Teaching for uncertain futures - Neville Freeman Agency

45LEARNING FROM THE FUTUREWe shouldgear educationaround tasksof preparingyoung peopleto be competentand confidentand preparedto meet therequirementsof their time.They need to beself-actualisingpeople ratherthan passiveconsumers.Thought LeaderJames A Knustlerauthor of The Long EmergencyCommunity engagementMaking connections with parents and the broadercommunity and engaging them in the work of theschool will be increasingly important in worlds thatare highly fragmented along socio-economic lines.Whatever futures eventuate, community engagementis a vital dimension of successful teaching. The notionof the school as the hub of a community is howeveraccentuated in worlds where other communityinstitutions are disintegrating, at least for some parts ofthe populace.Building the trust and partnerships essential foreffective learning requires teachers to know andunderstand their students and families.In some futures, schools will have a wider sphere ofinfluence and will need to be more active andinnovative in contributing to community building.Communication will be a major challenge. Traditionalapproaches to engaging parents are less likely to beeffective. New approaches will be needed, drawingon the potential of new communication processesincluding social networking. Communication in allfutures will need to be more responsive to particularparent and community needs, using various avenuesand styles of communication and taking account of themany competing demands for attention.While different futures have different implicationsfor the way that community-school partnerships areorganised, making connections with parents andagencies within the broader community will continueto be a priority for teachers and principals in whateverworld eventuates.