Teaching for uncertain futures - Neville Freeman Agency

1INTRODUCTIONIntroductionAs a new body established in 2005 toadvance the standing of the teaching profession inAustralia and support the quality of teaching andschool leadership, Teaching Australia initiated ascenario building project as an early activity, toexplore the future of teaching and school leadership.The purpose was to draw on the knowledge andexpertise of practising teachers and principals toreflect on the dimensions of good teaching, to explorepossible changes in the teaching environment andto draw out the consequences of these changes forprofessional practice in schools.This has been both an exciting and challengingexercise. Since April 2006, 55 committed andinsightful teachers and principals from acrossAustralia have come together to construct alternativescenarios and consider the implications of these fortheir everyday work, both in the present and in theshort-term future. Supported by the Neville FreemanAgency and with contributions from their own schoolcommunities, interested educationists, leadingthinkers and writers, school students, parents andmany others in the broader community, the scenariobuilders brought their creativity and professionalknowledge to illuminate issues that are vital andrelevant to teaching in Australia, sharing their viewson how to make education more relevant to an everchangingfuture and still be engaging and effectivefor students.Teaching Australia hopes that the Open BookScenarios: teaching for uncertain futures projectdescribed in this book will provide a platform forschool communities, teachers and principals toengage with scenario building at a local level – to stepback from the everyday, explore the forces for changein their own school, challenge their own world view,gain a greater understanding of the teachingenvironment and find ways to influence and shape theprofessional agenda. Scenario building can be used toinitiate conversations around the purposes ofeducation, about what teachers need to do to helpstudents prepare for their future that takes intoaccount the impact of social change on young peopleand schools.Taking the longer-term view is not an indulgencebut a necessity. It provides the context andunderstanding for developing practical and moreknowledgeable strategies for the present. It is a way ofdealing with the complexity of teaching, expandingthe lens through which teaching is viewed. It is anopportunity to shift discussion about schooling froma narrow focus on skills and specific areas ofknowledge to the broad range of needs for the future,to shift the focus of debate from problems toopportunities and to examine current practice interms of future needs.