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What is ahead?

Have you ever come away from an event excited by the possibilities of the direction of things to come? Education has so many possibilities. There is often an underlying thread that connects these possibilities together. We are fortunate to be able to influence, direct and guide students towards a goal. We need to have the capacity to look beyond the task of just educating students.
Recently I was fortunate to have attended two events, while different from one another, there was a commonality as well. It was inspiring and exciting to make the connection. 
The first was a STEM Symposium organised by the AIS. This event was to showcase STEM education within Independent Schools in NSW. There were many schools in attendance showing projects that they have been working on. These projects aim to develop STEM education in their schools.
I was fortunate enough to listen Professor Candace Lang from Macquarie University. She was presenting on "After HSC, Engineering?".  The skills that primary school teachers are developing in their classes to help students reach fruition and attend university. The slide I found the most interesting was this one:
Prepare to be a brilliant engineer by:
Studying mathematics and science
Practicing systems thinking
Learning how to be part of a team
Communicating effectively
Learning how to learn
I then attended an Open day at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment. The purpose of this day was to find out the courses they run for students leaving school. The AIE is an industry based academy that prepares students for jobs. The courses specialise in Game programming, game design and animation. 

As I sat through some interesting seminars on these different courses. One of the instructors in coding put this slide up: 


 While the jobs that the students will work in, the requirements are quite similar. There was a realisation that the skills we teach, on a fundamental level, have implications for a child's future. Establishing good communication and collaboration is as essential as good Mathematics. A student needs to be able to apply creativity in problem solving. Teaching students strategies that will help them to analyse and find solutions that are unique. 
I have discovered that to inspire I need to look beyond the four walls of my classroom, even beyond my school. The capacity to show students  the path toward the future will   Helping them to set the goal 
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