‘Welcome to my latest journey!’ Yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur launches her new foundation this week – with sustainability at its heart. 

Dame Ellen MacArthur’s new Foundation was launched this week, and she talks about this, her latest challenge on the Ellen MacArthur Foundation website.

‘Getting to the stage of launching our new Foundation has been a roller-coaster, not unlike sailing round the world, but this time the challenge is different. When I sailed around the world the outcome didn’t really matter, it was about a goal I’d set myself, but sustainability is part of all our lives, and this time the outcome really does matter.’

‘There have been some difficult moments over the past 4 years during which I have had difficulty ‘seeing through to the other side’, but through our four year journey to 2010 we have pieced together the clues from talking with government, councils, educators, business leaders and experts who are all around us. Now I can see exactly where the Foundation is heading, and what we are setting out to achieve. Never have I got involved in a challenge before which is so exciting, and so testing, but together with the talented and motivated team a the Foundation I am absolutely loving it.’

Dame Ellen MacArthur will be teaching on Leadership, Education and the Closed Loop Economy with Ken Webster, Steve Martin at Schumacher College in November 2010

For information, video and audio clips:

Leadership, Education and the Closed Loop Economy A short course at Schumacher College with Dame Ellen MacArthur

www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/  

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11154637

Whether the advert has an educational link seems immaterial. Many advertisers are merely seizing the seasonal opportunity to promote their wares. The positive elements to many that soon kids will off the streets is countered by an opposite force – increased traffic as we choose to use cars to ferry kids to school. Shops heralded the process with essential teaching and schooling resources being paraded alongside uniforms, stationery, and  the of course the ubiquitous Oxford set of maths instruments supplied in the same tin box 40 years after its introduction!

The Back to School slogan hovers over the idyllic existence of a school child on the long summer break.  Returning to school means enforced routines, falling light levels as autumn approaches, odd smells from damp children, the appearance of the magic sawdust bucket for the odd vomiting child and the exchange of a cricket and athletics markings for football and rugby posts.

No I didn’t relish school days. Coupled with attending boarding school for a large chunk of my schooling added a further downer.  But I’m not alone.  Clinical psychologists explain that many children feel apprehensive when returning school – especially if it involves a move up to a new secondary school.  Adverse reaction to the new larger environment, the physical scale of the new school in class size, and numbers of teachers can be frightening. Children  move from the comfort zone of their old school where they were top dog with years of experience. The obvious outward signs are children who become anxious and find it difficult to fall asleep, feel sick, cry easily and have gone off their food.  These are clear signs of anxiety triggered by the unknown.  We also suffer from the syndrome as adults in a new environment so it is not age related. They say the condition is the reason why so many adults remain in jobs they dislike.  The thought of changing job or career is beset with the unknown.  We opt to stay put.  Maybe the emotion stirred by seeing our children in some distress activates latent emotions and concerns in adults.  But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The clingy child whose life is devastated by attendance at the new school slowly adapts to the new environment.  Day by day the angst dissipates.  By day seven things are inevitably easing.  By day fourteen they start to feel comfortable.  The trick is to reassure the child that their feelings and concerns are very natural and that most children feel concerned at the start of term and especially at a new school.  Giving comparisons to their feelings become positive in their previous class, year and school helps to reassure that the anxiety will ease.  Self awareness of the symptoms and comparison with past experience will help to reassure.

Not every child can be expected to favourably respond, but the majority do.  As parents, seeing the situation and concerns through the eyes of a child can help quell the fears of this unknown territory, especially relevant in the move to secondary school.

And once we have consoled our children, perhaps it’s time to look in the mirror and reconsider that move we need to take to reorientate our job and career. A staggering 80 per cent of adults are in jobs they dislike, But a move and that new challenge is as just as daunting as that experienced by the child and the new school. Time to reflect on applying the guidance given to your child and allay your own fears and make that move to enhance your opportunities. You know the one -  you have always put off because of your concerns over a move to a new company with a new environment, new people and the feeling of being new and isolated. We have a lot to learn from children!

Alistair Owens http://www.keen2learn.co.uk

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

A recent survey revealed some interesting facts about the life of a modern student. Around 37 per cent work part time during term time, of which 62 per cent of them have three part time jobs. However this industrious acumen has an adverse factor. To maintain their work commitments a quarter of all working students are guilty of missing an average seven hours per week of lectures and some as high as 10 hours per week are lost. This amounts to a concerning total of 252 course hours lost per year and an untold effect on the final class of degree.

The favourite enterprises are working as mystery shoppers or selling goods on eBay and a courageous 6 per cent of students learn what its like to be a guinea pig in medical tests.

