The Department of Education & Professional Studies holds an education lecture in Summer each year. Guest speakers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and speak on the subject of education in its broadest sense. I am honoured to be the speaker for the 2013 Annual Lecture at King’s College London. It is a particular occasion for me because I spend an academic term at that same college 22 years ago when England and Wales were in the midst of implementing the first national curriculum as mandated by the 1988 Education Reform Act. Previous speakers include Stephen Ball, Boris Johnson and Kevin Watkins.
My talk is titled “Finnish Lessons; What can the world learn from educational change in Finland” is buit around the following description: Competition, choice, standardized testing, and privatization have become common tactics to improve schools in many parts of the world. This presentation shows that there is an alternative way to transform education systems and enhance learning for all students. Finnish lessons is a story of inclusion and equity, teacher professionalism, collaborative practice, and trust-based responsibility.
Link to the Annual Education Lectures site is here.