“Why haven't we seen a more significant change in education?”
This is such a deep question, with so many answers. Although we have seen an increase in technology, and education is definitely different than when I was a student, the change has not been of major significance.
Why is that?
Well, one reason is “people who like this stuff… like this stuff.” As mentioned by Dr. Harapnuik in his blog post “People who like this stuff… like this stuff,” people who like traditional learning environments, don’t want it to change, and those who don’t like the current learning environments have “walked away.”
Change is hard, most people just go with the flow and don’t try to disrupt the status quo. This is true for all stakeholders in education. As an educator, I have seen the complacency from both educators and parents. I have seen teachers that have taught for decades, resist change and innovation. They avoid new technology and new ways of teaching. On the other end, I have also heard parents, complain about new ways of teaching. The well-known quote, “When I was a student, we did it this way,” continues to be mentioned. So, how do we bring about a change when so many don’t see the need for change or don’t buy into the change? Well, Dr. Harapnuik, states that “it is possible and involves the following four steps.”
Start with the Why- When people know the “why” to a change, they are more likely to be open to that change. For example, when I apply these steps to my Disruptive Innovation Plan, I would start with the problem at hand. The why. When I mention the problem and ways to attack it, more people are likely to be open to the disruption.
Identify and enlist key influencers- Who are the people that can influence a change? For me, if I would like to change my classroom, I would need to enlist my administrators. With their buy in to my proposal of Blended Learning, I would be able to pilot and test out my innovation.
Install an effective execution strategy- I once heard someone say, “You don’t have to change everything, to change EVERYTHING.” This is also true when disrupting education. As Harapnuik stated, come up with one to two aspects of the traditional environment you would like to change and create an effective strategy to execute those changes.
Enlist and empower self-differentiated leaders. Lastly, surround yourself with people willing to change, people who will lead by example.
As John Dewey stated in the video, Progressive Education in the 1940’s,
“The world is moving at a tremendous rate. No one knows where. We must prepare our children not for the world of the past, not for our world, but for their world–the world of the future.”
So, let’s disrupt education together!
References:
danieljbmitchell. (2007, August 1). Progressive Education in the 1940s [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opXKmwg8VQM&t=436s&ab_channel=danieljbmitchell
Harapnuik, D. (2014, September 16). People who like this stuff… like this stuff. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5198.
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