Country Education Project Inc, recently hosted the Rural Learning Summit in Daylesford, attracting a broad range participants from across the state of Victoria.
As part of the Summit Minister Pike launched Victoria’s Rural Education Framework Consultation draft which gives focus to CEP Inc priority areas – leadership, workforce, 21st Century curriculum delivery and partnerships. Consultation relating to this document will be taking place over the forthcoming weeks in each of the country DEECD regions and I encourage all those interested to attend these consultations.
Mike Stephens led us during the morning. An adviser to Agriculture and Small Business, Mike spoke of the developing trends that shape the existence of rural communities. He acknowledged the myths that exist in relation to public perception of what is taking place in the rural landscape and also the versatility and vision that is enabling some rural communities to thrive and recreate themselves.
He drew on the work of Howard Gardner in talking about “the summits, the valleys, the straight and meandering paths of what others have achieved.” The challenge was given by Mike to all attending the summit to identify and explore routes or pathways in education, including the possibility of ones that have not been anticipated before.
How greater the conversation and the opportunity to explore the “possibility “ of what can be created in the future if we collaborate with others, especially those who have a vested interest in what it is we are hoping to achieve. So often the very stakeholders of such conversations go beyond our own school communities into the wider areas that make up the fabric of the rural communities in which we are situated.
How do we connect?
How do we recognise who should be involved?
How should the conversation begin?
As an organisation we would support you in framing such conversations to assist in shared capacity building of rural schools in rural communities with all relevant rural stakeholders involved.
Wendy Graham
Comments are closed.