IDEAS forum addresses challenges of teaching

International delegates and education professionals from across Australia gathered recently to discuss the challenges of teaching in the 21st century during a national education forum on the Gold Coast.

The IDEAS (Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievements in Schools) Forum focused on the work of the USQ Leadership Research Group.

USQ Faculty of Education Associate Professor Dorothy Andrews said the theme of the third IDEAS National Learning Forum was 'Schools on the Move: Exploring and celebrating teacher professionalism through leadership and pedagogy'.

'The conference presenters were teachers and education leader from IDEAS schools in Western Australia, Victoria, Sydney, Canberra, Queensland and Singapore,' Associate Professor Andrews said.

'The new Capacity Building model, which derived from the LRI’s Victorian Research Project, was introduced. This was followed by school presentations and workshops on Exploring Leadership and Exploring Pedagogy.'

Emmanuel College provided entertainment with a physical theatre performance entitled The Seed, which embraced the forum themes of creativity, connectivity and complexity.

Keynote speaker Mark Treadwell, a highly-experienced educational consultant and former travelling scholar for the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL), challenged the educators to think about the exponential challenges and changes that lie ahead for 21st century education.

Associate Professor Andrews said the forum was designed to be a celebration of the work of teachers in IDEAS schools.

'Delegates heard from and interacted with teachers who have a wide range of experiences of school revitalisation,' she said. ‘It was a great opportunity for teachers to be able to meet, share understandings and celebrate their school’s achievements in a collegial environment’.

The Expert IDEAS School Network was also launched during the event.

Currently, the Leadership Research Group is engaged in collating and synthesising data from the work of teachers at the forum to inform their research into some new images of 21st century ‘teacher professionalism’. The group is also currently co-authoring a book with Frank Crowther for American publishing firm Sage Corwin, which will feature the work on the new Capacity Building Model and Teacher Leadership, as well as finalising another publication on the Capacity Building Model for an ACEL (Australian Council of Educational Leaders) Monograph.