Innovation in Education 2010: 21st Century Learning in an Age of Austerity

By Lesley Anne Gundy Last Thursday, Education Guardian in association with the Innovation Unit held its second annual Innovation in Education conference. Tony Mackay, director of the Innovation Unit facilitated the all day event which focused on finding innovative ways to cope with budget cuts while at the same time providing a 21st century education. Yong Zhao, professor and director of US-China Centre for Research on Educational Excellence at Michigan State University, Nelson Gonzalez, chief strategy officer of The Stupski Foundation and Josephine Green, former senior director of trends and strategy for Phillips gave keynote addresses throughout the day. For their views on what innovation in education looks like and the challenges we face, see below. Breakout sessions, held in between the keynote addresses, gave people the opportunity to explore different issues and challenges such as accountability, leadership and implications for pedagogy in an innovative environment, and the effect of the big society on schools. The Innovation Unit also hosted a break out session on radical efficiency, a model developed through research performed by the Innovation Unit and funded by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. People were guided through the model and case studies and introduced to a way to deliver better public services for lower cost. The day closed with a question-answer panel discussion featuring the three keynote speakers. The day ended on a positive note offering the hope that with innovation, it will be possible to impart a 21st century education even during an "age of austerity". [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUzh4J0tHdY] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmjDVrz5X5g] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s7iVVww8J8]