I agree with you Andrew, that schools need evolution to move forward. The only problem with that is the fact that to get that move we may need revolution to get the the giant to move. I believe change is happening in many places, but overall it's moving to slow. How many digital thinking students are we going to sacrifice before we realize it's time? That's what I'm worried about. On the idea of changing our mental models you're right. How many assumptions are made in education that are just plain wrong. We need to spend more time looking at why we do things.
One of the first people I added to my PLN was Scott McLeod. He has a great web blog called Dangerously Irrelevant. (see the link below) Today he posted a little blurb about how the biggest barrier to changing schools is our mental model of schools. This is very timely because my own thinking has been leading me right down that same path.
In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia was destroyed on reentry into the atmosphere, tragically killing all 7 astronauts. The primary reason this happened was because a large piece of foam insulation on the External fuel tank broken off and put a hole in Columbia’s heat shield. The larger reason this happened though was a failure on NASA’s part to envision this could happen. Pieces of foam had fallen off for the last 100+ shuttle flights but had never caused a lot of damage. Therefore the engineers and managers accepted this as routine instead of asking what if. In fact they had been dodging a bullet each flight and it finally hit them.
This failure to envision things outside the norm is a big problem in any endeavor. The school system has many factors that are holding back innovation and this failure of vision is a big part of it. I also think that the bigger the risk to change, then the more we don’t want to see possible failure. If we try to change the school system with some massive government directed “one size fits all” approach, then we won’t be able to see the flaws coming.
What I think should happen is we setup lots of different kinds of schools (which is happening in some areas) and make sure the lessons learned get passed around to all educators. The school system need evolution, not revolution. That way not as much is at risk with each step and perhaps we will be able to see a little bit more down the road.
Our mental models are the biggest barrier to moving schools forward into a digital, global era – Dangerously Irrelevant
What is the biggest barrier to moving schools forward into a technology-suffused, globally-interconnected era? Our mental models of what schooling should look like.
Showing posts with label educational change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label educational change. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Week 3-blog 3 Why is change so hard?
When it comes to the question: Why do you think educators are so resistant to change, especially when it comes to technology? I agree with the others that a fear factor sets in of either change or the fact that it has to do with technology. To me the bigger problem is are we being professionals?
Would you go to a doctor if you found out they weren’t keeping up with changes in their field and are just happy with the way it’s always been done. I don’t think so, yet this applies to the educational field. To finish I’d like to take a quote from Ian Jukes, a nationally renowned educational speaker:
"Houston, We Have a Problem
No other sector ignores its own research as much as education. We know that teaching-as-talking doesn’t work. We know that project-based learning is dramatically more effective in helping students to learn and retain information. We now know a lot about why kids act, learn, and view the world differently than we do. Yet sadly, little of what we know is being applied to classroom instruction today.
Over 50% of Grade 9 students in the 35 largest cities in the United States don’t graduate. Would you fly in an airplane if 50% of them crashed? Would you buy a television that only works half the time? Why do we tolerate such massive failure in our educational system? What education is doing today isn’t working. If we continue to do what we know doesn’t work, then who really has the learning problem? Is it the students or is it US?"
As for the second question: How do other institutions, such as business, deal with technological change? I believe they move forward for the good of the company or institution. Secondly, they train the participants so they can handle the change. This is where there are possibilities for education to change their ways in comparison to business.
Would you go to a doctor if you found out they weren’t keeping up with changes in their field and are just happy with the way it’s always been done. I don’t think so, yet this applies to the educational field. To finish I’d like to take a quote from Ian Jukes, a nationally renowned educational speaker:
"Houston, We Have a Problem
No other sector ignores its own research as much as education. We know that teaching-as-talking doesn’t work. We know that project-based learning is dramatically more effective in helping students to learn and retain information. We now know a lot about why kids act, learn, and view the world differently than we do. Yet sadly, little of what we know is being applied to classroom instruction today.
Over 50% of Grade 9 students in the 35 largest cities in the United States don’t graduate. Would you fly in an airplane if 50% of them crashed? Would you buy a television that only works half the time? Why do we tolerate such massive failure in our educational system? What education is doing today isn’t working. If we continue to do what we know doesn’t work, then who really has the learning problem? Is it the students or is it US?"
