Canadian educator Lee Watanabe-Crockett was in Tamworth yesterday, where he spoke to several hundred teachers at Calrossy Anglican School about the skills today’s children need if they’re to flourish in the digital age.

“We’re talking about what’s happening in the world outside of school and how that’s transforming globally what schools have to do to respond to that,” he said.

“There’s a dramatic shift in the skills that are required for life outside school these days ... (and) it’s not just about curriculum – not just about NAPLAN or basic literacy and numeracy.

“If we don’t graduate kids with really deep, complex problem-solving skills, analytical thinking, creative skills, the ability to work with others in complex situations, both digitally, virtually and in person, we’re going to be creating a generation that’s going to be jobless.”

Mr Watanabe-Crockett said it was expected 40 per cent of jobs that exist in Australia today will disappear in the next 10 to 15 years.

“A whole different set of skills will be required ... so we’re asking what are those skills and how do we transform what we do in schools in order to cultivate those skills in students while still addressing the demands of the curriculum,” he said.

Teachers came from not only Calrossy, but also the likes of Oxley Vale, Nemingha and Nowendoc public schools, Muswellbrook High and the University of New England, to learn from the man who travels across a dozen different countries for much of the year, speaking to educators about how to provide the best opportunities for their students.

Mr Watanabe-Crockett said the best of Australian teachers were comparable with the best anywhere in the world, but he urged those in charge of education policy in Australia to think outside the square.

“Australia has to stop following what the rest of the world is doing,” he said.

Standardised assessment was an example of something that hadn’t been shown to improve educational outcomes anywhere in the world – “so why is this the focus”, he asked.

“If you’re going to measure students, then let’s measure what matters – literacy and numeracy are just two elements of the general capabilities, so the focus here has to be on what matters, and it’s beyond just the content of the curriculum,” Mr Watanabe-Crockett said.

He’s in Auckland today and Canberra tomorrow, but appreciates his regional visits as much as any.

“I’m willing to go anywhere where there’s a commitment to make a change – kids are kids and my commitment is to transform learning at a classroom level, to create a bright future for all ... children, not just the ones in capital cities.”