La Salle Academy Publications

Number 5

AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

Deep Learning, Thriving Lives The attributes of Catholic school graduates Dr Michael Bezzina

June 2020

A Stained glass window (detail); Terrance Plowright, ACU Art Collection. Contents

Foreword 1 Introduction 2 The 6Cs 3 Other frameworks for graduate attributes 5 The graduate of the Catholic school 8 Church documents and the graduate of the Catholic school 8 How Catholic schools describe the attributes of the graduate 8 Why capabilities are not enough 11 Beyond the list: The challenges ahead 12 References 13

B Foreword

Deep Learning, Thriving Lives: The attributes of Catholic school graduates

It was announced in December 2019 creating employees than it is about a worldview that develops graduates and happened without much flourish developing persons and citizens. There who will be committed to ‘building a in February 2020. A separate Federal is no question that schooling will have civilisation of love.’ government department for education failed if it does not prepare young In this scholarly, provocative paper, was to be no more, with this portfolio people for productive and meaningful the fifth in the La Salle Publications to be combined with employment to employment, but it is surely more than series, Dr Michael Bezzina wrestles form the new Department of Education this. What we need to guard against is with these issues and proposes a way Skills and Employment. It was part what Harvard University’s Professor forward. It is our hope that this paper of a government commitment to Michael Sandel calls the drift from the will help shape further conversations reduce bureaucracy and streamline market economy to the market society. among Catholic educators when the delivery of services. Despite the It is imperative that we have strong considering what’s different about a significance of this merger there was market economies to aid effective and Catholic education, and what success little objection and none that had sustainable productive activity, but indicators might look like when it any effect. The profundity of what Sandel asserts that market economies comes to Catholic school graduates. happened was summed up in the no longer exist to serve society but that thoughtful intervention of Senator they have become what totally defines Mehreen Faruqi who insisted: our society. This paradigm thinking is “Education is a public good essential hard to escape and yet if our Catholic to building a socially and economically schools are to offer anything, they just society, not just an avenue to must produce something more than employment or profit – it demands a graduates fit for employment alone. standalone focus.” What sort of people they will be in In creating this new department our their employment matters, as does the Australian government is structurally type of partners, parents, colleagues Professor Br David Hall fms imbedding what seems to be happening and friends they will be to those Dean across all too many countries, where with whom they live and work. We La Salle Academy education is aligned with the economy cannot tack our Catholic beliefs and as distinct from the society. What is practices on the edge of a good secular inherent in this model is a utilitarian education. Our way of educating must understanding of the human person, ensure that everything that makes as distinct from one that enshrines up the education experience in a the dignity of every human being. Catholic school is imbued with an It is as if education is more about anthropological understanding and