As for the second question: How do other institutions, such as business, deal with technological change? I believe they move forward for the good of the company or institution. Secondly, they train the participants so they can handle the change. This is where there are possibilities for education to change their ways in comparison to business.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Week 2 blog 6 response to Jen Kubeczko
Jen,
I agree with you that if we don't start changing the way we do things in school the students will lose. In watching that video I saw so much authentic learning going on and engagement. I didn't see a bunch of students sitting in a classroom in rows disengaged as the teacher is droning on. They were creating an assignment that had a purpose and were excited about what they were doing. The old ways are not preparing them for the 21st century and isn't that what we're supposed to be doing, or is it just get through our curriculum and test them. Not at all!
Collaborative Curriculum -MAC Wk1 Free Choice
Posted by: rebrand3d on: April 14, 2010
In: Leadership| MAC| education Comment!
I recently watched this video from Edutopia, which is my favorite organization for inspiring innovation and change in education. Thoroughly thrilled by the idea of kids creating and utilizing multiple intelligences, skills, talents, creativity, across multiple disciplines. Check it out:
Now, I know there’s a huge debate right now over assessments and testing and standards. But what struck me about this video is that a comment is made that the standards students are held to today will not hold up tomorrow. Technology is changing the world of these digital natives faster every moment. How can a number two pencil compete? How can assessment tests even compare to this type of result. They can’t. Change must happen, and if we don’t do it soon, students will lose out on the benefits of a free-range education.
I agree with you that if we don't start changing the way we do things in school the students will lose. In watching that video I saw so much authentic learning going on and engagement. I didn't see a bunch of students sitting in a classroom in rows disengaged as the teacher is droning on. They were creating an assignment that had a purpose and were excited about what they were doing. The old ways are not preparing them for the 21st century and isn't that what we're supposed to be doing, or is it just get through our curriculum and test them. Not at all!
Collaborative Curriculum -MAC Wk1 Free Choice
Posted by: rebrand3d on: April 14, 2010
In: Leadership| MAC| education Comment!
I recently watched this video from Edutopia, which is my favorite organization for inspiring innovation and change in education. Thoroughly thrilled by the idea of kids creating and utilizing multiple intelligences, skills, talents, creativity, across multiple disciplines. Check it out:
Now, I know there’s a huge debate right now over assessments and testing and standards. But what struck me about this video is that a comment is made that the standards students are held to today will not hold up tomorrow. Technology is changing the world of these digital natives faster every moment. How can a number two pencil compete? How can assessment tests even compare to this type of result. They can’t. Change must happen, and if we don’t do it soon, students will lose out on the benefits of a free-range education.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Week Two Post one TTWWADI
This story is taken from Ian Jukes (Understanding the Digital Generation-keynote perspective). Read through it first and then I’ll add my comments. Think about school today.
“Let’s start with a cage at a zoo containing five apes. Inside the cage, a bunch of bananas are hanging on a string and a set of stairs is placed under the bananas. Before long, one of the apes will see the bananas and start to climb the stairs to get to them.
As soon as they touch the stairs, you take a fire hose and spray all of the apes in the cage with ice cold water until you knock them down and drive them away from the bananas. Sooner or later another ape makes an attempt and, again, all the apes are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, whenever another ape tries to climb the stairs, all the other apes will attack that ape to try to prevent it from going for the bananas because they don’t want to get sprayed by the ice cold water—another attempt, another attack, another attempt, another attack. Before too long, all of the apes know what will happen to them if they make a move.”
“Now, put away the fire hose and the cold water, remove one of the original five apes from the cage, and replace it with a new one. Of course, the new ape will see the bananas and attempt to climb the stairs. To it’s surprise and horror, all of the other apes will attack that ape to prevent it from climbing the stairs because they don’t want to get sprayed with ice cold water. Another attempt, another attack, another attempt, another attack. Pretty soon the newest ape knows that if it climbs the stairs, it will be assaulted. Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it with new one. As Yogi Berra says, this become déjà vu all over again—the scene will repeat itself—and the first ape we replaced will actually take part in the punishment of the newcomer with the greatest enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original ape with a new one, then a fourth and fifth. Every time a new ape tries to climb the stairs, it gets attacked. Interestingly enough, the apes who are beating him have NO IDEA why they are not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest ape. After replacing all the original apes, none of the remaining apes have
ever even been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no ape will ever again approach the stairs to try for those bananas. The question we need to ask is why not? And the answer is because as far as the apes in the cage know . . . well, that’s just the way we do things around here.”
