VICTORIA – For British Columbia to remain a leading jurisdiction on the international stage, our education system must be innovative and flexible to respond to the unique needs of students in a rapidly changing world.

This will be the primary theme behind the ‘BC Focus on Learning: Rising to the Global Challenge’ forum at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue on Jan. 29. Leading the conversation will be a number of respected international experts in education transformation:

• Tony MacKay
• Yong Zhao
• Stuart Shanker
• David Albury
• Andreas Schleicher

These experts will engage influential education, economic and business stakeholders – including teachers and school administrators − to highlight B.C.’s international leadership in education transformation. The forum will focus on learning transformation efforts to date, as well as the science and data supporting B.C.’s efforts to remain among the very best in the world.

Education Minister Peter Fassbender will also announce B.C.’s Innovation Strategy. Through this strategy, schools will be encouraged to put education transformation into action by working with other schools and post-secondary researchers to gather evidence that shows actions are improving student success.

The forum will lay the foundation for a series of regional tours Fassbender will lead to continue the education transformation discussion at the local level. These tours will be an opportunity to highlight work already underway in specific schools and engage local leaders inside and outside the education sector. Tour stops will be announced in the coming weeks.

Quotes:

Peter Fassbender, Minister of Education –

“It’s clear we have a world-class education system, but it’s also clear the world our students are growing up in is vastly different than that of their parents and grandparents. Our challenge is to prepare our young people for careers and industries that haven’t even been dreamed yet.

“We’ve done some great work so far through our BC Education Plan and Skills for Jobs Blueprint, but we can’t be complacent. I encourage all those attending to come with questions, come with an open mind and come with the desire to make our education system the best it can be.”  

Learn More:

BC Education Plan: http://www.bcedplan.ca/

BC Skills for Jobs Blueprint:
http://www.bcjobsplan.ca/getskills/wp-content/uploads/BCs_Skills_for_jobs_blueprint.pdf

A backgrounder follows.

Tony MacKay
Senior advisor, National Institute for School Leadership with the National Centre for Education and the Economy (Washington, D.C.); CEO, Centre for Strategic Education (Melbourne, Australia).

MacKay will be the day’s facilitator. He will provide an overview of the day, response and opening comments after each presenter. He will also facilitate a discussion on how B.C. needs to transform.

Yong Zhao
Presidential chair and director of the Institute for Global and Online Education and Professor in the department of educational measurement, policy, and leadership, University of Oregon.

Stuart Shanker
Distinguished research professor of philosophy and psychology at York University and director of the Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative at York University.

Presentation: The Science of How We Learn

David Albury
Director, Global Educational Leadership Program and former education and public-sector innovation advisor to the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit (U.K.).

Presentation: How to Transform a System

Andreas Schleicher
Director for Education and Skills, and special advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Presentation (by video feed): What the Global Data Says About What Really Matters in Education