Practical Learning
Are we preparing for the real world?
There are some features of our education system that we have taken for granted for so long that we don’t question them. Yet the fact that more than half of all pupils fail to achieve five grade A* to C GCSEs including English and maths should give us pause for thought.
In these pages creativity guru Sir Ken Robinson (page 4) challenges governments to think about the impact of a measuring culture in which the content of learning is driven by a narrow range of knowledge and academic abilities, rather then an understanding of what competences young people will need to succeed in the world, creativity being one of them.
Employers like Colin Birchall (page 6) can testify that many pupils who fail at exams are cast adrift needlessly, given that they are still capable of doing a decent job. So perhaps a more balanced way of appraising individuals is needed, enabling those who don’t shine in academic subjects, but do develop qualities such as team-working and initiative, to have a recognised e-portfolio of achievements as well as qualifications to show to prospective employers.
