?

Speakers: Rae Snape and Sara Davila