Gamechangers are few and far between. The only place they frequent is of course on our sporting fields, but metaphorically they also well describe those creative, courageous people who see a better way to do something and then they set about making it happen. Schools fit the metaphor perfectly with their protocols, rituals, rules, and penalties for breaking them as Robert L. Freid so aptly described in his book The Game of School. However as appealing as that title of "gamechanger" may be, in education it belongs to a select few, the ones who see what school could and should be and are committed to making it happen. Not all beer and skittles But it’s certainly not all beer and skittles. As much as the ego-driven celebrity Lone Rangers can ride in on their white chargers and spend tens of millions building “new schools,” nothing really changes. Meanwhile, the real gamechangers remain focused on change that is both substantial and sustainable. But you can’t change the game … [Read more...]
Feedback, Affirmation, and the Delusion of Good Work
Despite the concern educators frequently express about the challenges of time in the scheduled life of school, most do still find time for conversations with colleagues. It might be over a morning or lunch break, or at either end of the school day, nonetheless they all value being able to connect with colleagues and share what’s on their minds. The irony of this is that so much of what is shared can be reflections of life outside school over the watercooler, or what might be called transactional conversations: a scheduling or room change, a search for a resource or a student discipline matter that needs attention. The result is that school schedules unfortunately rarely provide enough space or time for genuine professional reflection and conversation. Fortunately, this appears to be changing slowly and we are seeing more of the Elmore-style instructional rounds, peer observation and peer coaching in formats such as “triads”. In Leadership for Powerful Learning (2015), authors … [Read more...]
It’s Time for Your Professional Learning Checkup
As the year kicks off in earnest, maybe you are one of the many who have made great resolutions about your physical health, but have you given any thought to the health of your learning? Seriously, how focused are you on your learning? Have you done your professional learning checkup? It’s one thing to be getting yourself in great physical shape, but surely it’s just as important for you to be confident about making well-informed decisions in the year ahead? Just as physical well-being allows you to lead a better life, knowing you are on top of the key decisions in your life lowers your stress levels, gives you more time for the things that matter most in your life, and, above all, allows you to make better choices. Learning is one of those things that most people take for granted, almost like breathing. We’re conscious of it when we learn formally, as in school or on a required course or workshop, but for the most part we barely pay any attention to what is possibly one of … [Read more...]
Modern Learners 2018 Provocation of the Year
We often start the New Year with resolutions, some more ambitious than others, so when you hear Keith Richards is to give up the booze, you know the world is certainly changing! However nowadays it’s also become more common to end the year with titles such as Time’s Person of the Year, the Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year and now, just what you have been waiting for.... the Modern Learners 2018 Provocation of the Year. 2018 has indeed been a very different year, in so many ways. Economically volatile, politically unpredictable, while in education it’s also fair to say the conversation is changing quite dramatically. While we’d all like to think we are a small part of making that happen, there are now many more diverse voices calling for us to rethink what school could and should be. At long last we are starting to become comfortable at being uncomfortable. So here at Modern Learners, our humble place in all of this has been to seek to create a space where people … [Read more...]
Every Kid Can Do Amazing Things
How do you identify potential? Do you know what potential looks like, long before it is realized? Some examples are obvious. You know the sort of kid I am talking about. Almost from when he started to walk, he had a ball in his hand. When he threw it, he was a natural, and he could anticipate a catch from almost any angle. You liked to think he had some genetic advantage...or did he? If he were your child, you’d say yes. Potential identified, at a very early age; then nurtured, rehearsed, practiced until potential becomes a passion. Isn’t that the perfect mix? Or is it that his passion showed his potential? What comes first? Either way, helping him to navigate where his passion might take him becomes the main game. And the young girl who came onto the planet with hand-eye coordination you can only dream about. Must have been busy in the womb practicing, because her instinct for where the ball is seems as natural to her as breathing. We talk about it all the time. … [Read more...]
Imagination, Inquiry, and Agency
Finish this sentence... “Imagine a place where students could...” Is that place your school? What would it take for that place to be a reality for your students? What do you think school could, and should be? That question is the focus of thousands of conversations in school communities across America and the rest of the world today. It’s a sign of the concern, the angst, and for some even the desperation to better understand how we can more relevantly prepare our students for the rapidly changing modern world we all now live in. It’s no longer a world of certainty and stability, but rather one of unpredictability and exponential change. It’s no longer a world where students in schools should be asked to go to a set class, at a set time, to be given set content, predetermined by tradition, habit and largely guesswork as to whether it will ever be relevant to them. On the contrary, we now live in a world where our young people can access whatever they need to, whenever and … [Read more...]
The Unpleasant Truth About Equity
Equity is a topic that takes center stage in many education conversations, and rightly so. It’s about every child being given a “fair go." We often voice our concerns about the plight of the underserved in our communities, and as educators, we always strive to address their disadvantage within the resources we have available. At times, it can seem almost pointless when faced with the barriers and handicaps that society has placed in front of so many of our young people, yet as educators, our moral compasses guide us to try and give every child equal opportunity. It’s not easy. Whether you are dealing with disability, cultural or demographic limitations, or probably the most challenging, financial disadvantage, every day schools across the globe seek to offer a leg up to the less fortunate in our communities. It can be as minor as funding books or technology or lunches, or as major as comprehensive welfare support programs such as those that are now common place in many … [Read more...]
The Rise of the Learning Economy
It’s been a long time coming, but the emergence of the learning economy has been as inevitable as it is has more recently become overwhelming. This is a time when learners rule. When it’s not so much about what you know now, but rather what capacity you have to learn. When it’s not about what someone can teach you, but far more importantly what you can teach yourself. It’s not just about the knowledge you have, but rather what you don’t know, and most importantly what you will need to know to grow and prosper, both personally and economically. We are seeing the emergence of what can best be described as learning economy. Just to be clear, there are states, countries that are acknowledging their economic futures will be driven by the learning capacity of their constituents. Not by the natural resources they can mine, nor the amount that they invest in manufacturing because all sectors are in a state of perpetual change. Many of yesterday’s processes and business decisions no … [Read more...]
How Long is the Long Run?
I recently reviewed a Seth Godin podcast called the Long Term. It was an interesting commentary by Seth on the significant benefits we see when we are committed to the long run...olive farmers and investors included. So given this week's post will be our 250th Shifting Conversation, I’m giving myself the luxury of reflecting on just how far we have come with Modern Learners over the past five years, which in the world of new media startups is undoubtedly a long time. It’s a journey, as many of you know, that actually started towards the end of 2010, when Will and I were sharing our observations about how the increasing rate of change in our lives was making schools less and less relevant. As you might expect, we were going hardcore on what we saw as the increasingly obvious, urgent and inevitable need for change in our schools, but at the same time we were both drawn to thinking about how we needed to also change how we were working if we were to have more impact and … [Read more...]
Who Are These Modern Learners?
With all the talk around modern learners, it’s probably time we got up close and personal to understand a little more about their motivations, behaviors, and attitudes. First up, let’s be clear. Modern learners aren’t defined by an age group or demographic but rather by their habits, dispositions, and most importantly their ideas about the rapidly changing world in which they now live. They identify by how they function within that modern context. They’re motivated by unlimited access to the world around them and a freedom to learn, and consequently, their behavior is in stark contrast to learners of old. These are not young people who come to us tabla rasa, empty vessels to be filled with prescribed, testable lumps of knowledge. Rather they aspire to be designers of the changing world. They are producers and contributors, not just passive consumers. Ten years ago, at a small research and development operation at ideaslab in Broadmeadows, Australia we spent several years … [Read more...]