A global education

Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, is widely expected to announce before Christmas that he is stepping down as an MP at the May general election..

 

On the Newsnet website there was a lively debate about Scottish education and one commentator in particular went on the defensive to enthuse about Curriculum for Excellence:

"CfE is in its infancy but is a highly evolved and systemically coherent education package which encourages metacognition of learning: what we are learning, how we are learning, why we are learning, how this learning in terms of skills and knowledge relates to previous learning and real situations, and how can we use this; cooperative learning; skills-based over knowledge (but skills to access the knowledge, analyse, evaluate and make use of); higher order skills in terms of creativity and working in a group, while remaining pupil centred in terms of support and individual needs; all the learning and achievement is not academic nor classroom based."

CfE is still in its infancy but is highly evolved ? Apart from a wee bit of critical thinking required for that one - this is a concise summary of everything CfE has to offer. If it appears an airy fairy jumble, that is what the curriculum is, with an unnatural focus on the `learning self`, rather than knowledge for `its own sake` and a pretension that higher order skills will emerge from the naval gazing on learning.

Hand in Hand with this is GIRFEC the education component of which, in tandem with the HWB Subject area of the CfE ensures the drive is for every child to be safe, healthy, active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible and involved.

Not involved, but included but seven out of eight of the GIRFEC  wellbeing indicators is not bad for someone who is able to rhyme this rubbish off parrot fashion. In tandem with the health and wellbeing (HWB) subject area (safe sex from age five) there is GIRFEC profiling and databasing. So that is the systemically coherent education package and the sooner we are rid of it the better.

So what does Gordon Brown think of Curriculum for Excellence? Probably not much. "The former Labour leader called for an end to Scotland's centuries old education system and for common UK exams and qualifications. Mr Brown claimed most young Scots didn't want to be educated in an exclusively Scottish education system but instead wanted it integrated into one which was UK wide."

http://www.newsnetscotland.scot/index.php/scottish-news/9337-gordon-brown-calls-for-end-to-scotlands-distinct-education-system

Of course, Gordon Brown did not say which particular exam and qualification system he had in mind. There is more than one in England. It looks like he opened his mouth without really giving it much thought.  Being the UN Special Envoy for Global Education perhaps he had loftier ideas on his mind.

Gordon and Sarah are working with corporate leaders who are committed to delivering on the promise of a quality education for the world’s children to form a global coalition of business leaders for education.

By 2030, the global workforce of 3.5 billion will include an estimated one billion workers who lack a secondary education, significantly hindering their countries’ economic prospects. As a result, without urgent action, businesses are likely to face a huge skills shortage, especially in emerging markets and developing countries, where most economic activity will be concentrated.

We have been warned.

http://gordonandsarahbrown.com/2012/03/education-for-all/