Education and Lifelong Learning

Global Access Partners’ 10th Annual Economic Summit, held on 19-20 September 2019 at NSW Parliament House, discussed the challenges of retraining people as skills requirements change, and the impact of technology on the future workforce.
Over 100 influential attendees from business, academia and government came to ‘Beyond Education: Lifelong Learning for Australia’s Future’ to debate the best ways to prepare new generations of Australians for the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of the future.
They agreed that technological innovations in the world of work will demand new skills from employees, and that education at every level from primary and high school to university, vocational education and career development will have to evolve to remain fit for purpose.
Open Forum regularly features articles on education, training and learning. This selection of posts from recent months discusses many of the issues which summit attendees considered.
We welcome new articles for publication. Please contact the editor to promote the issues of importance to you or contribute to our new journal on complex problem solving.
The Gap Summit
GAP’s 10th summit calls for lifelong education
Policy and Performance
Australia’s education system is stagnating at best, heading backwards at worst
Improving education in country schools could add $56B to GDP
Measuring student progress: A state-by-state report card
Improving Outcomes
Good teaching relationships boost exam results
7 habits of successful high school students
There’s still a place for ‘explicit instruction’ in schools
What does a great teacher look like?
Being in nature is good for learning, here’s how to get kids off screens and outside
Hitting the right targets in the final year of school
Choosing the right school for your child
Physical activity at school helps the mind as well as the body
Subject Delivery
Communication is the key to better language education
Three good reasons to stick with maths
Should more Aussie kids study Mandarin?
Rediscovering English grammar for a new generation
Australia needs better maths education
Why it is (almost) impossible to teach creativity
5 ways to seed STEM skills in young children
Phonics training in preschool fast tracks reading skills
How to help your child love playing music
Lab coats help students see themselves as future scientists
Educational Issues
When does getting help on an assignment turn into cheating?
Should mobile phones be banned in schools?
The fight to stamp out student cheating
Aussie parents are under pressure to buy their kids academic advantage too
The problem with staffing rural schools
Schools need smart windows more than air conditioning
Strengthening Relationships
Interaction therapy can help disruptive kids in school
Helping impatient students stay in school
Parents and teachers need to get along
Why we should consider paying children to learn
Is your child lonely at school?
The importance of feeling connected at school
Post-School Training
How lifelong learning helps workers adapt to workplace change.
School-leavers need better career education to make good choices
The value of understanding school to work transitions
Narrow VET training sells students short
Education is more than a job ticket
The future of vocational training
Australian post-school education in the age of Trump
Will Australia support a shift to life-long learning?
Universities
The challenge of the contemporary university
Three ways for universities to outwit disruption
5 tips for success in your first year at university
Why regional universities are at risk of going under
How can universities stop ‘contract cheating’?
University panel ponders the use of student data
Understanding university drop-out rates
Universities return $66 billion to the Australian public, new research claims
How Australia got so many law schools
Higher education reforms are all about savings and not possibilities
International Students and Influence
Australia should retain more international students
International students could soon outnumber domestic students at Melbourne University
Does China herald a grim future for technology in schools?
International students are good for Australia
International education is vital to Australia’s Indo-Pacific relationships
Education in the spotlight on International Women’s Day

Open Forum is a policy discussion website produced by Global Access Partners – Australia’s Institute for Active Policy. We welcome contributions and invite you to submit a blog to the editor and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Mastadon.