Smart Queensland Smart State Strategy 2005–2015
New world – new learning: education to equip people with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to succeed in an innovative society
‘Formal education will become integrated from the very early Primary years, through Secondary and Post-Secondary education and the scientific method will be a core feature of all education, to provide for problem-solving, stimulation of curiosity and creativity, balanced decision-making and involved citizenship.’ (Submission to Queensland’s future – building on the Smart State from Dr Joseph Baker, Chief Scientific Advisor, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries)
The world is changing rapidly: our work and daily life require skills not even imagined just a few decades ago. This rate of change is likely to continue in coming decades. In an innovative society, people will have several changes of career; they will no longer be exclusively tied to a single employer or industry. They will enjoy the benefits of new skills and capabilities through education. They will be avid life-long learners, returning to education – formal and informal – for their entire life.
In 2001, an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) survey concluded that ‘high levels of education and literacy are the key principal components demanded in the knowledge economy.’1
Our investment in education is therefore wide-reaching. Queensland’s education system is being rebuilt from the ground up, across the early, middle and senior phases of learning as part of the Government’s Education and Training Reforms for the Future initiative that started in 2002. With the achievement of each milestone, our education and training system is being reshaped to cater for students’ individual needs, provide more diverse and flexible learning pathways, inspire academic achievement, and equip students for the world of work. Smart Queensland will build upon the gains made by Education and Training Reforms for the Future.
Our children will continue to receive a firm grounding in the basics of reading, writing and mathematics, starting in the new Preparatory Year. They will also be equipped with new skills for the information age. We will continue to update school syllabuses so that our students can succeed in an ever-changing world. We will upgrade information and communication technology in schools. Our students will not only learn the practical skills to use the new technologies, but they will also develop the conceptual skills to manage the vast, ever-expanding stores of information made available through these technologies. Our best students will be encouraged to become leaders in their chosen fields. Our dedicated teachers will be supported in rising to this challenge.
We also need to raise the profile of enterprise education. In a world where many traditional jobs are disappearing, we need to encourage all people, but particularly young people, to see themselves as future entrepreneurs and wealth creators. Networks between industry and the education system must be developed so that our education system responds to the requirements of an ever-changing business world.
The Queensland Government will introduce a Smarter Learning framework, develop Smart Classrooms, and establish Smart Academies:
- Smarter Learning – a new Queensland Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Framework will be introduced, setting new standards to define what is studied in Queensland schools, and how it is assessed and reported. This smarter learning approach will define the essentials of learning and set standards of achievement for students across the state from the Preparatory Year to Year 10.
For the first time in Queensland, a consistent approach to assessing and reporting what students can do, and how well they can do it, will be established across all schools in Queensland from Ascot to Aurukun.
The new approach will produce common assessment against the defined standards, including testing at three key points in the Preparatory to Year 10 years.
The new framework will be developed through collaboration between the State, Catholic and Independent education sectors and administered by the Queensland Studies Authority.
A sharp focus on the fundamentals in the core subjects studied in Queensland schools will give students deeper knowledge in these areas. Schools will be able to provide complementary education programs to meet local needs.
For parents, this will mean easy-to-read reports that show how well their children are performing compared with others and with what is expected at their year level. At present, it can be difficult for parents to clearly understand their children’s level of achievement.
For students, there will be more in-depth learning to help them gain the knowledge, skills, attributes and values necessary for their future.
For schools, there will be greater clarity about what must be taught and how it is assessed and reported, and better feedback about students’ performance.
For teachers, there will be a clearer curriculum that has stronger and more explicit connections to teaching, assessing and reporting on student achievement and progress. - By 2007, the Queensland Government will convert Queensland’s 1300 state schools to Smart Classrooms, allowing teachers, students and their parents to access their class work and learning materials anywhere, anytime, well beyond the traditional school ground.
Schools will have improved capacity to provide opportunities for parents to view their child’s work, progress and achievements when they choose and communicate electronically with the school about issues such as absences, advice or learning. More teachers will be able to access teaching resources, academic results, enrolments and attendance information electronically.
Laptops or personal computers will be provided to 1500 teachers in 2006 in a trial to improve learning and communication through technology. This significant trial will assess ways of helping teachers deliver better learning outcomes and equip them to meet students’ and parents’ expectations of schools in the information age.
As well as improving teacher skills, the laptops and personal computers will provide easy and mobile access to teaching tools such as curriculum resources, assessment records, student attendance and achievement records. It will also further encourage the electronic interaction between parents, teachers and students. This will provide classroom teachers with the same opportunity to access information and communication technology (ICT) ‘tools of trade’ that are readily available and accepted by knowledge workers in other industry sectors.
The Government will also provide an enhanced help desk for technical support for teachers and students as well as significantly increased training for teachers in the application of ICT in learning and teaching. - Senior students who excel in science, maths or the creative arts will be able to attend two new Queensland Smart Academies to harness and advance their academic abilities.
The academies of excellence are being established by the Queensland Government, in partnership with Queensland universities and major cultural organisations, to nurture excellence among our best students.
One of the academies will focus on science, maths and technology, while the other will be dedicated to excellence in the creative arts. Up to 450 students will be selected on merit for each academy to pursue opportunities to work with industry, teaching and university staff to further develop their capacity in maths, science, technology, or in creative arts.
The academies will allow senior students (Years 10, 11 and 12) who are high achievers in science, mathematics, technology or the arts to complete a senior certificate, fast track studies, undertake university subjects, or work with industry to combine career-based and university-level studies. The academies will start in 2007 with Years 10 and 11 students. Year 12 students will be enrolled from 2008.
Existing close working relationships with industry partners such as Boeing, Comalco, Riviera Marine, BHP and other major mining companies, and arts organisations including the Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland Ballet, Queensland Orchestra, Queensland Theatre Company and Opera Queensland, will be built on.
Non-government schools will also benefit from increased government funding for ICT in schools.