Ruth was offered a placement in the Department for Education by Policy Lab, part of the UK Government. She began her research exploring the logics, systems and decision making (through the eyes of the civil servants) that inform how and why we educate. Thinking about how the world might change between now and when her 6 year old son would reach 80 years old (in 2100), asking what kind of world are we educating for? And what will children really need?
In the middle of her placement everthing went into shut down as a general election was called. Not long after the new labour government came to power Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education tasked Professor Becky Francis to lead a panel of 12 on the first Curriculum and Assessment Review in 14 years. This CAR review became the framing and invitation behind the work.
The workshop brought together civil servants, educators, philosophers, psychologists, activists, and researchers to consider what a class of four-year-olds starting school in 2025 may need during their schooling (2025: 2036) in order to set them up for a life, which may well be till 2100.
Working with philosopher Grace Lockrobin, to help devise and co-deliver the session, different techniques were adopted to help hold the space and dialogue. These included philosophical enquiry, story telling, listening & quaker techniques, play and haptic learning. The enquiry was underpinned by a question of pedagogical practices and ways of knowing vs knowledge rich approach.
Participants were asked not to reveal their role or job until the very end of the workshop, in order to avoid power imbalance in the room. Instead they were each greeted with a drawing from a 4 year old who had been asked to draw and describe the future.
"I think we will live in houses in the sea on stilts and be able to fly to work in a spaceship because it's faster" Skye (Age 4)
"Buildings will be in the sea and people will have rockets" Emilia (Age 5)
'It's a title which acknowledges that to carry on living in the way we live is unsustainable. Something that is agreed by scientists and governments across the world. Of course when I say we, I mean everyone in this room.
To continue in the way we are, will bring our systems (be they food, water, health, infrastructures, education into collapse.) So whether through our own process of change and transformation or through a series of forced endings and collapse, the way we do things currently, will end. How and when they end exactly, are matters of debate and uncertainty. But It's clear hearing from those in countries who are fighting for their lives on the front lines, this is not something in the future, this is now.
So the questions are, how do we live well through the changes, what will replace it and how to bestprepare for it.'
The text above was read out in the workshop.
The initial exercise invited the participants to plot a line on the graph that showed how our civilisation would fair from 2025 to 2100. Whilst drawing the line they described what they thought might happen. Key words were transcribed and formed a foundation for the rest of the workshop. We collectively agreed that the world we were educating for, was precarious & volatile and what we had to explore, was preparing our children for a world of uncertainty and not knowing.
Participants were grouped by their areas of knowledge and expertise and asked to map what 'Knowledge and Ways of Knowing', 'Skills & Crafts','Collective Qualities & Personal Characteristics' and 'Rituals, Support, Ceremony & Community' our children would need in a world of uncertainty and not knowing.
An exhibition in Somerset House took the form of a graphic report of the placement, research and workshop. Using a series of provocations in the form of titles; The World we're educating for, This is not political and Evolution not Revolution.
A letter to the Secretary of State for Education was displayed which challenge her request to the CAR team to think about evolution not revolution when rethinking the Curriculum.
Click on picture above to read the letter. Click here to read the reply.