A report written by researchers at The University of Queensland Ipswich campus will assist Queensland schools in preparation for the middle years of schooling reforms.
Led by Education (Middle Years of Schooling) Program Director Dr Donna Pendergast, a team from The University of Queensland Ipswich Campus and KPA Consulting prepared the report, entitled Developing Lifelong Learners in the Middle Years of Schooling.
The team visited 25 diverse schools around Australia to investigate the development of lifelong learning through the middle phase.
Dr Pendergast said the report focused on the practices, processes, strategies
and structures that best promoted lifelong learning and the development of “lifelong learners” in the middle years of schooling.
She said middle years reform was a long-term process, typically taking eight to 17 years from initiation to completion.
“This indicates that schooling reform takes much longer than usually expected or normally allowed in reform schedules,” she said.
“However, from the insights we gained, we developed a three-phase model that identifies the sequence of core components most like to lead to successful reform in the shortest possible time.”
The first phase of initiation included school visioning processes, student transitioning procedures, student learning and its connection with the outside world, teacher learning and innovative leadership. The second phase – development – included curriculum changes, pedagogy and assessment systems, school culture change and professional learning communities of teachers. Both phases lasted around three to seven years combined.
The consolidation third phase, which required a further five to 10 years, addressed issues such as learner-focused programs, student engagement in learning and diversity within adolescent needs and capabilities.
Dr Pendergast said the report addressed the broad question of how to ensure engagement with learning of all middle years students and ways to encourage them in a higher order of learning objectives and outcomes both now and throughout life.
Academic staff from The University of Queensland’s School of Education, together with consultants from Educational Priorities Pty Ltd and KPA (Consulting) Australia Pty Ltd, were contracted to undertake this national Project over the period March 2003 to August 2004.
The Project brief was managed by Education Queensland on behalf of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment and Training.
Media: Education (Middle Years of Schooling) Program Director Dr Donna Pendergast on 0419 772 168.