Central funding from parents amounts to £3,617 per annum, totalling around £10,851 over the full degree course. Six per cent of parents provide up to £9,000 per year ( £ 27,000 over the whole degree course) to support their offspring. To pay for all this 20 per cent of parents take out a loan, 10 per cent take a second job and 24 per cent work overtime to raise the funds.

Although we learn of the sizable student loan debt students amass by the end of the degree a surprising 45 per cent do not apply for the loan. Those who do 37 per cent say it is immediately consumed by debt, nine per cent say they have blown it within three days and 49 per cent have exhausted the funds within one month. Honesty does not necessarily score highly with over half of all students claiming to have lied to parents as to what they have used the grants and loans for. Eighteen per cent have used to buy a car, 25 per cent have enjoyed a holiday and 10 per cent have blown some on eating in Michelin starred restaurants.

Inevitably the rites of passage involve alcohol and unfortunately drugs. Fifty three per cent spend the majority of funds on alcohol and regrettably 10 per cent claim to have used it mostly to buy drugs.

Boys can at last outperform girls at university. Thirteen per cent of boys have part time jobs compared to seven per cent of girls. And 32 per cent of boys bought designer clothes compared to a surprising 18 per cent of girls! Yes- you would have bet the other way round!

Life at university does have additional elements to the academic content. It does teach students the reality of financial management and that money, despite years of ardent research, unfortunately does not grow on trees. Irrespective of the degree grade or subject speciality the experience does seem to generate some savvy individuals, and those whose learnt the hard way that if you borrow money it has to be paid back. Perhaps we should offer a new degree option, how to generate income and control expenditure. A reality check to the real world.

Alistair Owens www.keen2learn.co.uk

The survey was commissioned in August 2010 by shopping website Voucher Codes.

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

School exams results are looming. Every child likes to pass GCSE and A level exams to demonstrate ability, recognition of a job well done in class and as a precursor to a job in industry or university place. But educational  observers believe we are lowering the exam relevance by playing games with the standards.

A notable critic from the world of science and chemistry believes too many people have vested interests in maintaining low educational standards.  Dr. Richard Pike, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, condemns politicians, examination bodies, schools and educational quangos of collectively lowering the educational standards.  He believes corporate bodies do not want to upset middle class parents who recognise exam results as a primarily measure of society’s expectations rather than true academic performance.

Many schools, hounded by league tables, see quantity rather quality as their prime objective.  Although the exam regulators have twice recently attempted to install tougher GCSE exams through the examination bodies little has been enforced. Proving educational quangos have little real benefit or clout Dr Pike believes the needs of universities and industry has failed to be incorporated in the curriculum. “This is not a broken system that has to be fixed it is a corrupt edifice that must be razed to the ground and rebuilt” he said.

Stern words from an eminent leader in the science educational world.  If we accept the future destiny requires the UK to evolve in a rapidly changing world such significant observations from the likes of Dr. Pike cannot be ignored.  Criticism of the standard of GCSE and A levels has been widespread for years, yet little corrective action has been achieved.  No wonder, if school league tables and parental expectations continue to be the focus rather than the demands of industry, we are unlikely we can expect change.  This will be a disaster. To continue as we are we would end up with every child being awarded a grade A in all subjects – just by being there.

The GCSE and A level results could end up as a junk bond; a worthless qualification and as much use as the MBA degree offered on line in two weeks.  The exam boards such as Edexcel, although willing to work with Ofqual to get the balance right, need to review their position.  Rather than maintaining  a conciliatory position and clearly floundering in their duties they must opt to take a fundamental leadership role.

A significantly higher qualification standard needs to be introduced. We cannot afford to let universities and industry criticise the standard and relevance of the exams. We at keen2learn believe this move needs expediency.  Many children parents may reel at the significance of such a move, but the changes in global employment opportunities may otherwise leave our children out in the cold. We need a Department of Education that strategically has the courage to seize the initiative and adopt the moves to introduce the changes quickly despite the cost cutting era we are in.  We are duty bound to provide our children with continuing education that is fit for purpose and  avoid the continuation of the faltering soft option where exam questions can be answered by reading yesterday’s newspaper.

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The job market is tough at the moment. Despite having a good education employers are now looking for Graduates with work experience. To stand out from the crowd 69 per cent of graduates say it  helps with their job applications, and 34 per cent take up volunteering to enhance their application and chances of a getting employment.  Work Experience Is Top Educational Tip For New Graduates The number of children going up to university to complete their education has been a bit too successful. The number of graduates is now the main obstacle to getting a foot on the career ladder. Forty five per cent of graduates say the job market has become too crowded. See the full article including the Vodaphone scheme to help graduates gain work experience and some top tips Top tips for Graduate Job Success

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The school holidays create  real quality time opportunities with the children. To help deal with the inevitable “Mum I’m bored” and “Are we there yet?” bursts of enthusiasm from the kids, keen2lean has a number of educational travel games ready to hand. Some are ideal for that glass case marked “break glass in an emergency.”

