This century has brought about huge change, throughout all sectors including education.

These changes have impacted society, and in turn, primary education. Students needs have changed as society has moved from an industrialised, teacher centric view of education to a knowledge based student centred view. 21ST Century learners in primary education benefit from emerging possibilities and ongoing reform. This essay supports this position through discussion of local and global examples of personalised learning, quality teaching standards, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

Ongoing reforms in primary education benefit students as they provide goals, purpose, opportunities and tools in which to support continuous improvement in our education system. The move from the industrial age to the knowledge age has impacted primary education, and there have been many changes over the years (Warner, 2006). For example over the last twenty years Victorian Schools have achieved levels of autonomy at a world-leading level, and have given schools, and their principals, the control to make decisions (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD), 2013). Over the years schools adopted these reforms in varying degrees, and some, but not all, schools benefitted. Victorian schools have declining levels of achievement and inconsistency between schools (Australian Council for Educational Research, 2013). Although students have a high level of motivation, they do not consider that their learning experiences are stimulating. It is important to engage the students in the primary school levels, as this gap between experience and motivation widens over time (DEECD, 2012). Students who are performing poorly at the start of school are unlikely to change their learning trajectory throughout the years of schooling and develop the skills needed for participation in life and work (DEECD, 2012). This means Victorian students are at risk of not developing skills that are required to compete for jobs in a global market. It is known that education is the most effective way to support young

people to reach their goals (DEECD, 2013). As a result, Victoria is moving into a third wave of reform to address improvement in student learning, providing schools with resources strengthen teaching and leadership, using and tools to aid curriculum, assessment and reporting. This is an ongoing process to give all students access to an engaging, motivating learning environment which provides skills for 21st century life. Unfortunately there is a risk to a reform in education such as this. Focus on test results, and misunderstanding in the wider community about school ranking, means that the focus moves away from teaching students necessary skills. Schools easily become fixated on assessments and standardised testing, reverting to industrialised aged teaching methods such as rote learning and fact memorisation (Whitby, 2013). The focus of the third wave of the DEECD Towards Victoria as a Learning Community reform has a focus on students as individual learners. The possibilities of this reform include increased focus on personalised learning. Teachers need to know their students, know strengths, weaknesses and interests so that they can teach effectively (Pearson Education, 2013; Whitby, 2013). Students are more engaged when they consider what they are learning is relevant to their own lives. When students are engaged they stay positive about education, motivated to learn and continue with their schooling (OECD, 2006, Whitby, 2013). Personalised learning, and teaching methods that are student centred have been proved to be successful in Finland (Asia Society, 2013). Since 1860 when it was first proclaimed that every student should be offered education, and an ongoing aim that Finish education is for every student regardless of background or status, Finland became the highest performing school system in the world (Asia Society, 2013). Finish teachers are held in the highest esteem, and they abolished standardised testing, adopting a personalised learning system where teachers can teach creatively and students have the power to learn in different ways (Asia Society, 2013). The Victorian reform can give schools the autonomy to be able to achieve personalised learning. The aim is not to copy what Finland has done, as

they have a different society and economical drivers than Australia, however it is to learn from what has worked and adapt that to suit our society. For example, in Victoria, steps have been taken at various primary schools including Bellaire Primary School near Geelong. They have a focus on personalised learning, which is helped by purpose built open plan learning spaces. The changes they have initiated have increased both student and teacher satisfaction, and resulted in improvement in standard testing results (OECD, n.d.). The reform in both Finland and Victoria are the first steps, and there is potential to create a new world of learning, where a classroom is no longer a classroom and all Australian students have the opportunities and the access to become lifelong learners, learning where they want, what they want and how they want, but still learning the necessary skills to succeed in society in the future.

The Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC), formed in 2012, was formerly the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA), who developed the 2008 Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (Ministrial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA), 2008). This is an educational reform with two goals centred on improving the education outcomes for all young Australians. The goals are for Australian schools to promote equity and excellence, and for all young Australians to become successful learners, confident, creative individuals and active, informed citizens (MCEETYA, 2008). As a result of these goals it is expected that it will assist the social and economic prosperity of the nation, and give young people the opportunities to have fulfilling, productive and responsible lives (MCEETYA, 2008). SCSEEC is responsible to continue reform to achieve these goals. To do so SCSEEC oversees various education authorities and companies including Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)

and Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). Through these authorities SCSEEC works to improve primary education in all Australian schools. For primary school education there is the infrastructure, support and resources in place so schools can move forward in a positive manner. It is important that there is a high quality of teaching standards in every classroom as effective teaching impacts on student learning (Ronfeldt & Reininger, 2012; Mellor & Corrigan, 2004). The AITSL was developed as part of ongoing reform, providing leadership nationally to promote excellence in teaching as well as school leadership (AITSL). Emerging since 2010 AITSL has been working collaboratively to support and guide teachers to improve teaching standards (Young, Hall & Clark, 2007). On a local level AITSL provides Australian teachers with access to professional development resources and events, for example they have a comprehensive website teachers can access for information, and upcoming events. However, this is not so in all countries. The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) asks teachers in different countries questions, and uses this information to identify improvement opportunities, including professional development (OECD, 2013). When questioned about need for more professional development over 3/4 of teachers in Mexico (85%), Brazil (84%), Malaysia (83%), and Portugal (76%) want to participate in more professional development activities. (OECD, 2013). The barriers these teachers experience, include conflict with their schedule and a lack of suitable resources (OECD, 2013). This provides a challenge globally for ongoing reform. For reform to be successful and beneficial to student learning in primary schools there are a number of factors that need to be considered. One of these is the attitude of the teacher towards continuous improvement, change, personal development and collaboration. This is where AITSL provides guidance and support in Australia. The potential for ongoing reform within the authorities driven by SCSEEC, including AITSL, is continuous. In the future it is possible so that there can be global access to professional

development resources, 96% of teachers agreed that the NBN will increase their capacity for professional development and learning (IdeasLab, n.d.), and teachers in countries like Mexico and Portugal potentially could have the same access to improve teaching quality as Australian teachers do. Teachers could use their knowledge to not only share their professional knowledge with teachers in their own schools, but could have a global network of professional development collaborations they can access through the internet. The DEECD and SCSEEC reforms work together to provide the structure required for ongoing improvement in our schools. The DEECD is aimed directly at Victorian schools, while the SCSEEC covers all schools Australia wide.

Supporting the DEECD and SCSEEC reforms is the National Broadband Network (NBN), which has the potential to provide all Australian schools with the required internet access to support learning. The aim of the NBN is to improve the way people connect with one another through utilising the appropriate technology for every location throughout Australia. (NBNCo Limited, 2013). The NBN has the potential to provide primary education with access to tools to engage and motivate students, and for individualised learning. The access provides opportunities for students to learn skills, and be life-long learners (IdeasLab, n.d.; Whitby, 2013). The level of ICT in our lives is increasing and in turn it is important for schools to be on top of emerging technologies. Technology supports and provides opportunities for personalised learning, however, it needs to be addressed carefully and ethically to ensure all teachers are providing safe, inclusive and challenging learning environments for all students. The NBN has hit a roadblock with the recent change in government in Australia. NBNCo Limited (2013) website has a notice advising that some information may not be current and is under review pending new Government policy. Changes brought about by a new government may or may not affect the NBN in primary

education, but does make it an ongoing reform that is less sturdy than the DEECD or SCSEEC at this point in time. The NBN ongoing reform is necessary in primary education as students are engaged and motivated by technology, so allowing them to investigate and learn using ICT in the classroom they are not only learning successfully, but gaining 21st Century skills that will help them in the future (Pearson Education, 2013; Rebora, 2013). ICT allows individualised learning, and providing an environment where students take responsibility for their learning. 96% believe the NBN will allow students to achieve more and increase the quality of their work (IdeasLab, n.d.). A case study in Tasmanias St Peter Chanel Catholic School (NBNCo Limited, 2012) is a good example of emerging possibilities that the NBN can support. The fast internet speed allowed teachers, who previously struggled with restrictive slow speeds, to engage students through inquiry based learning. It has increased teacher learning using ICT, with teachers exploring iPads, Cloud applications and other options to support online learning. Students at this school now have access to more information and a global learning environment that they previously were left out of (NBNCo Limited, 2012). The NBN can also provide opportunities that 21st Century learners require to be successful in a globalised society. Globalisation has meant that fast, reliable internet access is required for schools to keep up with societal trends, for students to become global citizens and be a part of a global economy (Broadband Commission, 2013). Modern learners turn to technology and the internet to answer questions, especially outside the school environment (NBNCo Limited, 2012). On a global scale the internet provides learning opportunities and collaboration options that are difficult to achieve without a broadband network. For example, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) created The Broadband Commission for Digital Development in 2010, with the view that education brings sustainability to all development efforts. Investing in education is the best way to invest out

of poverty and in sustainable development (Broadband Commission, 2013). They aim to use technology to provide inclusive education opportunities in developing countries, and to bridge the gap between the ICT availability and use between these countries and OECD countries. For example in OECD member countries the ratio of computer to student is 8:1, but in developing countries, for example African countries, the ratio is 150 students to one computer (Broadband Commission, 2013). The commitment is to reduce this to 1:1, and improve the access, availability, speed and reliability of the broadband network, so that all students worldwide have the opportunity to compete in a technological advancing society. In primary school learners access the latest technology, and learn to be able to adapt and adopt new technologies as they come along. These skills and knowledge assist learners to develop the skills required in the competitive global job market of the 21st Century.

Ongoing reforms such as Towards Victoria as a Learning Community, AITSL and the NBN and emerging possibilities mean that students in primary education will benefit. They all create a learning environment that benefits students and teachers. The reforms provide the structure, guidance and resources, with the potential for improvement into the future. Through personalised learning, high quality teaching standards, and the use of current and emerging technologies primary school classrooms can engage and teach students 21st Century concepts and skills that will assist them throughout their lives.

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