1 Introduction

This work began as a paper different factors. Fullan and Quinn Schools and Knowledge Society (2018) commissioned by Brisbane Catholic (2016) name three major forces that which canvassed CEOs of Australian Education (BCE) as part of its system relate directly to education which are businesses, also named automation, renewal of learning. A core element driving a need for change in schooling: globalisation and the “gig economy” of this work has been to pursue what the urgency created by the pace of as factors which should shape future Fullan and Quinn (2016) and Fullan, change and the fact that currently educational provision. Within this Quinn and McEachen (2017) describe schools lag in their response, leading spectrum of commentary there is a as “Deep Learning”, with an explicit students to view the experience of certain consistency about the factors focus on what might be described as schooling as boring; the emerging which have been identified as pushing “graduate expectations”. Fullan, Hill, knowledge base about what works us towards change. We should be and Rincón-Gallardo (2017) define in teaching and learning; and the careful, though, to appreciate that deep learning as being: increased appreciation of how the among all these factors there is a “In a nutshell, deep learning is capacity of school systems might be strong focus on the graduate as about individuals and groups really harnessed to facilitate improvement. employee, perhaps to the neglect of understanding and engaging in Casting the net more widely to a consideration of the graduate as something that is important to them, embrace perspectives on the trends person. Significantly, only one of and of value to the world. It uses the which will be important over the sources named above, the Alice changing world as the crucible of the next ten or more years, The Springs Mparntwe Declaration, makes continuous transformation.” (p2). Ministerial Council for Employment, direct mention of recent international developments in government and In The Future of Education and Skills: Education, Training and Youth politics, with a significant shift Education 2030, the OECD (2018, Affairs (MCEETYA, 2008) named towards autocracy and illiberalism, p2) poses the compelling question: global integration and international and a growing disregard for the rule “What knowledge, skills, attitudes mobility, the growth of Asian of law. If we seek to develop informed and values will today’s students need influence, globalisation, technological and active citizens, they need to be to thrive and shape the world?” Of change, and environmental issues. equipped to appreciate, and respond particular interest in this question is To this catalogue, the Education to, these trends. the use of the word shape. It positions Council (2019), in its revision of the the learner not as a passive recipient goals for young Australians in the This paper begins with a brief of learning - as having to cope with a Mparntwe Statement, added factors treatment of the concept of deep world beyond their control, but as an such as “information abundance” and learning, and in particular the role active shaper of that world, who, in the questions of trust and authenticity. of graduate attributes (which Fullan words of the OECD, will not simply Mark Scott (2018), Secretary of the and Quinn treat as clarity of learning survive, but will thrive in the world NSW Department of Education, in an goals). It provides an overview of they help to shape. Catholic educators ‘op ed’ piece in the Sydney Morning some of the major schools of thought continue to be challenged by the Herald, and Andreas Schleicher (2018) in the secular domain with respect to question of how their graduates will in the foreword to the previously graduate attributes, before examining be distinctive, and thereby live in and cited Education 2030 report, both the (limited) available Catholic shape their communities. named a combination of globalisation perspectives on this issue. Finally, and technological innovation. In the report proposes a language and In order to frame a sense of what addition, Lucas (2016) points to a framework for the consideration graduates will need in order to be global warming, displaced persons of graduate attributes in Catholic persons who actively shape their and religious animosities as well as schools which responds to some of the world, and who thrive in that world, the rate of change in technology, currents in today’s society, and some it is important to develop a sense of science and the arts. A recent study indicators for the way forward. the forces already at work in shaping by the Association of Independent that future. Different sources identify

2 The 6Cs

Deep Learning is one of four principal elements DEEPENING LEARNING Clarity of learning goals of coherence in the work Precision in pedagogy CULTIVATING COLLABORATIVE COURSES of Fullan and Quinn Shift practices through (2016). The others are capacity building focusing direction, Learning leadership Collaborative work Culture of growth cultivating collaborative Capacity building cultures and securing accountability. The LEADERSHIP focus in this paper is limited to Deepening Internal accountability Learning. External accountability SECURING ACCOUNTABILITY We have previously shared the definition of Deep Learning developed FOCUSING DIRECTION by Fullan, Hill and Rincon-Gallardo Purpose driven (2017). In order to situate the Goals that impact discussion of the graduate attributes, Clarity of strategy it will be helpful to outline in brief Change leadership the perspective of Fullan and Quinn (2016) on deep learning, of which clarity of learning goals is but a single Figure 1: The Coherence Framework, Fullan and Quinn (2016) element. The other two key elements are precision in pedagogy, and, CREATIVITY CRITICAL THINKING shifting practice through capacity Having an ‘entrepreneurial eye’ for Critically evaluating information building. Given their interdependence, economic and social opportunities, and arguments, seeing patterns and they form the core of what might asking the right inquiry questions to connections, constructing meaningful be described as an ecology of deep generate novel ideas, and leadership to knowledge, and applying it in the real learning. pursue those ideas and turn them into world. Fullan and Quinn argue that concepts action. like 21st century learning skills have CHARACTER been treated largely by way of lip COMMUNICATION Learning to deep learn, armed with service and are lacking in specificity. Communicating effectively with a the essential character traits of grit, As a way of remedying this weakness variety of styles, modes, and tools tenacity, perseverance, and resilience; by being clearer about learning goals (including digital tools), tailored for a and the ability to make learning an they have adopted six competencies range of audiences. integral part of living. (defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “The ability to do CITIZENSHIP COLLABORATION something successfully or efficiently”) which they refer to as “the six Cs”. “The Thinking like global citizens, Work interdependently and traditional basics are not sufficient” considering global issues based on a synergistically in teams with strong they argue (2016, p88). “Future deep understanding of diverse values interpersonal and team‐related skills generations need also the 6Cs if they and worldviews, and with a genuine including effective management are to thrive”. These New Pedagogies interest and ability to solve ambiguous of team dynamics and challenges, for Deep Learning include: and complex real‐world problems that making substantive decisions together, impact human and environmental and learning from and contributing to sustainability. the learning of others.

