Dear educator, parent, community member, or policymaker:
The fact that your world hasn’t changed doesn’t mean that the world hasn’t changed.
Anecdotal experience or stories – or willful blindness – don’t trump reality.
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Willful blindness
Dear educator, parent, community member, or policymaker:
The fact that your world hasn’t changed doesn’t mean that the world hasn’t changed.
Anecdotal experience or stories – or willful blindness – don’t trump reality.
Â
I find myself reading articles and blogs from outside of the education realm to support and develop the infusion of technology into my classroom program. I am watching carefully how the world is changing and listening to people from many fields as they discuss these changes. I am bringing the stories and practice of change and possibility to my students, and analyzing the effects while I blend traditional practices with new pedagogy. Students are quick to embrace these discussions, practices and innovation–they see the potential and they’re eager to learn. I’m so excited about this because when I look into my students’ eyes and observe their behavior I see eager learners with the potential for problems solved, discoveries unearthed, learning access for all–enhanced education and a better world. Thanks for all you do to keep the momentum going.
The ambiguity of this post is making it difficult to pin down what you may be referring to. My brain is running circles around the concept. I assume this was your intention. For that, thank you.
Sometimes saying less is saying more. In ~30 words you’ve said a lot.
I have two concerns with this statement:
1. This implies that the “educator, parent, community member, or policymaker” doesn’t perceive or willfully chooses not to perceive that the world has changed.
Simply getting people to see that the world has changed won’t necessarily change beliefs and behaviors. They must also see that continuing their current beliefs and behaviors are incompatible with current and future success. I think people see that the world has changed. Their current beliefs and behaviors haven’t been challenged enough to create the discomfort necessary for them to change their schemas.
2. In terms of learning, at the very heart of what needs to change about education is not new. Student centered learning designed to cultivate creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication would have virtually guaranteed success 20 years ago (prior to the internet), 50 years ago (prior to the computer) and in ancient Greece (in the time of Socrates). I just hope that the technologies we have access to now can be disruptive enough to change our deeply ingrained beliefs. I fear that it will be our economy (recession, depression, or worse) that will ultimately drive the discomfort necessary to change our behaviors as a culture.
Agreed that this short post by Scott has made me think as well…
This year at our School Administrators of Iowa conference I had the pleasure of attending Dr. Anthony Muhammad’s presentation on change. Using the research (think it was entitled Drop Your Tools but don’t quote me) of the two deadliest wildfires in U.S. history…and why so many people died, Dr. Muhammad framed thinking about change by describing the Fundamentalists (those people who get in the way of the bus after a few minutes) as:
1) largest group (up to 70%) see no compelling reason to change (may pertain to Scott’s point?)
2) next group doesn’t trust the person(s) telling that change is needed
3) next group sees the alternative as more frightening than the current reality
4) and finally, the last group may see change as admitting failure (we can’t even imagine why wouldn’t people drop their fire fighting tools and run when faced with the alternative of dying?)
As we think about our change work that is absolutely vital for improvement in education, this helps me frame the work that is needed. We must find out where people are at on this continuum and address their specific needs.
As we see greater specificity around the Ed Reform Blueprint for Iowa Schools, we must engage the people on mainstreet…Johnny and Sally may have different looking work that they are doing in school and we must protect teachers, principals, superintendents and even board members from the challenges that they will receive when things are “different.”
Do we have the courage to engage people in conversation and give them a compelling reason to change, restore the trust in our education leaders, show them that the alternatives are actually much better than the current reality and also get them to understand the only thing about changing our schools that is a failure is not to do it…this is a complex systems problem that is not going to be solved by increased testing (if students are hungry shouldn’t we feed them instead of weighing them?), charter school opportunities, a different pay structure for teachers and mandatory retention of 3rd graders…educational reform has to change the “classroom” experience for all children…getting them ready for their future and not our past.
My name is Tricia Spafford. I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama.
Thank you for the literary “slap in the face” that you provided to many people through this blog post. I can sense the frustration. I can picture your gritted teeth and your finger in someone’s chest, with due cause.
There are so many barriers to changes for the educational system. There is fear, selfishness, and habit, to name just a few. The only way to even begin the changes is to change the minds of those who are willfully blind and deaf. How’s your hand? Ready for more “slapping”? It is necessary.
Great post.