South Australia needs a reinvigorated and internationally-competitive manufacturing sector to ensure economic success, Treasurer Jack Snelling says. He said without a vibrant manufacturing base, the state could not maximise the benefits of its resource wealth. “Manufacturing is the largest component of world trade and, because of its backward links to mining and agriculture and its forward links to services, is a vital driver of employment,” the treasurer said. “To be part of the international knowledge economy, we need manufacturing.” Rest
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Business information provider Thomson Reuters, US, has announced that the Crown Research Institutes of New Zealand (CRIs) have selected the Web of Knowledge platform to enhance the research and analytic capabilities of almost 3,000 researchers from six institutes. The renewal of the agreement represents a key step towards enhancing the national research environment to accelerate research and development, and drive New Zealand’s knowledge economy. Rest
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Write Better Curriculum: The old saying goes that teachers create every other profession in the world. The person who first said that is lost to history, but the idea still holds true today. In fact, in the global knowledge economy, nations around the world are looking to teachers to create innovative theories and practices of teaching and learning. School systems everywhere are figuring out how to prepare students to be globally competent—and ultimately how to make nations more competitive in a new world order. If one looks at the practices of the best school systems in the world today, there are clear patterns on how to approach curriculum. Asia Society’s Partnership for Global Learning has studied these patterns, and work with schools to apply best practices model. You can, too. Here are the broad strokes on how to do it: The key to developing good curriculum that builds global competency is to include various activities focused on specific learning objectives, content knowledge, and skills. (Download free handbook on building student global competence.) There may be several formative activities or lessons that culminate into one final summative project. … In the global knowledge economy, effective citizens and leaders will know how to solve problems and affect change. … Another old saying, a Buddhist proverb, goes something like this: If a seed will not grow, we do not blame the plant. Instead, the fault lies with us for not having nourished the seed properly. The global knowledge economy demands a different type of nourishment, and teachers are the ones who can provide in this way. Full post