3 These 6Cs take the commonly used 4Cs of creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication, and extend them by including citizenship and character. The language used to describe the original four competencies provides an explicit description of the behaviour we would see if the learner were expressing the competency in action. For example, collaboration is described in terms of the learner working with others. On the other hand, citizenship is described in terms of the way the learner thinks or is interested, and character in terms of character traits and ability. Neither describes the actions of a citizen, or of a person of character. Interestingly, while citizenship includes an understanding of a range of values, none of the 6Cs makes any mention of having, and living by, a personal set of ethics or values. Deep learning is certainly facilitated by a clarity of purpose. In the absence of pedagogy which is tailored to these purposes, and processes to build the capacity of the teachers charged with promoting these purposes, schools will continue to be left with one more piece of high rhetoric, and another set of unrealised aspirations. While the 6Cs have been adopted formally by over 1400 schools in seven countries, they are only one of the widely used frameworks which describe the attributes of an educated person. The next section of the report provides an overview and synthesis of several of the other significant models that are currently being used by schools and systems.

4 Other frameworks for graduate attributes

Many schools and systems have As might be expected, there is a domains such as science, humanities, developed their own sets of graduate degree of commonality across these arts etc. The next attribute (in attributes. The development of this diverse frameworks. At the same five frameworks) is most readily type of framework has value in its own time, there is sufficient diversity to understood as ICT. Interestingly, the right as a way of engaging educators make comparisons difficult. Table Victorian Curriculum and Assessment with the fundamental question of 1 is an attempt to map the eight Authority explicitly chose not to name clarifying purpose. However, this frameworks named here in a matrix. this as a capability in its own right, report restricts its focus to a survey Because of its currency, the 6Cs are arguing that it is a key element of of graduate frameworks which have a used as an organising construct. The many other capabilities. The third, in currency that reaches beyond a single categorisation of the various elements four frameworks in some form, could school. While not claiming to be an is subjective and masks much of the be labelled Cultural and Intercultural exhaustive list, the following projects detail in the different frameworks. Understanding. At a time when provide a representative sample of Notwithstanding, its intent is simply terrorism and the forced movement of those which inform thinking in the to provide a high-level overview of peoples have come so much to the fore contemporary English-speaking world. thinking in order to identify those of consciousness, it is arguable that a • The Australian Curriculum domains in which the attributes of focus on this domain has much to offer Assessment and Reporting graduates are named most consistently. individuals, and society at large. Authority (ACARA, n.d.) Leaving to one side the detail of each An approach to identifying the • The Victorian Curriculum and set of attributes, the first observation attributes of graduates which builds Assessment Authority (VCAA, n.d.) from Table 1 is that there is a high on the 6Cs has the advantage of degree of support for five of the 6Cs. both currency and familiarity. The • Educating Ruby/Learning Power Citizenship is not mentioned explicitly insights of this analysis yield a new, (Claxton & Lucas, 2015) in any of the nine frameworks used expanded framework with eight Cs • P21 (Partnership for 21st Century in this report. (One reason could (or eight, if we follow the example of Learning, n.d.) be that the attributes connected VCAA by embedding ICT). Our new • Big Picture Learning (BPL, n.d.) with citizenship find expression in set becomes: Collaboration, Critical • MyWays (New Generation character as well, and perhaps more Thinking, Communication, Creativity, Learnings Challenge, 2017) fundamentally). Character, Core Knowledge, and, Cultural and Intercultural • OECD Learning Framework There are eight clusters of attributes Understanding (and perhaps (OECD, 2018) which appear in a number of frameworks. Three of these are Information and Communication • Hewlett Foundation: Deeper present in at least three of the eight Technologies). Learning Competencies. (Hewlett referenced frameworks. The most Foundation, 2013) common (in seven frameworks) might • Alice Springs (Mparntwe) be labelled Core Knowledge and Declaration (Education Council, includes literacy and numeracy per 2019) se, as well as traditional knowledge

