Change: The Relationship of Education to Uncertainty

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

We live in uncertain times. This must be the catch cry of 2020. Fact is, the future is always going to be uncertain – that’s one thing we can be certain of. 

Uncertainty pervades our daily lives from global pandemics, to workforce insecurity. It affects us all. This raises the question, should the role of education be to prepare students for a lifetime of uncertainty?

In this episode, Professor of Education Lucas Walsh of Monash University questions our current relationship of uncertainty to education. Professor Walsh highlights the different types of uncertainty we see daily, and the implications of normalising and accepting them as something beyond our control as humans.

ABOUT LUCAS

Lucas is deeply passionate about exploring responses to the questions: what does the world beyond school look like for young people, and what types of education and training do they need to navigate it? He believes that education is a key driver of social and economic change, and indeed as the world keeps changing, so must the content and delivery of education to the next generation.

An investigator with Mark Rickinson on Monash University’s The Q Project (Quality Use of Evidence Driving Quality Education), much of Lucas’ research is centred around two themes. The first is youth transitions to employment and its implications on educators and policymakers. The second is how evidence can be used more effectively to support raising a new generation of informed and well-equipped young people.

Lucas has past work experience in corporate, government, higher education and not-for-profit sectors. He was a manager within the International Baccalaureate in the UK, has held four research fellowships and has briefed Australian State and Federal Ministers and senior policy advisers.