TTWWADI Everywhere!
“The story of the five apes is an example of what we call TTWWADI—That’s The Way We’ve Always Done It. And TTWWADI is everywhere!”
As I look around my school and observe the way things are done I see this exact same story. The assumptions we make about what always worked when it comes to the classroom amazes me. No one wants to talk about pedagogy. I hear the term best practice, but I never see anyone changing the way they do things.
I know I’m unusual because I’m willing to take the time and work to make changes when I see something doesn’t work. Teaching is an art and takes time to perfect. It’s also important that we teach our students how to learn. There’s also an art to learning. This is what we need to be talking about, instead of just looking at the data. The research is out there to guide us in what works and what doesn’t. We need to be willing to look at it and make the adjustments.
Another problem is that it’s not just the teachers that keep doing the same things. The educational leadership (administration) needs to improve their understanding of pedagogy and expect more from the teachers, design training for the teachers, and support for them. No longer should we have principals that think gaming is not for school, or lock up all the dangerous cell phones.
Instead, let’s integrate these tools and make education interesting and exciting for everyone. That’s when we’ll see a change in our students. No more TTWWADI.
“Let’s start with a cage at a zoo containing five apes. Inside the cage, a bunch of bananas are hanging on a string and a set of stairs is placed under the bananas. Before long, one of the apes will see the bananas and start to climb the stairs to get to them.
As soon as they touch the stairs, you take a fire hose and spray all of the apes in the cage with ice cold water until you knock them down and drive them away from the bananas. Sooner or later another ape makes an attempt and, again, all the apes are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, whenever another ape tries to climb the stairs, all the other apes will attack that ape to try to prevent it from going for the bananas because they don’t want to get sprayed by the ice cold water—another attempt, another attack, another attempt, another attack. Before too long, all of the apes know what will happen to them if they make a move.”
“Now, put away the fire hose and the cold water, remove one of the original five apes from the cage, and replace it with a new one. Of course, the new ape will see the bananas and attempt to climb the stairs. To it’s surprise and horror, all of the other apes will attack that ape to prevent it from climbing the stairs because they don’t want to get sprayed with ice cold water. Another attempt, another attack, another attempt, another attack. Pretty soon the newest ape knows that if it climbs the stairs, it will be assaulted. Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it with new one. As Yogi Berra says, this become déjà vu all over again—the scene will repeat itself—and the first ape we replaced will actually take part in the punishment of the newcomer with the greatest enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original ape with a new one, then a fourth and fifth. Every time a new ape tries to climb the stairs, it gets attacked. Interestingly enough, the apes who are beating him have NO IDEA why they are not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest ape. After replacing all the original apes, none of the remaining apes have
ever even been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no ape will ever again approach the stairs to try for those bananas. The question we need to ask is why not? And the answer is because as far as the apes in the cage know . . . well, that’s just the way we do things around here.”
TTWWADI Everywhere!
“The story of the five apes is an example of what we call TTWWADI—That’s The Way We’ve Always Done It. And TTWWADI is everywhere!”
As I look around my school and observe the way things are done I see this exact same story. The assumptions we make about what always worked when it comes to the classroom amazes me. No one wants to talk about pedagogy. I hear the term best practice, but I never see anyone changing the way they do things.
I know I’m unusual because I’m willing to take the time and work to make changes when I see something doesn’t work. Teaching is an art and takes time to perfect. It’s also important that we teach our students how to learn. There’s also an art to learning. This is what we need to be talking about, instead of just looking at the data. The research is out there to guide us in what works and what doesn’t. We need to be willing to look at it and make the adjustments.
Another problem is that it’s not just the teachers that keep doing the same things. The educational leadership (administration) needs to improve their understanding of pedagogy and expect more from the teachers, design training for the teachers, and support for them. No longer should we have principals that think gaming is not for school, or lock up all the dangerous cell phones.
Instead, let’s integrate these tools and make education interesting and exciting for everyone. That’s when we’ll see a change in our students. No more TTWWADI.
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