5 TABLE 1: COMPARISON OF GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE FRAMEWORKS 6Cs ACARA VCAA EDUCATING RUBY/ P21 BIG PICTURE MY WAYS OECD HEWLETT ALICE SPRINGS

LEARNING POWER *These are all elements of the LEARNING *These are all elements of the (MPARNTWE) broader category “Learning and broader category “Creative Know DECLARATION Innovation Skills”. The others are How”. The others are broad broad categories. categories. (This is a far more detailed statement than others,and so the entries below do not address its depth)

Collaboration Personal and Social Personal and Social Collaboration Collaboration Personal Qualities Communication and Interact in Work Collaboratively Maintain healthy Capability Capability Collaboration* Heterogeneous Groups relationships Reconcile Tensions and Are able to collaborate Dilemmas

Critical Thinking Critical and Creative Critical and Creative Critical Thinking and Empirical Reasoning Critical Thinking and Think Critically and Solve Are able to think deeply Thinking Thinking Problem Solving* Problem Solving* Complex Problems and logically and obtain and evaluate evidence

Creativity Critical and Creative Critical and Creative Creativity Creativity and Creativity and Create New Value Are creative, innovative Thinking Thinking Curiosity Innovation* Entrepreneurship* and resourceful

Communication Literacy Communication Communication

Citizenship Are committed to national values of democracy, equity, justice Participate in Australia’s civic life Understand their responsibilities as global citizens.

Character Ethical Understanding Ethical Understanding Confidence Personal Qualities Habits of Success Act Autonomously Act with moral and Commitment Take Responsibility ethical integrity Have a sense of self-worth and personal identity

Cultural and Intercultural Intercultural Social Reasoning Appreciate Australia’s Intercultural Understanding Understanding rich social, cultural, Understanding religious and linguistic diversity

Core Knowledge Numeracy Core Subjects Core Subjects and 21st Quantitative reasoning Content knowledge Master Core Academic Have essential skills in Literacy Century Themes Content literacy and numeracy

Information and Information and Information, Media and Information, Media and Use Tools Interactively Are productive Communication Communication Technology Skills Technology Skills and skilled users of Technologies Technologies technology as a vehicle for information gathering and sharing, and are able to adapt to emerging technologies.

Wayfinding Abilities

Craftsmanship

Learn How to Learn

Develop Academic Mindsets

Are able to “manage their emotional, mental, cultural, spiritual and physical wellbeing”. Are resilient

Have empathy for the circumstances of others and work for the common good.

All of the examples used in this section of the report have come from what might be described as ‘secular’ scholarship and practice. For those involved in Catholic education, these attributes of graduates must be considered necessary, but not sufficient, in the realisation of the aspirations of Catholic schooling

