Charles Fadel is a global education thought leader and expert, futurist and inventor; founder and chairman of the Center for Curriculum Redesign; visiting scholar at Harvard GSE; Chair of the education committee at BIAC/OECD; co-author of best-selling “21^st Century Skills” and recently published “Four-Dimensional Education”; founder and president of the Fondation Helvetica Educatio (Geneva, Switzerland); senior fellow, human capital at The Conference Board; senior fellow at P21.org. He has worked with education systems and institutions in more than thirty countries. He was formerly Global Education Lead at Cisco Systems, visiting scholar at MIT ESG and UPenn CLO, and angel investor with Beacon Angels. He holds a BSEE, an MBA, and five patents.

Full Bio at: http://curriculumredesign.org/about/team/#charles

C21 CEO Academy Members gathered recently for meetings at the University of Calgary.

Clearly you can’t change one part of the education system in isolation.  This is one of the great challenges we face in British Columbia – we have new curriculum, but does the assessment still match?  We have been given greater permission from the provincial government to think differently, but have we fully engaged our community in what the “different” would look like?

While it is true one cannot do everything at once, we all need entry points for transformation. First with school and district leaders in our district, and then with Superintendents from across Canada I have recently worked through trying to rank and prioritize these six system drivers:  Shifting Curriculum, Shifting Pedagogies, Shifting Learning Environments, Shifting Assessment, Shifting Governance, Shifting Citizen and Stakeholder Engagement. (click on the graphic below to enlarge)

The six items come from Shifting Minds 3.0 – Redefining the Learning Landscape in Canada. I have previously written (Here) about the power and importance of having a national conversation around transformation in education.

I realize it is a bit of a false discussion – you can’t do any of these separate from each other.  In part from being influenced by my local and national colleagues, if we started with one – I would start with pedagogies.

At its core, learning is about the relationship between the teacher and students.  We can have the best curriculum, policies or assessment, but first we need the practices.  As our pedagogies change, our assessment will follow.  And new pedagogies and new assessment will beg for new curriculum and these changes force both shifts in policy and engagement.  And finally our learning environments should reflect our practice so as the practices change the learning environments will follow.

What do you think – if you could start with only one – which one would you select?

Our group of Superintendents from across the country is committed to our own learning starting with shifting pedagogies – it will be interesting to see what we can learn from each others successes and challenges from across the country.

Please, click here to view the full Shifting Minds 3.0 – Redefining the Learning Landscape in Canada

In Parkland School Division, Innovation Week is an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful learning experiences, to pursue their own learning interests and to develop the skills and thought processes to become lifelong, passionate learners.  Students take on the role of innovator, taking the lead in their learning, while the teachers facilitate the process by guiding, questioning, encouraging and focusing.  Click to read more.

In creating these types of learning experiences for students and staff, Parkland School Division gives form to the Learning and Technology Policy Framework’s vision of students using technology to create and share knowledge and honours its own vision of being “a place where exploration, creativity and imagination make learning exciting and where all learners aspire to reach their dreams.”

Tim Monds, Superintendent
Parkland School Division

Gordon Dirks was appointed Minister of Education on Sept 15, 2014. His vision for public education in Alberta will ensure that every student has equal access to the highest quality education. Minister Dirks brings a wealth of real world leadership to the role, having served as Chair of the Calgary Board of Education (CBE), and as an educator.
The Minister has had a lifelong commitment to public service as a former public school teacher, principal, university instructor, post-secondary college president and a father. He is a strong advocate for parental choice in schooling.

Click here to listen

The World Economic Forum recently released an insightful report that addresses the global skills gap.  It is clear that education systems need to become more nimbal in meeting the emerging needs of students in the 21st century.

“These gaps are clear signs that too many students are not getting the education they need to prosper in the 21st century and countries are not finding enough of the skilled workers they need to compete.”

— World Economic Forum Report
New Vision for Unlocking the Potential of Technology

We are please to share this report and look to further dialogue with Canadian educaiton stakeholders to further support innovation and change leadership across the various education systems in Canada.

Robert Martellacci,
Co-Founder and Vice-President C21 Canaada

Alberta is in a unique place for many reasons, and to the list that invariably includes economic growth, quality of life and opportunity, you can add education. This will undoubtedly raise more than a few eyebrows, particularly given the ongoing backlash surrounding the provincial math curriculum. But what many likely don’t realize is that Alberta is seen as a leader in Canada when it comes to transforming the K-12 curriculum to ensure students have the right skills and knowledge for the 21st century.

And for the next two years, Alberta, as chair of the Council of Ministers of Education Canada, led by Education Minister Jeff Johnson, is in a position to have a profound impact on the direction of education in this country.

The organization functions as the national voice for education in Canada. It exists because Canada remains one of the few jurisdictions in the world without a federal education ministry. Like securities regulation, education remains the purview of the provinces.

Johnson recently held the last of seven meetings across the country – this one in Calgary – bringing together stakeholders from business, school boards and industry associations to hear about their concerns, needs and gaps that must addressed to ensure students today can participate in the rapidly evolving global economy.

John Kershaw, president of C21 Canada and former deputy education minister for New Brunswick, said Alberta’s Inspiring Education initiative, which includes redesigning curricula, leveraging technology and reviewing actual teaching competencies, is a bold new approach to changing the education system.

“What’s unique about minister Johnson is he assumes the chair at a time when Alberta is leading the country on the 21st Century learning movement … at a time when the idea that this is a good direction to go is being more accepted by other organizations and other provinces,” said Kershaw.

Canada, with other countries, is involved in an international skills race to prepare students for the jobs of today while equipping them to create the jobs of the future.

Read more.

Karen Yamada from Winnipeg MB was recently awarded  C21 Canada’s Ambassador Medallion for her work and commitment nationally to 21st century learning and innovation. This Medallion was presented on C21 Canada’s behalf by Gerald Farthing, Deputy Minister of Education and Advanced Learning, MB.

Karen joins C21 Canada’s 2 other Ambassadors:  Hon. Paul Martin and John Abele, Boston Scientific.