Sancta Maria Primary and College had the privilege of hosting a conference for teachers about the future of education last Wednesday and Thursday. Teachers from all over New Zealand were invited to learn from the US Harvard professor Charles Fadel about the increasing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. In addition, 5 students from both Elim Christian College and Sancta Maria College were lucky enough to attend the first day of the conference to represent the student perspective.
This conference also had a focus on the introduction of Kahui Ako to New Zealand schools. Kahui Ako are groups which schools are placed in to allow them to share knowledge and expertise, as well as building inter-school relationships. Sancta Maria College is grouped with Kingsgate School, Sancta Maria Primary, Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary, Elim Christian College and St Marks Primary.
A major point raised was the importance of teaching skills and character over just knowledge. Today, anyone can find facts and data on the internet, so teachers need to be teaching students how to understand and use this knowledge for themselves. The point was also raised about the necessity of character building within education, around themes such as resilience, curiosity, mindfulness and ethics.
The student representatives were given multiple opportunities throughout the day to contribute their perspectives, from discussing the role of education, to how teachers can engage with a greater number of students. It was a very valuable and eye-opening experience, that we all found very interesting. We look forward to seeing how our teachers will shape our future.
Danica Loulie-Wijtenburg