6 7 The graduate of the Catholic school

How, then, are we to identify the & Townend, 2018). This document Hall et al., 2018, p18, 19) identifies an desirable attributes of the graduate provides a detailed lexical analysis appreciation of the “true value of the of the Catholic school? There are of the key themes of the nine key human person”, and “a critical sense two approaches to answering this documents on Catholic education which examines statements rather question. released between 1965 and 2017. One than accepting them blindly.” While The first is to explore the relevant of the challenges of these documents the 1998 document The Catholic Church documents about the Catholic is the tension that exists (at times) School on the Threshold of the Third school. These Pre, Conciliar and Post- between the avowed commitment to Millennium reinforces strongly the Conciliar documents are built on a ”receptivity of students other than inclusiveness of the Catholic school clear sense of a Catholic anthropology, Catholic” (Hall et al., 2018, p.3) and to all, and especially the “poor and in which humanity’s creation in the an approach that generally reflects the marginalised”, it has nothing image of God is central, as God is an assumption that all students are explicit to say about its hopes for these revealed through us. The second is Catholic. This is a challenge to which students, other than the development to locate examples where others have this report will return. of “the whole man(sic)” (in Hall et al., named the attributes of Catholic Like the previously cited Catholic 2018, p21). graduates explicitly. school system document, the Vatican In 2013, the theme of inclusiveness documents are more concerned with and engagement was continued in CHURCH DOCUMENTS AND THE Catholic schools and what they are Educating to Intercultural Dialogue GRADUATE OF THE CATHOLIC doing than with their students and in Catholic Schools, initiating in SCHOOL what they are learning. In the analysis “the dialogue of life young people The first type of document on which of themes (Hall et al., 2018), state that of different religions and social attention was focused was Catholic not surprisingly, “school” is one of the backgrounds” and naming the system statements on the identity of most consistent themes. On the other importance of “awareness of one’s own the Catholic school. Most dioceses hand, ‘students’ figure as one of the faith identity” (Hall et al., 2018, p23). or state commissions have some four major themes in only two of the All in all, Church documents (either form of statement about identity. A nine documents - and in the concept from the Vatican Magisterium, or sample of typical statements would maps of these documents, the student locally) yielded little by way of insight include those by Queensland Catholic theme showed limited overlap with into the attributes being sought Education Commission (n.d.), Catholic other themes. Nonetheless, there in graduates of Catholic schools. Education Commission Victoria (n.d.), is across the range of documents a Those insights that can be gleaned Catholic Schools Office, Diocese of small number of statements which can be summed up, perhaps, as Lismore (n.d.), and Catholic Education provide some insight into the Church’s seeking a knowledge of the faith Commission Western Australia (2019). aspirations for its students. tradition, a personal spirituality, While it is possible to deduce, from The Second Vatican Council engagement with society, critical the attributes of the Catholic school, Declaration on Christian Education thinking, and interfaith/intercultural the attributes that might be seen as (1965, in Hall et al., 2018, p12) understanding. While this analysis desirable for students, the student speaks of the “Christian mind”, and has revealed somewhat limited is not treated explicitly in these of, “moulding men (sic) … ready to attention to the attributes of Catholic documents. Attributes which may be undertake weighty responsibilities in school graduates, there is, however, deduced, though, are a knowledge of society and witness to the faith in the an additional source of insight into the Catholic faith tradition; a lived world”. The Catholic School (1977, in the aspirations of Catholic schools for faith and spirituality; a connection to Hall et al., 2018, p14) speaks of helping their graduates. This is to be found in community; interfaith understanding; students achieve an “integration the work done by Catholic educators and, self-direction in learning. of faith, life and culture”, and of and scholars themselves. The review turned next to the rich equipping them to adopt an approach collection of Vatican documents of “critical and personal analysis”. HOW CATHOLIC SCHOOLS related to Catholic education and Elsewhere (Hall et al., 2018, p15) DESCRIBE THE ATTRIBUTES schooling. This activity was assisted students are to be “equipped to make OF THE GRADUATE CHURCH tremendously by a report on Conciliar their own positive contribution, in a DOCUMENTS AND THE GRADUATE and Post-Conciliar documents on spirit of cooperation to the building up The preoccupation in Vatican sources the Catholic school published by of secular society”. with the school rather than the the Australian Catholic University, The 1988 document The Religious student was apparent in a search La Salle Academy (Hall, Sultmann Dimension of the Catholic School (in for examples of widely used profiles

8 of graduate attributes. This search Catholic School (Parramatta Catholic Schools Network, 2015) as Profile of revealed that a small number of Schools Board, 1996). It is a document the Graduate at Graduation. individual schools have created that has remained unrevised for years, Building on the example of the their own profiles of the graduate, and is no longer in use, but provides analysis in Section 3 of this report, however, these provide a somewhat a useful historical point of reference. this section will use the resultant tenuous basis for generalisation given The second is a Canadian document 8Cs as a reference point for mapping the narrow base on which they have (Institute for Catholic Education, the graduate attributes identified in been built; the limited period over 2011). Ontario Catholic School the analysis of Church documents which they have been applied; and the Graduate Expectations is a revision of in Section 4.1 and the three Catholic fact that they relate to only a single the original 1998 document. The third systemic graduate documents school community. In fact, only three was produced initially in 1980 by the identified in this section, as a way of frameworks could be located which Jesuit Education Alliance of America identifying patterns and priorities avoided these limitations. The first (now the Jesuit Schools Network), and among the desirable attributes of of these was The Graduate of the updated reasonably recently (Jesuit graduates of Catholic schools.

