Welcome from the Minister for Education, The Hon. Diallo Rabain JP, MP

Welcome to the second Learning First newsletter. In this monthly email, you will be able to learn about the work being undertaken in Bermuda to realise our vision that all students are educated to lead personally and professionally, compete locally, and contribute globally.

Over time, this newsletter will share opportunities for you to contribute to the transformation of our education system. You will also learn about our impact as we travel towards a 21st century education system that supports every child to reach their full potential.

I thank you for joining us on this ambitious journey, and hope you will share this newsletter with other family members, friends and colleagues who want every child to succeed. It is only through working with you that we can realise our vision.

Future World of Work interim report

Countries around the world are waking up to the scale of change their economies, societies and people face. The global COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the technological, societal and environmental shifts that are having a lasting impact on how we live and work, and how we learn and relearn in the face of change. In response, there is a growing focus on understanding the future world of work, to better inform how education and skills systems should respond to this age of uncertainty. 

The Future World of Work Bermuda - a collaboration between the Ministry of Education, Department of Workforce Development and Innovation Unit -  recently published an interim report containing new insights about this changing world of work. The interim report hopes to prompt fresh thinking about what this changing world might mean for Bermuda’s education and skills system, and those who have a stake in their success.

The report will be updated over the coming months as more insights are gathered from research about the future of work across the island.

What does the Future World of Work report make you think about the future for Bermudian young people? What resonates with you, or has challenged you based on your own experiences of work in the 21st century? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

What might the future Public School System in Bermuda look like?

Design teams are currently working in small project groups on six aspects of the Public School System that require a national plan and approach. In Learning First we call these the Core and National Priorities, which are:

• Curriculum - what students learn (in and beyond school)
• Pedagogy - what teaching and learning looks like
• Graduate Outcomes - what students need to achieve and how they evidence learning
• Learning Environments - where and when learning takes place
• Education Workforce - what support teachers and principals need to bring about these changes 
• Design Principles - the core values and vision that hold everything together.

The work of each team is guided by an ‘imagine if’ statement, which helps them to explore what might be possible for the future of learning and work towards an energising ambition. You can find these ‘imagine if’ statements here.

Do these statements capture the possibilities for the future as you see it? What do they make you think about? Share your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

What's been happening?

What have we learned about Bermudian education through user research?

In the last newsletter we shared that design teams, drawn from across our communities, were undertaking research to gather people’s experiences and perspectives on the Bermuda Public School System, and their ideas for how the system can be improved. 

Over 60 interviews were completed and the findings were analysed by the design team members, resulting in ten insights about the Public School System in Bermuda that will inform initial designs for aspects of a new education system.

You can find these insights here.

If you would like to share your ideas as a ‘user’ of the public education system, or have thoughts about these ten insights, please log on to the Learning First Facebook group and invite friends and family to do the same.
 

Testing new ideas for our education system - Learning First needs you!

The design teams working together in Learning First are using design techniques to develop their new ideas and plans for the Public School System.  One of these is prototyping. Prototyping involves testing concepts and ideas at an early stage to learn about how  ideas might work in real life - and how they need to change and improve in order to meet a diverse range of needs. Prototyping can take different forms depending on the idea to be tested test: it might look like a role-play of an experience, a model of a physical space, or even a game of scenarios. 

Learning First is looking for people across the island that might be interested to participate in prototyping activities over the coming months: teachers, school leaders, parents, young people, community members or business people of all ages and life experiences are very welcome! You can express interest to find out more here.

Interested in getting involved?

There are a number of ways you can participate in Learning First and help to redesign education in Bermuda.

• Share this newsletter with someone who you know is interested in the future of learning, and the futures of Bermudian young people
• Follow Learning First on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to share your thoughts about the future of education in Bermuda
• Express interest in participating in prototyping activities across the island over the coming three months - you can share your details to receive more information here.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to sharing more with you next month!

Learning First (learningfirstbda.com)