It is my pleasure and privilege to introduce the second guest blogger on my blog. Gavin is a dear colleague in Education Impact, and we have collaborated in several contexts and initiatives in later years. We enjoy a sense of good humour and shared beliefs.
You will find Gavin´s bio here.
CERTAINTY
1 Here’s a question: What’s the opposite of certainty?
For sure we are in challenging an uncertain times. If it wasn’t enough that World Bank Economist Jean Francois Rischard identified 20 Global Issues and 20 Years to solve them, he did so in his book High Noon published in 2002. So it seems we have a little more than 10 years left, and perhaps that time pressure increased uncertainty. Backed by economics and research, I believe Rischard’s right on most counts. His global issues include global warming, water depletion, deforestation, education for all and digital divide, to name a few.
2 Here’s another question:
Where might the answers to these global challenges lie?
I recall a speech by Baroness Estelle Morris, former Secretary of State for Education. It was perhaps 5 years ago, and she talked about her hopes for education and the skills we should instil in young people. She explored our global interdependency, recognising that global challenges know no national boundaries. Interdependency points to our duty of developing through education, our skills of working together, our mutual care and respect so that we can address the complex problems we, and the rest of the world face.
3 An answer to question 2?
Perhaps this is more about with whom the answers to global challenges might lie but Taking it Global professes to engage the energy, idealism and technical expertise of young people across the world to address the world’s problems. Is this just another opportunity to discuss what should be done?
Look at http://dfa.tigweb.org/ and judge for yourself. Summarising, and quoting liberally from the website, “the global DeforestAction project has been designed by young people across the planet with support from TakingITGlobal, Microsoft, Orangutan Outreach and others”.
Components include:
- Buying and rebuilding a rainforest in Borneo – you can buy and view a small piece that will be protected for 100 years.
- Using online maps and satellite data students can join together, watch over and help conserve rainforests.
- Sending a team of lucky student applicants (being selected now) to work with Orangutan Outreach to help rescue and care Orangutan, and share their experiences with others around the world on-line
These examples give but a flavour of what is being achieved.
4 An answer to question 1?
It troubles me to hear the certainty with which some political decisions are made about education and what is needed. Compliance seems too often to be the foremost condition required of our students. Perhaps, if we listened some more, recognised student energy, idealism and technical expertise; and if we had greater trust and faith in our students to tackle small and large complex problems, then we might achieve more. To do that requires a different teacher-learner relationship, but more of that later perhaps.
For now – the answer my father gave me when we talked of the opposite of certainty was….faith. Interpret that as you will, but I’m inclined to believe him.
REFERENCES
Reference 1: J-F Rischard’s High Noon – see http://www.amazon.com/High-Noon-Twenty-Global-Problems/dp/0465070094
Rischard’s 20 Global Challenges are:
- global warming
- bio-diversity and ecosystem issues
- fisheries depletion
- deforestation
- water deficits
- maritime safety and pollution
- fight against poverty
- peace keeping, conflict prevention and combating terrorism
- education for all
- global infectious diseases
- digital divide
- natural disaster prevention and mitigation
- reinventing taxation for the 21st Century
- biotechnology rules
- international labour and migration rules
2 Reference 2: Baroness Estelle Morris was previously Secretary of State for Education – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estelle_Morris for further details.