Disengagement

=Stuart Middleton - "School looks good, but is it engaging?" - Learning @ School 24 Feb 2010=

The US, Canada, Australia and the UK have common patterns of disengagement. These countries have in common a pattern of immigrant labour post WW2. Disengagement is not a feature of Scandinavian schools.

1 Physical - not at school (most likely to be Maori) 2 Virtual - stay at school but not getting qualifications (most likely to be Paifica - this group is staying at school longer, but is leaving with the lowest quals at the end of their secondary education) 3 Unintended - do the right things at school, but limited or no success post-secondary learning.
 * Three types of disengagement:**

17 - 25,000 of 15 - 19 year olds are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET)

1 Purpose - renewed purpose of schools. Takeaway - is it about learners discovering and forming their identities? 2 Readiness - readiness = progress and success. If learners are not ready, the existing gaps will built on and not closed 3 Language - is at the heart of the learner. The visible aspects of language are reading, writing and speaking. The invisible aspects of language are the neurological ones and grammar. Consider that many learners come from full functioning language communities ie they are members of families who play sport, go to church and carry out their day to day family activities in another language. Many travel to and from NZ during the year. Where is the place for their language(s) in our schools? 4 Sectors - why are schools still divided into sectors ie primary, intermediate and secondary? Sectors have outlived their usefullness and SM suggests won't be around in 20 years time. 5 Honesty about Education Systems - SM suggests that an obsession with access (for all?) has not resulted in equity (for all?), and as a system we have lost connection with out communities.
 * Challenges:**

Near 50% of students fail to complete the undergraduate degree they enrol in. NZ Herald - lack of academic preparation - chosing the wrong course
 * Reasons for Failure at Tertiary Level**

Connection between school/school sectors and stages of human development? Erik Erikson's Stages of Human Development Stuart Middleton on his website
 * TAKEAWAYS**