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In a previous post, I mentioned our new Federal Government’s plan for an “Education Revolution”, which (among other things) made promises of increased technology hardware for school students and improved broadband Internet speeds across the country.

In fact, I remember finishing that post with “Of course, I could offer several far more revolutionary suggestions for education if the new government would like to hear them…”

Seems like Greg Whitby is thinking along the same lines I am on this matter.

He suggests in his post Revolution of the Mind that more hardware doesn’t go anywhere near far enough, and he’s right.  The government’s quoted desire for this “education revolution” is “to keep Australia prosperous beyond the mining boom.”  Fine.  Understand completely.  But how exactly will Australia remain prosperous beyond the mining boom?  Is it in skilling up Australian children in other trades?  Is it in simply ensuring that children can read, write, add and subtract?  Or is it in ensuring that today’s children have the skills and abilities to effectively respond to challenge and change so that they may remain constantly ready to work within occupations we haven’t even imagined yet?

What is the precise learning outcome that this revolution seeks to achieve?  Do we want to put computers in the hands of four grades of secondary students simply because we think it needs to be done?  What good will it do?  If we can answer that question, then we might be on track to making a difference.

Asking this question might also begin to see the ball rolling on a whole part of the education revolution that the government policy doesn’t seem to address.  Good educators already know that the hardware in itself doesn’t change learning, and doesn’t make a difference to learning results.  Australia’s schools need a revolution; one that begins in the minds and hearts of every teacher; one that is driven by a desire to see every student do their very best; one that challenges the students just as much as it challenges the system that governs their education.

Then, on top of that, all levels of educational leadership in this country, from the school level to federal government, need to provide the support to make this revolution happen.  For mine, the most important resource is not money, but rather the community’s faith in its professional educators to do their job well.