Those wet days or the long journeys we all love as parents can have their moments. You have run out enthusiasm for yet another round of I spy; the clues have become just too ridiculous! Ideally you want  games that are fun easy to play and have  educational content.

“No one really wants to think about school during the holidays so the best the travel games have a hidden content; learning in disguise as we call it” says Alistair Owens MD at keen2learn. The latest range just added to keen2learn are decks of cards called Fun Decks. Packed in flip top tin they can be played for minutes or hours; the rules are simple, based  on the curriculum  and  they are used in schools to great effect. Now parents and grandparents can play these games knowing  they are encouraging learning with the children. A wide range of literacy games are available covering everything from irregular verbs, understanding inferences to  synonyms all as a decks of 56 cards.

For the kids who believe it’s impossible to have fun without ear phones the educational game Bunja is ideal. It uses MP3 technology to incorporate a range of maths games. Bunja has some very clever aspects; it learns how the child is performing and adjust the level of questions  up or down in difficulty. It also lets parents and teachers check on a child’s performance with a summation feature.  The game rewards the child with a chapter of an interactive story set in the jungle. Each time a set of questions is answered  they can  interact with the next chapter of the story.

Children understandably don’t like homework thrown in their face especially during holidays. But the benefits of practising what they are learning through educational games has a huge impact on their ongoing capacity to learn. Making it fun where all the family can join in helps loose the schoolwork stigma. Nothing new,  teachers do this in the class and all the games on the keen2learn site are used extensively by teachers.

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Cost, storage, and disposal of used chemicals  have impacted on science education in schools. But now physics, chemistry and biology in the classroom have have learnt a lesson from the subject itself. The latest science teaching resources have been miniaturised without losing any impact in the effectiveness of the curriculum. Saving storage space, cleaning time and minimising the use and disposal of  chemicals the microscience workstation approach is a truly green approach to educatio

• Students can work individually gaining greater ownership of their learning and allow teacher assessment
• Lower cost using much smaller amounts of chemicals in the experiments
• Environmentally friendly with lower consumption of energy, water and  less waste
• Lower health and safety risks means those impossible experiments becomes possible!
• Experiments are quicker with less clearing up, washing and storage of equipment
• More time is available for lesson introductions and plenary sessions.

The workstation is easy-to-use, adaptable and has well-established laboratory procedures  and supplied with a large number of materials and worksheets. The hand-sized Comboplate allows microscale experiments  at primary, secondary and tertiary levels and  a link between practical work at all three.  Other innovations such as the Combostill (used for organic preparations) and the microburette provides an almost complete coverage of chemical techniques.  The science experiments avoidable on a micro scale include:

• Gas preparation and testing
• Electrolysis
• Distillation and refluxing (including steam distillation)
• Heating of chemicals and testing the gases evolved
• Rates of reaction including reactions catalysed by enzymes
• Quantitative chemistry including titrations; molar volumes and gravimetric analysis
• Preparation of salts
• ‘Test-tube’ experiments
• Separating the components of mixtures
• Electrical circuits
• Food testing
• Simulation of osmosis and other phenomena

Micoscience  overcomes many  anxieties of practical work  for teachers. Working on a micro scale encourages  innovative and an heuristic approach.  The apparatus can also be taken home. The amounts of chemicals used are so small the kitchen worktop is ideal as a place of work and the waste can disappear safely down the kitchen sink.  The adaptable and easy-to-use apparatus has spearheaded a completely new approach to science in the classroom. Teachers are given confidence by the ease of use and the range of worksheets and support available.

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The New School’s Network is booming. Compared to last year the coalition governments’ new proposal to allow parents and teachers to run schools has met with a 70 per cent increase in interest.  Around 750 applications have been filed by groups of parents and teachers wanting to take educational matters into their own hands and run their own schools.  This quiet revolution signifies a huge change in the potential educational fortunes of the UK. There are around 33,000 state schools in the UK. The 750 initial applications for new schools may seem a small number on the transfer list but a tidal wave of conversions could ensue if the results of this vanguard movement are proven positive.

The success of the scheme, modelled on a successful programme in Sweden, could herald the greatest breakthrough in our teaching resources for decades.  It could also reveal the travesty of how we have damaged many schools through a series of failed national initiatives.  The application of the national curriculum promoted through state governed schools could be proven to have been a disaster for generations of children, parents and teachers. Our teaching standards and objectives, muddled by the application of educational objectives manipulated by the government and local educational authorities, have impacted on the quality and depth of education received by school children.

