July 20, 2015
Teacher’s Symposium supporting a culture of life-long learning
Local teachers will hear about the need to address the hidden impacts of disadvantage that underlie social and health inequalities as well as academic outcomes at an upcoming UOW Teacher’s Symposium.
UOW’s In2Uni team is hosting its first Teacher’s Symposium for educators from across the Illawarra and South East Region.
Over three days (21 to 23 July) teachers will hear from leading academics and education experts about the need to address more than academic results as a measure of success for students.
Philip Dent, Chief Executive at The Progression Trust, a UK-based not-for-profit education think tank, will speak about the need for a more sophisticated approach to education that addresses the hidden impacts of disadvantage.
“Those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds face an uphill, cross-country marathon in their education lifecycle,” he said. “Our approach asks educators to think a about a ‘whole person, whole journey’ view of individual's progression.
“Young people progress successfully into thriving adults through a complex mix of learning, social, emotional and other factors, which the current system pays insufficient attention to.
“The reactive or remedial approach to ‘under-performance’ means that the system ends up serving itself rather than the young people that should be its focus. And too often, in our education systems, talented professionals are shoe-horned into narrow roles with short-term goals.”
Mr Dent said that by combining attainment goals with other factors of progression enables practice in the classroom, throughout the school, and in partnership with others in local and wider communities to be transformed for the lifelong benefit of children, young people, and adults, and for the most disadvantaged most of all.
UOW Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Eeva Leinonen said the symposium was an opportunity for local teachers and education academics to learn from each other.
“It’s important that we engage with our communities and particularly our teachers to drive improvement in our education system and the way we support them in guiding the young people in their care.”
For more information and registrations visit: uow.edu.au/in2uni-myway/in2unisymposium. Alternatively, interested schools and teachers can contact Kylie Austin, UOW outreach & Pathways Manager, on +61 4252 8885 or kaustin@uow.edu.au.