1.+Symposium+Summary



= = On Friday 30 October 2009, a cross section of key DEECD central and regional office staff, school principals, teachers and students, representatives from statutory bodies, professional associations, corporations, universities and the not-for-profit sector, met at the Hilton on the Park hotel in Melbourne to discuss and reinforce the rationale for international education in schools and shape future directions for the international education agenda.
 * International Education Symposium summary **

The event also highlighted the connections between research, policy and international education practice. The Symposium began with a panel discussion between Tony Mackay (Executive Director, Centre for Strategic Education) and Professor Peter Dawkins (Secretary, DEECD) and Chris Wardlaw (Deputy Secretary, Office for Policy, Research and Innovation, DEECD) who reinforced the imperative of an international education and provided a policy context to the international agenda.

The policy context identified includes two key elements – the Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development and the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Links to these documents are available on the ‘Resources’ page.

The Blueprint identifies that equipping all young people with the skills and capabilities they will need for economic, social and cultural success in the 21st century is a high priority. The Blueprint’s vision also reflects the importance of young Victorians making effective contributions to their local and global communities.

This view is reinforced in the Melbourne Declaration. Among the educational goals it lists for young Australians is the commitment to developing successful learners, confident individuals, and responsible global and local citizens able to relate and communicate across cultures, especially those of the Asia–Pacific region.

The Symposium then featured a keynote presentation by Kathe Kirby (Executive Director, Asia Education Foundation) about the need for children to be ‘global’ as well as ‘local’ citizens who are ‘Asia literate’, and the challenges involved.

The Centre for Strategic Education research team presented the outcomes of their research into international education activity in schools. Staff and students from three Victorian primary and secondary schools (Serpell Primary School, Warrnambool College and Ivanhoe Grammar School) then presented their different whole-school approaches to internationalising education. These presentations are available through the ‘Presentations’ page on the navigation bar.

Attendees were also treated to a preview screening of an International Education DVD that provides snapshots of six different school-based international education programs from across stages of schooling and both government and non-government sectors, including the Victoria International School of Sharjah.

Throughout the symposium, a key feature was the input of students’ views to the discussions. Ten students from government and non-government primary and secondary schools contributed their views about the importance of education providing them with intercultural and global awareness and citizenship, and priorities for ensuring that school education cultivates these skills.

Table discussions facilitated through ‘Zing’ technology identified future directions and priorities for international education policy and practice. These are outlined on the ‘Reflections’ page. Photos from the symposium are available from the ‘Photos’ page.