This spring our students of AT-103 at Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) have studied teacher policies in six different education systems. With kind support from respective education authorities students have taken closer look at various aspects of the teaching profession in these jurisdictions. On Friday April 22nd we will have an unique opportunity to discuss these case studies with some of the education authorities and experts who visit HGSE to help students finalize their case studies. We call this The Teaching Profession Around the World Symposium and it will be held in Larsen G-08 on HGSE campus in Appian Way starting 12.30pm. Symposium is open to all interested in teachers and teaching globally.
AGENDA
12.30
Welcome and introductions: Pasi Sahlberg
Session 1: Teachers and the Teaching Profession in Digital World
12.45
Case Study 1: New South Wales: HGSE AT103 Students
Response: Adrian Piccoli (Minister of Education)
13.30
Case Study 2: Norway: HGSE AT103 Students
Response: Bjørn Haugstad (State Secretary) & Øyvind Johnson (Senior Advisor)
14.15
Keynote 1: Growing Up Digital by Gordon Thomas, Mark Ramsankar and David Bickham
Growing Up Digital is a longitudinal research project conducted in collaboration with Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) and Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health (Dr. Michael Rich), the University of Alberta (Dr. Stanley Varhagen and Dr. Jason Daniels), and Boston Children’s Hospital (Dr. David Bickham). This study aims to better understand the scope of physical, mental and social consequences of digital technologies in areas such as exercise, homework, identity formation, distraction, cognition, learning, nutrition, and sleep quality and quantity.
15.00
Break
Session 2: Teachers and the Teaching Profession in Commercial World
15.15
Case Study 3: Alberta: HGSE AT103 Students
Response: Mark Ramsankar (President), Gordon Thomas (Executive Secretary) & Dennis Theobald (Associate Executive Secretary), ATA
16.00
Keynote 2: Education and the Commercial Mindset by Sam Abrams
Sam Abrams (Columbia University) argues that while the commercial mindset sidesteps fundamental challenges, public schools should adopt lessons from the business world. Citing foreign practices, he recommends raising teacher salaries to attract and retain talent, conferring more autonomy on educators to build ownership, and employing sampling techniques rather than universal assessments to gauge student progress.
16.45
Case Study 4: Sweden: HGSE AT103 Students
Response: Anna Ekstrom (Director General), Jenny Kallstenius (Ministry of Education), Björn Åstrand (Karlstad University) & Ulf Andersson (Ministry of Education)
17.30
Conclusions and closing words: Pasi Sahlberg
18.00
Guided walk in Harvard Yard