TABLE 2: COMPARISON OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE FRAMEWORKS 8Cs CHURCH PARRAMATTA ONTARIO JESUITS DOCUMENTS (This framework has over 90 individual indicators, and the categories are not an easy match)

Collaboration Interpersonal Skills Collaborative Contributor

Critical Thinking Critical Thinking Intellectually Competent

Creativity Reflective, Creative and Holistic Thinker

Communication Effective Communicator

Character Self-Image Self-Directed, Open to Growth Outlook Responsible and Life- Long Learner

Core Knowledge Knowledge of the Faith Academically Equipped Intellectually Competent Tradition Religious

Cultural And Interfaith and Intercultural Intercultural Understanding Understanding

ICT Embracing Technological Change

Citizenship Engagement with Secular Social Conscience Responsible Citizen Committed to Doing Society Knowledge of Global Justice Issues Better Society Understanding of Society

Living a Personal Christian Faith Discerning Believer Religious Spirituality Development Integration of Faith with Life Catholic Identity

Caring Family Member Loving

Work Experienced

9 A cursory examination of the attributes of the graduate of Catholic schools, Thus, an expanded set of attributes presented in Table 2 highlights a the clarification of goals of which which reflects appropriately the paradox that was previously noted in Fullan and Quinn (2016) write, should identity of Catholic schools are: terms of the Church documents, and is neither have two sets of attributes, • Collaboration a very real tension in practice. That is, nor one set with two categories. • Communication that while the discourse about Catholic Where appropriate, the insights of the schools as schools for all is abundantly Catholic faith should find a place in • Critical Thinking clear in the Church documents, and an elaboration of the capabilities that • Creativity certainly in the enrolment of non- would be expected of the graduate of • Character Catholics in significant numbers in any school. Thus, for example, the Core • Citizenship Catholic schools, the treatment of Knowledge of a student in a Catholic graduate attributes is very firmly school would include knowledge of • Core Knowledge situated in the notion of the student as the Catholic faith. Engagement with • Cultural and Intercultural not only a Catholic, but a committed questions of justice and ethics as Understanding Catholic. Here is the challenge. If part of Character would be informed • Catholic Spirituality and Worldview aspirations are framed generically by a Catholic world view, and so on. (i.e., fitting for all students regardless Interestingly, the Catholic sources used A word of caution needs to be offered of their faith) educators run the risk in this exercise all identified various as to the use of lists such as this. of being seen to be watering down aspects of citizenship in a way that was All of these concepts are deeply the Catholic identity. If Catholic not so clearly evident in the Table 1 interconnected, and their significance school educators simply act as if all analysis of more general frameworks. It may well best be understood in that students were Catholic, it is arguable is evident that it needs to be reinstated interactivity. For example, Sultmann that they are failing to respond to as a key attribute. However, the generic and Brown (2019, p. 159) write of their individual needs as we would framework cannot capture adequately the concept of relational agency. in any other domain of the school, the work of the Catholic school in the Some sense of its rich meaning can and are running the risk of failing to spiritual domain. This attribute might be gathered from the brief quotation acknowledge and act upon the personal be labelled: Catholic Spirituality and below, in which one can hear echoes of spiritual journeys of students who are Worldview. collaboration, communication, cultural other than Catholic. At a time where and intercultural understanding, and Thus, having surveyed a range of character - to name a few. much is made of the evangelising perspectives on those graduate role of Catholic schools, this is simply attributes which constitute our goals Relational agency (Edwards 2005) not good practice, being open to the for schooling, the paper arrives at a draws from quality relationships with accusation that, far from being serious position where a synthesis into a set others (teachers, parents, students) about evangelisation, schools are of ‘9Cs’ is conceivable. This is pursued within social and cultural tools simply using non-Catholics to “make through building on the six attributes (traditions and values) that assist in up the numbers”. This report does not already familiar to educators through the mediation of agency. From this attempt to untangle this particular the work of Fullan and Quinn, shown perspective, relational agency increases knot, but it is a matter worthy of to be defensible through mapping them the pathways, solutions and options that significant attention by Catholic against other learning frameworks facilitate student engagement and self- educators. In the time-honoured (Table 1). The process resulted in direction in the multicultural, complex tradition of catering for the majority, adding two (at this stage, ICT is being and pluralistic nature of schooling. the discussion of the distinctly considered as an embedded capability) It may seem that in the identification of “Catholic” elements of our graduate additional “Cs” to the list. Taking this our list of attributes, our work is done. aspirations is premised on a view of forward and repeating the process of Not so. This report has consistently the student as being at least positively mapping against Church documents used the word ‘attribute’ to describe disposed to Catholic teachings, a and three widely used frameworks in these qualities to which we aspire. It is, Catholic worldview and a spirituality Catholic education, it follows that these in fact, more usual to use the language informed by Catholic tradition. could be mapped against a new set of of ‘capability’ or ‘competency’. Why A closer examination of the map of attributes, requiring only the addition then the preference for ‘attribute’? The frameworks in Table 2 reveals that, of a single new distinctive attribute. next section explains. as we might have hoped, there is significant overlap between what might loosely be described as the secular and religious perspectives on attributes of graduates. Interestingly, the Alice Springs Statement (2019), a document for all, makes explicit mention of the spiritual dimension of the person, as noted in Table 1. The work of education is work for the whole person, not a separation between “the main business of the school” and some other “religious” element. This insight leads to the conclusion that in a comprehensive view of the attributes