Research shows the overall standard of educational achievement has fallen. Critically, in a now global marketplace, competition for employment will be ever more intense as the commercial centre of gravity moves forever East.  The macro approach; national policies, local education authorities, SAT’s ,GCSE, national curriculum and educational quangos appear to have failed. The New Schools initiative, steered by the lowest common denominator- the parents of school children, will focus on the opportunity to provide children with the depth of education they need and deserve. If these new primary and secondary schools are the long hidden answer they will be thanked by generations of children to come. And a few past secretaries of state for education may need to take long hard look in the mirror.

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

If the UK is to compete effectively in world markets the introduction of greater international content in the educational key stages of the curriculum is surely a necessity.  But for years our state schools have been reluctant to grab this opportunity.

Counter arguments certainly exist within the teaching fraternity. Some say the IGCSE is more rigorous that the equivalent GCSE, others imply it is less so. But the key elements in the curriculum are designed to match the demands of an international market. Typical is the Cambridge IGCSE who state the course encourages learner-centred and enquiry-based approaches to learning. By developing children’s skill in creative thinking, enquiry and problem solving, gives them an excellent preparation for the next stage in their education. Schools can build a core curriculum, and then extend it to suit their cross-curricular perspectives. IGCSE is compatible with other curricula and is internationally relevant and sensitive to different needs and cultures.

The learning journey starts with the Primary school curriculum, but  John Dunford, General Secretary of the association of school and college leaders remains unconvinced “There is no evidence that the IGCSE is more rigorous than the GCSE” he also states “Key issues in English and maths are missing in the IGCSE – despite the emphasis placed by employers on their need.” Clearly some further development work needs to done to increase the attraction of the course.

The current differences in the curriculum are less than many critics think.  Maybe this is the weak point.  If we are to prepare children for the international market we are rapidly approaching we must prepare them accordingly.  The rest of world is certainly moving this way and we could be left in the cold if we stick to an anachronistic syllabus based on educational performance rather than depth and relevance.

The IGCSE is being used by international schools and a growing number of state schools in Spain, Italy, China and New Zealand, where it is regarded as having positive impact in the classroom. Defined as a linear course it offsets criticism of the standard GCSE and its modular approach.  Being tested at the end of the course the Interaction accreditation removes the interruptions to teaching from the frequent tests involved with GCSE.

The world is rapidly changing.  Historic commercial, manufacturing and financial bases are moving exponentially east.  If we are to compete we must at least match the qualifications of overseas students. But our current overall educational performance is well adrift of the current pace. The financial market is already adopting the acronym NYLONHK, New York, London, Hong Kong – being the three key centres each eight hours apart that cover the world stock markets on a 24 hours basis. The international trading markets could follow.  It is essential we prepare the next generation to manage the options they will need to succeed. The International educational curriculum is just the start of the journey, but time is short and we need to act with alacrity.

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Educational development stems from both practical games and theoretical classroom experience from the  formal teaching resources.  Unfortunately in our modern world we have curtailed many outdoor, secret games for children due mainly to safety concerns. But have we inadvertently reduced the spirit of adventure and ability to develop experience through experimentation.

Although formal schooling starts in England at five years old, in Wales children are allowed to play until they are seven.  By no means the disaster you might think, this approach is generating positive feedback although too early to reveal any definite conclusion. But in Finland, much heralded as the benchmark in early year’s education, children  don’t start school until they are seven years old and  can boast high literacy rates, indicating a significant catch up.

Playing educational games in maths, English and science are a great way of learning in disguise helping children to associate the learning process with enjoyment. They like to repeat favourite games over and over again, a repetitive cycle that may seem boring to parents, but is an essential element of learning.  Seventy five per cent of learning retention comes with practice.

Although there is a central department education in the UK there are several variants in the way the national curriculum is interpreted.  Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England have slightly different approaches. There are strong arguments for and against the schooling start age with leading educationalists, school Headteachers and research institutions arguing the toss. All agree learning to read is absolutely vital in any educational programme.  “The fundamentals of literacy are caught not taught” says Sue Palmer, former primary school head teacher and literacy expert. “Crucial to the learning process is training people how to achieve this. We have to invest in training practitioners how to help children catch the principles.”  She also said there is no rush to teach children to read and a staunch protagonist against the targets set in the early years learning curriculum.

One concern about changes in the educational process is the inherent time-scale to prove or disprove theory and practice. If proven wrong the change may have disrupted the potential for a generation of children. But one thing we can be sure of, childhood is designed to allow kids to learn through experimentation and fun. If you want your children to master the basics in phonics, literacy and maths before they start school be sure you consider educational games and toys to help.

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more