1. 21ST-CENTURY
LEARNERS DEMAND
POST-INDUSTRIAL
EDUCATION SYSTEMS
Dirk Van Damme
Head of the Innovation and Measuring
Progress division – OECD/EDU

2. SOME REFLECTIONS ON
TIME AND CHANGE IN
EDUCATION
1 2

3. “Education is only the image and reflection
of society. It imitates and reproduces the
latter…it does not create it”
Emile Durkheim
“Education is a social process. Education is
growth. Education is not a preparation for
life; education is life itself”
John Dewey
3

4. Time, continuity, change
• Durkheim – and „reproduction theories‟ after
him – sees education as a kind of „condensation‟
of a society‟s history, social structure etc., thus
following social change
• John Dewey – and progressive educators in his
footsteps – see education as driving social
change by stressing the transformative capacities
of education
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5. Questions
• Designing 21st Century education systems:
– Expansion: “more of the same”?
– Regression: „taylorism‟, tightening control, raising
productivity and efficiency by standardisation
– Transformation: innovative learning systems
approach to education
• How can best performing systems help us to
identify challenges and solutions?
5

6. INDUSTRIAL AND
POST-INDUSTRIAL
EDUCATION SYSTEMS:
SKILLS & PEDAGOGY
1 6

7. Industrial and post-industrial education compared
skills and pedagogy
Industrial Post-industrial
Cognitive skills Cognitive & non-cognitive skills
Discipline Character
Routine skills Non-routine skills
Curriculum centred Skills centred
Linear concepts of learning Non-linearity
„Learning to the test‟ „Joy of learning‟
Continuum from formal to
Formal education centred
informal learning
Evidence-poor teaching and Evidence-rich teaching and
learning environments learning environments
Pedagogy for selection of few Pedagogy of success of all
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8. Cognitive skills matter for life
(OECD/PIAAC data)
Odds ratios Has fair to poor health
2.6
Does not volunteer for
2.4 charity or non-profit
organizations
2.2 Poor understanding of
political issues facing
2.0 country
1.8 Poor level of general trust
1.6
Higher propensity of
1.4 believing people try to take
of advantage of others
1.2 Lower propensity to
reciprocate
1.0
Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Poor political efficacy
Odds are adjusted for age, gender, and immigration status.
8

9. But non-cognitive skills matter as well
(OECD/ESP data)
Causal effects of skills on health
1
0.9
0.8
∆Standard deviation
0.7
0.6
0.5 Alcohol dependency
0.4 Obesity
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Cognitive skills Non-cognitive skills
∆standard deviation in outcomes due to
∆standard deviation of skills 9
Source: ZEW 2012

10. Changing skill demand
Economy-wide measures of routine and non-routine task input (US)
Mean task input as percentiles of the 1960 task distribution
Routine manual
65
60 Nonroutine manual
55
Routine cognitive
50
45 Nonroutine analytic
40
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Nonroutine interactive
Source: Levy and Murnane, 2005
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11. Critical skills for the most innovative jobs
Likelihood (odds ratios) of reporting the following job requirements: people
in the most innovative jobs vs. least innovative jobs
come with news ideas/solutions 2.97
acquire new knowledge 2.44
willingness to question ideas 2.34
alertness to opportunities 2.24
present ideas in audience 2.18
analytical thinking 2.15
master of your own field 2.11
coordinate activities 2.05
write and speak a foreign language 2.02
use computers and internet 2.00
make your meaning clear 1.99
use time efficiently 1.98
mobilize capacities of others 1.97
work productively with others 1.95
write reports or documents 1.94
perform under pressure 1.81
knowledge of other fields 1.76
negociate 1.76
assert your authority 1.56
1.00 2.00 4.00
Source: OECD, based on REFLEX and HEGESCO data 11

12. Science scores and interest in science
are not always fostered simultaneously
640
LOW SCORE HIGH SCORE
HIGH INTEREST HIGH INTEREST
620
MEX
IDN
600
BRA CHL
580
Interest in science score
PRT
560
GRC
540 TUR RUS ESP HKG
ITA MAC
FRA
520 SVK DEU
HUN
ISR LUX AUT SVN JPN
500 POL BEL CHE EST
CZE
KOR
480 USA IRL
NOR CAN
ISL GBR AUS
460 DNK NZL
LOW SCORE FIN HIGH SCORE
SWE
LOW INTEREST NLD LOW INTEREST
440
380 400 420 440 460 480 500 520 540 560 580 600 620
PISA 2006 Science score
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13. Pedagogies matter...
OECD/PISA 2006 data
Science score Interest in Science score
0.3 0.3
0.25
0.25
20
0.2
0.2
0.15
0.15
0.1
8 0.1
0.05 4
1 3
0.05 6
0
-1 -2 -2
-0.05 0
0 -2 -1 -1
-0.1 -10
-0.05
-0.15
-0.1
-0.15
application hands-on interaction investigation
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14. Inadequate concepts
• Technology?
– Innovative pedagogies will be technology-rich, but
technology is a tool, not a goal in itself
– Technology can also lead to regressive pedagogy
• From teaching to learning?
– Also post-industrial education will need strong
professionalised support
– Autonomous learning can be very ineffective
• From schooling to learning?
– De-institutionalisation of learning is not an option
– 21st century learning needs strong institutional frameworks
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15. INDUSTRIAL AND
POST-INDUSTRIAL
EDUCATION SYSTEMS:
ORGANISATION
2 15

16. Industrial and post-industrial education compared
organisation
Industrial Post-industrial
Educational provision Supported learning
Standardisation and uniformity Personalisation and flexibility
Focused on the median Fostering all talents
Confined in time and space Time and space independent
Bureaucratic control Devolved local responsibility
Vertical accountability Horizontal accountability
Capacity at the top Capacity at point of delivery
Reform by prescription Schools and teachers reform
Teachers as administrators Teachers as professionals
Management Leadership
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17. Accountability
Vertical
Regulatory
accountability
School
performance
accountability
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18. Accountability
Professional
accountability
Horizontal
Multiple stakeholder
accountability
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19. INDUSTRIAL AND
POST-INDUSTRIAL
EDUCATION SYSTEMS:
SYSTEM
3 19

20. Industrial and post-industrial education compared
system
Industrial Post-industrial
Weak research evidence base Strong research evidence base
Weak innovation in education Very innovative education sector
Low knowledge dynamics High knowledge dynamics
Schools as services Schools as learning organisations
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21. Research as engine of innovation
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22. Education is poor in innovating
technology and tools
70 Sector innovation index for process, instruments and tools
60
50
41
40 35.6
30
20
10
0
Source: Paul (2007)
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23. New teachers act not as innovators in
the profession (OECD/TALIS data)
Constructivist beliefs - Experienced teachers Constructivist beliefs - New teachers
Direct transmission beliefs - Experienced teachers Direct transmission beliefs - New teachers
0.5
Ipsative means
0.0
-0.5
Italy
Denmark
Hungary
Estonia
Austria*
Spain
Portugal
Norway
Poland*
Turkey*
Ireland*
Brazil
Lithuania
Malaysia
Malta
Slovak Republic
Iceland
Australia
Korea
Bulgaria
Slovenia
Mexico
Belgium (Fl.)*
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24. Thank you !
dirk.vandamme@oecd.org
www.oecd.org/edu/ceri
twitter @VanDammeEDU
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