THE LEARNING P WERHOUSE TAFE NSW Conference for VET Teaching and Learning August 2006

Introducing the Showcase Opening the Showcase of Excellence

Ms Anne De Salis Member, NSW TAFE Commission Board

On behalf of the NSW TAFE Commission Board and TAFE NSW, I am very pleased to welcome you to the Showcases of Excellence, to a day of experiencing, discussing and perhaps a little haggling over innovation and excellence in teaching and learning.

At this place of learning I acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation who are the traditional custodians of this land. I pay respect to the Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to Aboriginals present.

Introduction As an economist and from my own industry practice, I know just how vital it is for effective communication to have an astute understanding of those one wishes to communicate with, the right concepts, the right words and an impeccable sense of timing. You will appreciate then my quandary in finding the right words to share with you, VET professionals, the enthusiasm I have for the Showcases of Excellence.

In a professional landscape, which to many must seem dominated by a proliferation of high- rise reporting and accountability frameworks, I have chosen the words of educator Maria Montessori:

The first idea that the child must acquire…is that of the difference between good and evil; and the task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with immobility and evil with activity.

I think in periods where change seems unrelenting, these words are particularly relevant for adult learners.

It is very tempting to be immobile, to close the doors and bunker down with tried and true practice and to wait for the highways and byways of reform to clear.

Sometimes, as the day to day demands mount, it might also seem that the only viable option is to take on the mantle of an autodidact and cautiously tread the lonelier path of new learning and new practice.

Well that is until your mobile phone provides you with a reality check.

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About the showcases Today’s showcases offer you an opportunity to discipline that mobile – don’t leave here without experiencing mlearning and having a go at moblogging.

And once you have got into the swing:

. get that warm feeling exploring folksonomies

. find out how you can make blended learning the faithful servant to support the goals you share with your industry partners and customers

. explore remote access to eBooks and eJournals

. know what it means to “Walk the Line WELL”.

And you will still only have touched the surface of what the Showcases of Excellence offer.

Think you need a little support?

Do we have the showcase for you – Coaching Through the Gap.

Overawed…… so you should be!

Community of Learners The Showcases of Excellence embody the very best of what we understand a community of learners to be, that is, a group of people who work together with the goal that all members reach their full potential.

Today’s showcases bring together VET professionals across sectors to investigate the best of current and future teaching and learning practice.

Within this learning community we have the opportunity to consider together, the “good” and “evil” of current teaching and learning practice and find a shared vision for a better future.

Then begins the demanding task of finding ways we can realistically achieve this future.

In this task the words of Jean Cocteau offer guidance: True realism consists in revealing the surprising things which habit keeps covered and prevents us from seeing.

If we are to be successful as a learning community then each one of us needs to be surprised at our own teaching and learning habits – what must be retained, what must be changed, what must be discarded.

This is not a showcase for half-hearted participation; it is a showcase for engaged passionate VET professionals.

We need to revisit what makes a passionate VET professional.

Do they look the same in workplaces and in colleges? What sustains them? What makes them aspire to build better futures?

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THE LEARNING POWERHOUSE Introducing the Showcase September 2006 Conference Opening of Showcase of Excellence Speaker: Ms Anne De Salis Member, NSW TAFE Commission Board

Why are you a passionate VET professional?

Conclusion This is one of those rare occasions when a TAFE Commission Board member can say, face to face, we are immensely grateful for all your hard work, what you have achieved and what you will achieve.

We know TAFE NSW makes the difference, we know it changes lives and offers hope and guidance for many who doubt the opportunities life offers.

We know that it is your professionalism that makes this possible.

You are magnificent!

I hope you have a day full of inspiration, a day full of passion.

I now have the very great pleasure of declaring the Showcases of Excellence open.

Thank you.

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