Centre stage – Days 6 & 7: Question time

The following questions will provide the focus for discussion during days 6 and 7 of the online conference.

1. What are the key differences between 21st century educators and pre-21st century educators?

2. To what extent can we realistically ‘prepare’ education professionals, in advance, for a role that is evolving rapidly, in a changing context?

3. Is teacher preparation a ‘one-off’ experience or should ‘preparation’ be a mindset, where professionals continually adjust, and build on, their skills and knowledge to meet new challenges?

4. Who should ultimately have responsibility for an educator’s ongoing professional development: government, school or the individual?

5. In this conference, we have been discussing the 21st century educator but this focuses on a 100-year block of time. What if change is so accelerated that an entirely new professional mindset is needed in, say, 20 years? What are the implications of this fast moving scenario for teacher preparation and professional development?

6. In a worst case scenario, what will happen if the preparation of educators simply fails to keep up with the needs of 21st century students?

Debra Brydon, May 2007

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