Posts

Most recent post

This ring is the disparity portal

Image
  This ring is the disparity portal What are our cognitive struggles? Metamodernist art by JJFBbennett The glass ring doesn't just divide the canvas; it bridges two entirely different eras of the soul. Look to the left. You see that heavy, anxious abstract expressionism—thick, turbulent strokes of purple and white paint colliding in a chaotic swirl. It’s the noise of modern anxiety, the visceral weight of our internal cognitive struggles. But follow the curve of the glass to the right, and the world opens up into an almost naive, idyllic landscape. Soft green hills, a quiet, winding river, and a pastoral peace that feels like a memory of a place we’ve never actually been. It’s intentionally a bit ironic, a bit nostalgic—a digital dream of simplicity. This ring is the disparity portal itself. It is a lens balancing on the fine line of metamodernism, suspended between cynical detachment and sincere hope. And if you look closely right there on the upper-left curve of the glass, I left...

Surplus of university graduates - academic unemployment

In  the fast  growing region in the  world there   is  high levels of unemployment of university graduates. India, China, Malaysia and Hong Kong are all experiencing a surplus of university graduates. In China there are over 6 million unemployed graduates and This has led to a questioning of education standards and the capabilities of the graduates. Business says they do not have the skills for the 21st century. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/120717/economy-college-education-youth-unemployment  This has led to a questioning of the value of exam-based learning and the promise of white-collar jobs. Look at the World Economic forum and scroll down and look at the global dimensions of unemployment for your people. http://www.weforum.org/community/global-agenda-councils/youth-unemployment-visualization-2013 Educating or unemployment. The issue of youth unemployment is a significant issue for Australia. A...

PISA and Education Reform.

PISA and Education Reform. This ABC Hindsight program discusses why Finland reformed its education system in the 1970s. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/finland-the-real-education-revolution/4228418 Pasi  Sahlburg, a former director of Education in Finland discusses  how Finland has achieved success and the important role of teacher quality and teacher training. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf65Z_gqH1U This is an excellent discussion, as it covers the purpose of change and the strategic processes employed to gain achievement. The discussion also highlights the need of countries to make reform . PISA is a reflective tool which countries can validate against and use to make reform . Australia is different  to  Finland and as this discussion implicitly identifies – as the world changes nations need to reform their approach to education. It could be that Finland got it right for an era the Industrial era (which the PISA testing m...

Is education a global competition?

Image
Question: Is education a global competition?  Australia's schools are failing and are behind other countries across the globe. Jo Tovey from the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reports on the PISA 2009 results for Australia. Does this impression of global competition mean that Australian teachers and students are in a global race?  Sydney Morning Herald 2006: OECD report finds Australian students falling behind Tovey's report identifies a reason for Australia's performance relative to other nations and highlights growing inequalities between rich and poor as a reason for Australia's ranking. Sydney Morning Herald 2013: Too many losers in divided education system   Does this impression of global competition mean that Australian teachers and students should behave like they are in a  global race? This question is complicated as it pre-states an assumption based on problem identification and action. I am not sure what percent of teachers are aware of the PIS...

Globalization of Eductation

Readings: Global Student Mobility in the Asia Pacific: Mobility, Migration, Security and Well-being of international students:   http://www.c-s-p.org/Flyers/Global-Student-Mobility-in-the-Asia-Pacific--Mobility--Migration--Security-and-Wellbeing-of-Internat1-4438-1908-5.htm Two cultures in science :   http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ockhamsrazor/two--cultures-in-science/5154684 Science, Engineering and mathematics in Crisis :  http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/education/the-stem-crisis-is-a-myth Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in the National Interest: A Strategic Approach in July 2013 :   http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/STEMstrategy290713FINALweb.pdf Globalization and the Australian Dream :  http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sundayextra/the-australian-dream-is-over/5154750 The following discussion is based on personal understandings in association with the signifi...

Digital Literacy Multimodal Media

Image
On Tuesday, 21 January 2014 I was fortunate to participate within the 2014 National Visual Art Education Conference . I presented within session 3 - 21st Century Learning – Changing classroom paradigms for students, teachers, and institutions . Presentation: Slides and Transcript Slides Full Resolution:  jjfbbennett  Flickr Slide 1 Hello, my name is John Bennett I have been involved in education since the 1980s For more details about my professional career, please visit jjfbbennett.com This site will connect you to my ePortfolio , Twitter, Google+, Flickr, YouTube, and Linkedin sites. Slide 2 This presentation is about teaching and learning practices. It is about why I believe schools need to become future focussed. Slide 3 My career phases Before I begin this story, I'll overview where I fit in. I started my career as an exhibiting Artist . In the 90's I dedicated myself to Classroom Teaching . And more recently I have ac...

Fertility series

Image
Fertility series , a set on Flickr. Oil paintings by John Bennett - jjfbbennett. Painted in the late 1980's. Influenced by Balinese, Javanese and Thai art and stories of external strategy and personal needs. jjfbbennett.com