10 Why capabilities are not enough

Once we choose to consider those The people Nichols identifies are the we meritocrats lack — a civic attributes which are essential for products of an education system whose consciousness, a sense that we live life graduates of our schools from the rhetoric, like ours, has traditionally been embedded in community and nation, point of view of graduate as person and full of noble sentiments like citizenship, that we owe a debt to community and citizen, rather than simply employee, democracy, respect for the law, and nation and that the essence of the and to view our ambitions for them as logic and critical thinking. Barack admirable life is community before self.” being to help them become shapers of Obama is reported (Snow, 2018) to The issue would seem to be not that their world who can thrive (rather than have warned in a speech in Sydney, that significant groups in our society don’t simply survive), a new set of imperatives we can no longer take the benefits of know how to reason logically or make begins to emerge. These imperatives liberal democracies for granted. And in ethical judgements. It would seem take us beyond capability and into case we are tempted to believe this is a that they actively choose not to, or to action. The reasons for which this is uniquely American affliction, we should tolerate leaders who take that option. important are demonstrated in the consider some instances from our own While recognising the fundamental following short commentary on some Australian public life. nature of literacy and numeracy, and of the current realities to which our Minor parties in Australia have the significance of the various lists of students are exposed, and in particular effectively commandeered the balance capabilities that we can include in our the dimension of trust and authenticity of power. Their situation is based, for treatment of graduate expectations named in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) the most part, on finding a comfortable (creativity, collaboration, critical Declaration (2019). home for many of the same views thinking and the like), we cannot be Tom Nichols, Professor of National described in the US. And while our satisfied as educators if our graduates Security Affairs at the US Naval College major parties and their leadership have can demonstrate that they can solve wrote, in his provocatively titled The not travelled quite so far down the US theoretical ethical dilemmas or mount Death of Expertise (2017, p. x): road, we could (and certainly should) a logical argument. They need to go “Something is going terribly wrong. ask ourselves as educators how it is that beyond potential to habits of behaviour The US is now a country obsessed with as a nation we have not risen in protest that enable them to live out a coherent the worship of its own ignorance. It’s at the treatment of asylum seekers. Or and defensible values position, choosing not just that people don’t know a lot if we argue that we need more time, to apply their capabilities in a rapidly about science or politics or geography why as a society we continue after more evolving reality. The outside observer … the bigger problem is that we’re than two centuries to tolerate the gaps should be able to say, not that our proud of not knowing things … that exist between non-Aboriginal life graduates have a particular capability, The foundational knowledge of the expectancy and that of our Aboriginal but that they live it. It is a personal average American is now so low that brothers and sisters. Or to consider attribute that one associates with it has crashed through the floor of a more recent situation, how it is them. Thus, our focus should be on the “uninformed”, passed “misinformed” on that the extreme views of a few with graduate, not the capability. Our journey the way down and is now plummeting respect to climate change (in the face of of discernment has given rise to 9Cs - towards “aggressively wrong”. overwhelming evidence) seem to have always keeping in mind that an integral paralysed the exercise of good sense. Catholic education reflects its deep Nichols is commenting specifically on Educators with a view to the future need religious identity across all dimensions, the significant numbers of Americans to remind themselves that the people not just the one we have labelled Catholic who wear their unfounded beliefs as who shape, or acquiesce to situations Spirituality and Worldview. a badge of honour, denying climate like these are the products of our change, resisting gun control, and The graduate of a Catholic school; Australian education system (and not a clinging to nationalistic rhetoric few of them, Catholic education). • Is Collaborative to be their salvation in the face of • Is an Effective Communicator compelling evidence to the contrary. David Brooks (2018), in an opinion Nichols goes on to say that they also piece for the New York Times, ascribes • Is a Critical Thinker demonstrate a diminishing capacity to some of these matters to the emergence • Is Creative of a commitment to a meritocracy in apply moral perspectives to decisions. • Is a Person of Character Moreover, senior politicians are said which understandings of self, autonomy, • Is an Engaged Citizen to demonstrate this very lack of logical intelligence, diversity and institutions or ethical basis for decisions, and yet have become exaggerated or misplaced. • Draws on Core Knowledge a significant proportion of the US He concludes with this thought: • Is Culturally and Religiously electorate continues to give them their “The essential point is this: Those Understanding support. dim witted, stuck up blue bloods in • Has a Catholic Spirituality and the old establishment had something Worldview.

