ETAG home | the clusters document | the blue cluster | the green cluster | the yellow cluster | a wild card cluster
Technology is changing teaching and learning, and of course technology itself is evolving and progressing rapidly. As a group we have been tasked with seeking ways to enable innovation, empowering teachers and learners as we do so, taking advantage of the new smart technologies to deepen and accelerate learning enjoyably. In doing so we have also been asked to identify the inadvertent barriers that past government policy might have erected and have been reminded, repeatedly, by ministers to ensure that what emerges is fun for everyone involved too.
You'll find more about this brief here. This isn't just about making existing teaching and learning better - it is of course also about real transformation, new approaches enabled by new technologies.
As a starting point we have sought to be very clear about what we already know the future to be. Of course, there will be surprises along the way, but in shaping policies - and these will range from suggestions for teachers and learners in universities, the workplace, colleges and schools, through ideas for their institutions, to national policies. We want everyone to have a role and responsibility for moving forwards. That will also of course include learners themselves - keeping the learners central in this process, in universities, schools, colleges, work and adult education is important, of course.
If we are all agreed where we are heading, then suggesting policies that are at least heading for that agreed horizon is cost effective and efficient. Many routes to that horizon are possible, indeed desirable, but it opens the possibility that we might get there a little quicker, perhaps a lot quicker by heading in an common direction.
This "agreed futures" (see diagram below and accompanying document) is relatively uncontroversial. It is in line which much already written by very many. Our diagram helpfully clusters items, but of course the links between the clusters too, are complex. You can navigate from the headings on this graphic as well as the index at the top of this page.
The ETAG seeks contributions under each cluster - and the document indicates how you might contribute thoughts and ideas. Please do contribute: simple pragmatic "it would help a lot if" views, through to more complex contributions are all welcome, but please follow the guidelines under each cluster so that the cluster teams, who are all giving their time freely, can efficiently consider your suggestions alongside their own. The cluster teams may also be inviting contributions directly from individuals and groups.
Remember the point here is not the horizon scanning - these are largely uncontroversial visions - the task here is evolve policies, that are heading in the right direction, are affordable, achievable and realistic, but at the same time brave and ambitious (our remit), and that might get English education to a likely 2025 but by perhaps 2020. Disruptive and radical thoughts are welcome.
We also need your input on specific past policies which have stood in the way of that progress towards 2025
Our discussions have already populated these cluster areas (colour coded above) with ideas and discussion; our cluster Chairs will summarise these debates for you, but for now we would prefer that you began your thoughts without that input.
The short version is: if this is what is going to happen, can we take advantage of that and use it to guide our policies at all levels?
ETAG home | the clusters document | the blue cluster | the green cluster | the yellow cluster | a wild card cluster
this page created by Stephen Heppell on Wednesday, February 6, 2014 2:37 AM and last updated Tuesday, April 8, 2014 8:20 PM
