Lucy Murray, a fifth year student in Dominican College, Taylor’s Hill recently attended a workshop in Trinity College where the aim was the creation of a Charter for 21st Century Learning. The emphasis was that the education system needed to change to fit the needs of our society but change will not happen if there is no evidence that it is wanted. Lucy has penned this article containing the viewpoint of a student in the educational debate and stressing the need for change.
As a student, I am a firm believer in the ideology that students are the leaders of the future and obliged, following on from this, that they should be nurtured and valued to ensure a successful continuation of our economy and our nation. This has never been more important than in the current economic crisis. What is most needed now is innovative and creative thinking across all areas of society and young people have the greatest ability to provide this.
With this in mind, I attended, with two of my classmates, a conference to provide a Charter for 21st Century Learning. The facilitators of this conference, the Science Gallery at Trinity College, Sean McDougall of Stakeholder Design and O’Kelly Management acknowledged the importance of students in our economy and the need for a complete overhaul of the education system to provide development and space for creativity and innovation that comes so naturally to young people, to create a result based rather than process based system, and to reward students for what they can do rather than penalising their mistakes.
The day started off exploring a fascinating point. As a system, fundamentally, the education system has not changed since the Victorian Age. In the 19th century, the students went to learn skills for employment where following orders implicitly and repeating menial tasks was all that was required of them. An emphasis was put on listening to instructions, learning them, and then regurgitating them at a later date. The purpose of education was to fuel the industrial age and the expansion of the empire.
Moving forward to 2010 and what has changed. The purpose of education is now to create and mould people firstly to save the country from complete financial ruin and then to bring the world forward into a new technological age. The skills needed are adaptability, creativity, world awareness, and initiative. Now, looking at the education system which should provide our nation with these needs, it entails listening to instructions, learning them, and regurgitating them at a later date. Doesn’t that sound familiar?
Thankfully some forward thinking people have already begun taking steps to rectify this ludicrous situation and have decided to let the students themselves, who everyday take part in the system, give ideas and perspectives to the changes that need to be made. It was clearly seen that young people have copious amounts of different, creative ideas that are being lost through the old fashioned education system. And unlike the views of some adults, they really care about the world and can give workable, feasible, intelligent views.
Things like becoming more involved in the community and not being isolated, learning by doing and being able to show your knowledge in practise rather than theory, encompassing extracurricular skills in the end result of secondary school, giving a more rounded education and a more rounded view of students. Not only will these idea be of more benefit to the students themselves as they travel into further education or the workplace but the workplaces and education providers themselves will benefit from more confident, innovative, motivated, well rounded, people.
This charter is being formulated by members of Trinity College, Craig Barrett, Iona founder Chris Horn and the Atlantic Corridor Group, using the manifesto points created by 40 students, myself included, and other educational interest groups. It will be sent to the Department of Education and Skills as well as the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. We hope that our work and ideas on that day are not in vain, not another vague attempt at idea gathering that ultimately sits on a desk unread, and that those in power can see that something definitely needs to change to ensure a brighter future for Ireland
