In WhichSchool? New South Wales 2017 Deb Magill, Principal at Roseville College, discussed how to prepare students for adulthood based on the school’s successful educational strategy. Here are just a few of Ms Magill’s tips:
LIFE’S TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
Students will need to develop executive functioning and enterprise skills from a young age, alongside curricular and knowledge-based outcomes, to prepare them for success in their future lives and careers. In 2016, the Foundation for Young Australians presented “The New Basics”. In brief, the report highlighted the pre-eminence of transferable skills, such as problem solving, creativity, teamwork, financial and digital literacy, presentation skills and effective communication, and critical thinking, in employability and remuneration for workers of the future. The learning of these skills is no longer considered an option for the students of Roseville College. They are, as the report suggests, our new ‘basics’.
PERSONALISED LEARNING
Thirdly, there is continued, growing evidence in favour of customised education that better prepares specific groups or individuals to overcome potential future challenges, take advantage of opportunities and get the best learning outcomes possible. Girls’ only education is a fine example; we know Australian statistics still show women have work to do to achieve greater workplace equity. Australia’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency and other influential bodies report that Australia’s gender pay gap has remained at for more than 20 years, the average women’s salary is 17.3 per cent less than her male counterpart, that women still lag behind in executive leadership roles by ve to one, and of ASX 200 companies only 23.4 per cent have female directors.
By modelling entrepreneurial and leadership opportunities and providing learning pathways in non-traditional STEM fields, girls’ only schools reinforce the expectation that girls can (and will) be excellent leaders and that girls, too, can (and will) thrive in traditional ‘male’ learning domains. Customised learning promises to advance the outcomes of specific groups for the broader benefit of society as a whole. It promises win-win.
ENDURING VALUE OF COMMUNITY
A steadfast, committed school community ideally reinforces the security and belonging of a child’s family life. Such a school community should provide children with a wider safety-net environment where they can grow, discover, make mistakes, recover… and thrive. Later in life, when facing change or uncertainty, a woman’s enduring communities (such as friends from school, church congregations and family networks) are the ones that will most likely ground and uphold her.
Being part of consistent communities has lots of benefits for young people including developing both transferrable skills (like communication and listening, resilience and perseverance) and interpersonal skills (like negotiation, congeniality and amiability, seeking expertise and sharing skills, problem solving, practising empathy, and working together).
As students graduate from school and enter the workplace, the added benefits of Old Girls’ connections, industry links and mentorships can advance and guide a woman’s career progression and workplace decision making.
The truth remains that we simply cannot anticipate the world in which our children will dwell as adults. However, as we nurture and develop our children’s inner qualities and capabilities, while building their knowledge and learning, we can, in fact, future-ready our children for whatever tomorrow holds.
Ms Deb Magill BEd MECh MACE MACEL, has more than 20 years of experience as an educator and education leader, and is Roseville College’s 10th Principal.