11 Beyond the list: The challenges ahead

Clearly the 9Cs in their current form been prioritised. The New Pedagogies are only the skeleton of a fully-fledged for Deep Learning initiative, framework. They will benefit from mentioned elsewhere in this paper, has further work, drawing on the insights developed continua for each of the six of the material dealt with briefly in “Cs”. Accessing these leaves interested this report, and ideally engaging teachers with the challenging task practitioners in making sense of how of ‘retrofitting’ them to a national they might be significant in the lives of curriculum which, for all its rhetoric students in Catholic schools. However, about capabilities is still, at least in naming - and even elaborating - a set practice, content bound. of attributes is but the beginning of a Making a commitment to deeper major process of changed practice and learning in the next stage of our culture. Referring to their 6Cs, Fullan journey of improvement will challenge and Quinn (2016, p. 92) note that: us to continue focusing direction, “We are shifting from measuring what building collaborative cultures and is easy to measuring what matters. securing accountability in its broadest …. We need to be able to define and and richest sense. It will call for a measure these (competencies)”. It is sharpening of focus while building at this point that the best-intentioned on the work to date. It will call for attempts at deeper, more authentic the creation of a more nuanced and learning can flounder. The odds elaborated sense of the learning are stacked in favour of measures that matters. It will require skilled of literacy and numeracy. They are work in finding natural “homes” in an easy currency, much loved by the existing syllabuses within which the media and the politicians, and to privilege the 9Cs. It will require invested with the burden of being pedagogies that are precise in new the de facto measure of learning ways - ways that build on what has success for schools and students. The been learned in literacy and numeracy, challenge is to find the time and the yet go beyond these. It will call for commitment to developing measures monitoring of progress with tools that which assist learning, rather than in some cases do not yet exist. It will impede it with their demands on call for the system wide commitment teacher time and attention. to capacity building to be maintained The kinds of measures which are and refocused. This looks daunting garnering attention in the discussion but dealing with the consequences of of deeper learning are based on inaction will present our society with progressions, or continua - verbal greater challenges still. Above all, it descriptions of what students should will call for Catholic educators to find know and be able to do at particular new and better ways to respond to the points on a particular learning exhortation of the Congregation for journey. For example, ACARA has Catholic Education (2017, n. 29), that made provision for them in the Catholic educators should: “give a soul Australian Curriculum, but a careful to our ever-changing global world ...to examination of the online syllabi the priority of building a “civilization reveals that many of the links to of love”. continua in fact, lead nowhere, or are incomplete. The work has simply not

12 Dr Michael Bezzina is an Adjunct Professor at ACU. After a career as teacher, academic and school and system leader (most recently as Director of Teaching and Learning in Sydney Catholic Schools), he set up his own consultancy, providing services in the domains of system leadership, leadership development and the leadership of learning. In the last couple of years he has worked with Catholic educators right across Australia and in Papua New Guinea and Europe, and has worked with the La Salle Academy in leading overseas professional learning experiences for leaders. His many publications cover areas as diverse as Religious Education, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning and School and System Leadership.

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