Scotch College

From the Principal

A Scotch education

During my recent study-leave I spent some time at Eton and Gordonstoun, two of Britain's best known Independent Schools. At each I caught up with Scotch Collegians enjoying exchange positions.

Rowland Melville (Year 10) was at Gordonstoun on a short term exchange with Nick Kendall who had spent term one at Scotch. As well as being enthusiastically involved in Gordonstoun's outdoor programme, Rowland found he was well able to cope academically among students preparing for the British General Certificate of Education. Not surprisingly, he identified the presence of girls as the major difference between boarding at Scotch and at Gordonstoun!

Dr Sydney Boydell, resplendent in the magnificent Eton teacher's attire of dress coat, wing collar and white bow tie was thoroughly enjoying his year long exchange at Eton. He and his family were making the most of the proximity of Europe during their holiday times. Eton's genuine antiquity, being over 550 years old, generates an almost overwhelming sense of tradition, but belies the educational vibrancy and standards of the College.

I was pleased to meet in Northern Ireland Simon Doherty ('96) who has so impressed Coleraine Academical Institution that another Scotch boy has been invited to spend a GAP year there in 1998.

Later in my leave, it was exciting to attend the presentation by Mr Greg Baker, Director of Computing at Scotch, and Dr Roger Slade, Senior Teacher - Curriculum, at the National Educational Computing Conference in Seattle, USA. Scotch was the only Australian school to give a paper at this conference of major international significance that attracted 7700 delegates. Incorporation of information technology at Scotch, across the curriculum at all ages, our reasoned mixture of classroom computers, laboratories, the use of portable computers by all boys in Years 11 and 12 and in class sets elsewhere were described. The presentation was received with great enthusiasm.

The continuing rapid development of computing technology and endeavours to utilise it to enhance teaching and learning are found as issues around the world. Several major computing companies are turning their attention to the education market, often through experimental school based projects. Some are also assisting schools in the essential task of developing skills of current teachers, most of whom were trained before the information technology revolution. My visit to Japan and the Silicon Valley region of the United States allowed an opportunity to observe and discuss the endeavours in these areas and also to be introduced to some of the exciting developments that should soon be released.

The rate of technological innovation shows no sign of easing, making it very important for schools to keep abreast of current technology and to develop appropriate strategies and skills for students and teachers. Just how we will be using computers in ten years time remains to be seen. It will certainly be as different then as today's practices are from those of a decade ago.

I believe that the main challenge for educators is to harness technology to determine the abilities, talents and interests of individual students and to provide tailored programmes for each to optimise those attributes. The progress of each student over time will be evaluated and recorded, and individually determined targets set, assessed and reported, allowing the development of proper 'value added' measures in schools.

Yet, in this era of technological progress, the unhappy circumstances faced by many young people in our community today, such as youth unemployment, adolescent depression, alcohol and drug abuse and frightening suicide statistics, remind us that the human aspect of life will never be dealt with by technology. The dimension of these issues, being experienced throughout the world, is a daunting challenge to us all to which parents, families and indeed the whole community must respond with determination.

As far as schools are concerned, those elements of an all round education, that recognise the spiritual dimension of our lives, and which encourage the development of the personality and the ability to relate to others, remain of paramount importance, in preparing young people for their futures. It is clear that academic pursuits, supported by a strong pastoral care programme and effective and varied sporting, cultural and service activities will remain as the basic formula that characterise a Scotch education, now and in the future.

Dr F G Donaldson