LITERACY SAMPLE QUESTIONS 1 TO 6
Questions 1 to 6 relate to the passage Change in Schools.
CHANGE IN SCHOOLS
This text is taken from the introduction to Dancing on a Shifting Carpet: Reinventing traditional schooling for the 21st century (2010). The contemporary context for schools is often referred to as ‘the knowledge era’ or ‘the knowledge society’, characterised by the constant creation and recreation of knowledge; the speed, complexity and interactivity of innovation; and the need for openness to new learning and new ways of thinking about and doing things. The level of change brought about by the knowledge era, and the pressures of other global and technological changes mentioned earlier, inevitably have an impact on schools. These pressures originate from both external and internal sources. There are external pressures on schools to fix the many social problems caused by rapid
change, and to prepare students to live and work in the knowledge society. There are also internal pressures within schools because their clientele – students and families – have changing expectations and needs. Within the wider external context, schools are seen as instruments of social change and are frequently expected to cure or avert many societal ills by, for example, providing sex and drug education; increasing students’ environmental awareness; educating young people in matters of health and engaging them in physical and emotional activities to improve their wellbeing and reduce obesity; and enhancing students’ commitment to social justice. Within schools, the formal academic curriculum has been expanded to meet the social and psychological needs of students. In increasingly fragmented societies, schools are expected to be havens of peace, safety and stability, while still meeting the academic standards set by governments and the social and psychological expectations of families and communities. Teachers and other school leaders are expected to be constantly available and responsive to parents and their concerns, and schools are often held accountable for matters occurring outside regular school hours, which were traditionally the domain of parents and families. When mistakes happen at school, there is a tendency for parents to blame teachers and other school personnel, and to seek legal redress. All these factors have numerous implications for schools, not the least of which is that they need to change their forms of educational delivery to meet the needs of, and be relevant to, 21st century young people. Back in the late 1980s, Papert and Freire (n.d.) clearly foresaw the need for schools to change rapidly, even radically, if they were to remain vital to society:
... it is inconceivable that school as we’ve known it will continue. Inconceivable. And the reason why it’s inconceivable is that little glimmer with my grandson who is used to finding knowledge when he wants to and can get it when he needs it, and can get in touch with other people and teachers, not because they are appointed by the state, but because he can contact them in some network somewhere. These children will not sit quietly in school and listen to a teacher give them pre digested knowledge. I think that they will revolt. (Part 2)
The revolt may not have happened as yet, but the Australian Government is now talking about the need for a revolution in education and schools (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2008). The core of this ‘revolution’ focuses on the quality of teaching, the quality of learning and the quality of student outcomes. Conventional teaching and learning modalities are under widespread critique.
Literacy Sample Question 1
The changes in schools recommended in the text can best be summarized as
