For the past 24 hours I have been participating in the rich, immediate conversations in The Innovator’s Mindset Voxer Group.
Last night, we were thinking a lot about the challenges of innovating from the middle. When we challenge leaders to innovate their practice, we are seen as “rogues”, as troublemakers (I can’t tell you how much this reminds me of bright, creative children in a classroom!)
In response (at 1:30 a.m. I might add), George Couros generously jumped in and said that it is important to do “what is best for kids”.
And this is exactly where I see the problem.
As educators, we all want to do what is best for kids.
Perhaps “what is best” for a child is passing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test so that he might graduate.
In that case, the “best for kids” strategy is to teach the child to write a news report, and to practice it over and over again so that they might pass the test necessary for graduation.
An innovative educator might suggest that in a world where media companies are failing, and people are getting their news through Facebook (CBC Radio Noon, Feb. 4, 2016), Buzzfeed, Twitter, etc., that writing a news report is a ridiculous bar for graduation from secondary school.
What is “best for kids”?
Until the structures in the system align, until we can clearly articulate what school is for, what is “best for kids” will be blurry.
We need even better arguments to insist on innovative practices to meet the needs of our learners in 2016 and beyond.
Please join The Innovator’s Mindset Voxer group and keep the conversation going!
