Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers

The extraordinary Oak National Academy was created by a group of teachers in response to the pandemic. What does an Oak National University look like?

That’s the sort of exam question we should be asking this year. With a national spotlight on education, too much of the conversation has been about adjusting what is, rather than imagining what could be.

It isn’t just universities which need a rethink. If we scored today’s primary and secondary systems on their ability to foster creativity, teamwork, wellbeing, resilience, problem-solving and social skills, how confident are you that they would score an A?

Or how would you explain to an alien visitor that after 13 years of learning, we give our students a “passport” which contains, on average, just three letters?

In the wake of schools being “closed”, we should be asking how can we now make them more “open” than ever before. Open to ideas, mentors and opportunities from every country, industry and sector in the world.

As we focus on the detail and accuracy of grades, the next piece of paper to capture our imaginations should be blank.

To put it another way; if the “result” is a generation of happy young people, well prepared to make their way in the world… what is the question?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *