Ten years from now, the next decade will be drawing to a close. My daughter will be 22, my son 20. I’ll be…older. It’s setting up to be a pretty important 10 years on a lot of fronts. If you believe the science, which I do, it may be the decade that we figure out how to work together to act on climate change and save ourselves (and our kids) from some hellish scenarios. Or not. If you believe, as I do, that the American political system is broken, it may be the decade that we take money out of the picture once and for all. Or not. And, if like me you believe that the current structure of the education system in this country (and elsewhere) is fundamentally flawed in preparing students for a life of learning, then this may be the decade real change breaks out. Or not.
I can’t help feeling that if I’m lucky enough to be sitting here blogging 10 years from now and there haven’t been some really big changes in the way we look at living and learning, we’ll have wasted another 10 years talking instead of evolving. And I think if you ask most people who are currently in education what they see things looking like 10 years from now, most wouldn’t paint much of a radically different picture.
I mentioned Allan Collins and Richard Halverson’s new book Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology in my previous post, and now that I’ve finished it, I wonder even more how all of this is going to play out. If you want to get to the crux of the argument in the book, Suchi Grover’s review at Teacher’s College Record does a pretty good job. (Note: Keep in mind, the book is published by Teacher’s College Press.)
Allan Collins and Richard Halverson’s compelling argument for rethinking education may be encapsulated thus: We are not going to fix education by fixing the schools. They are a 19th century invention trying to cope in the 21st century…If schools cannot change fast enough to keep pace with the advances in learning technologies, learning will leave schooling behind. Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology urges education stakeholders to envision a new kind of education that decouples learning and schooling.
That’s obviously a huge statement, that we’re not going to fix education by fixing the schools, and I’ve scarcely stopped thinking about it since I read it. I don’t think there is much question that schools cannot keep pace with what technology affords right now. What’s changing in education is happening outside the school walls with a few exceptions. That’s not to say that schools will cease to exist; obviously they won’t. As the authors write
Schools as we know them will not disappear anytime soon…but the seeds of a new system are beginning to emerge, and they are already beginning to erode the identification of learning with schooling. As these new technologically driven seeds germinate, education will occur in many different, more adaptive venues, and schools will have a narrower role in learning.
So what will that narrower role in learning look like? I think the big question for the next decade is this: In 2020, will schools be seen as just one of many important ways that our kids can become educated? And as a follow up, will there be other ways of “credentialing” what it means to be “educated”? Obviously, there are going to be huge disruptions that go along with a reduced importance of the traditional school model, and there are huge issues around equity and access that will have to be addressed among many others.
I think we’ve spent the last 10 years “tinkering on the edges” with these shifts. No doubt, the next 10 years are going to be pretty painful for schools in particular as we begin to really wake up to what all of this means for our kids’ learning lives. Or not. But even more, i the last 10 years are any indication, I think it’s going to be simply an amazing decade for learning in general.
Can’t wait to wade through it with you.
Learning takes place in K-12 settings now, b/c that’s been our delivery models for centuries. Now , the school building is being complemented, and in competition with other Platforms for students to learn. These platforms, with the rapid access to content through technology, will cause learning to be more owned by the learner(hopefully) when we have this conversation on 2019
on Twitter @darahbonham
We can’t stop nudging, pushing,…demanding change. Our kids deserve so much more. Remember… “the seeds of a new system are beginning to emerge..”
It may not happen as quickly as we want it to, but I am looking forward to the conversation we will all have at the close of this decade.
Absolutely right that we can’t stop nudging. But I wonder if we’re nudging the right people/things/systems. Maybe we should be thinking more “edupreneurially” (and I think I just made up that word) and coming up with ideas about where we can add educational value outside of school as well as effect change inside of school.
I think there is little doubt that ‘education’ will move more and more to passion based learning whether it is inside the construct of school or not over the next decade. Kids are already seeking out information about the things they are passionate about and ‘learning’ through social media. The question becomes how much schools will be a part of this shift.
I believe teachers become very important guides, sherpas to borrow a phrase, as the students follow their passions. We need someone there to keep them well rounded in my opinion. Someone to play devil’s advocate and mold their thinking in ethical leadership.
The changes will be “evolutionary instead of revolutionary” inside the school system but if we do not accept the challenge, ‘learning’ will pass schools by and there will be less guidance as students simply search out there own passion based echo chambers.
That echo chamber part is one of the pieces that I find most troubling. I’m not sure there are many educators, myself included, who can model that balance very effectively. Constant struggle.
Will, my fear is that as long as we continue to measure “success” in traditional ways (ie. standardized testing) the resistance will be so great, that any change will be glacial at best. As you know, learning, true learning, can not be measured by some standardized test created at the state and/or national level. The movement toward national standards is not going to help either. I see it leading toward the standardization of schooling that will turn our teachers into “technicians”, simply covering materials as prescribed by texts and tests.
But, my larger fear is that this will create a larger divide between the “haves” and “have nots”. Those that will have the resources to not accept the standardization of schools will find other, more progressive avenues while those without such resources will be left behind.
Wondering if we solve that last part by making sure every kid has access. Wondering if is any way schools can even come close to preparing kids without 1-1.
I agree Tony. I see our district becoming more dependent on tests(data) to show that learning is taking place, that to minimalize them now would be catastrophic to moving toward a new arena of thought. We are set in our ways in viewing the big picture that any coherent thought to the future is shoved under the carpet because they cannot image what it would look like let alone imagine how it should take place. Are schools(classrooms) not a place to take chances, explore and create? If this is true I have been lying to my students for many years.
Will,
I continue to think about your post above. Two questions for you, one for fun, and one a bit more on point.
1. Did everyone either receive or give a Snuggie this year for Christmas. I gave one at a Yankee Swap (only to get it back) and my wife received a Syracuse one (much like your son’s Eagles one in the picture above).
2. I’m really stuck on this idea of “credentialing” and “educated”. There is no doubt that someone could be considered “credentialed” and “educated” without a traditional education. This has been the case since the beginning of time. However, with the connective technologies now at our disposal, it is more possible to receive a quality education without the formality of traditional schooling – which I would consider to be some combination of a brick and mortar school and the Carnegie unit. With that said, how do we convince traditionalists and policy makers that (connective) alternatives to traditional school have the potential to provide a more valuable learning experience?
My best to you and your family this new year.
I read the comments above and have to ask – who are the credentials for? I guess from my perspective (working in a typical suburban high school). The credentials we seek for our students are the ones that will allow them to get into the college of their choice. Therefore, I am worried that higher ed. will be “glacier-like,” as Tony put it above, in moving forward.
I am hoping that we in high school’s do not have to wait for this trickle-down effect to make changes. Can we do both – Prepare our students for what we think they need while also giving them the out-dated credentials that higher ed. is looking for? (While we are at it can we change higher ed’s name to next ed., I am not sure what higher means in some cases).
Finally, thanks for really slapping me in the mouth by making me think about where my kids will be in 10 years (they will be 21, 19, and 13). If that is not a call to start moving the agenda a bit, I am not sure what is!
Happy New Year! Thanks for remaining optimistic.
Enjoyed reading your reflections. I have followed your blog for two years now and have been inspired to keep my eyes on the big picture in spite of all the obstacles. I am a teacher in “Distance Learning”(already an outdated term)and am hopeful that DL can simply evolve into something that offers individual students- wherever they may be- more and more important learning opportunities.
In this next decade I hope that you continue to put the discussion out there for us. Web logs like yours are a vital part of keeping the ball rolling forward! Thanks.
Will, I am definitely hopeful for change in how we educate. I think a core issue is where the motivation to learn comes from. We talk alot about engagement – an engaged student is a learning student. In reading some of the comments above, someone talked about standardized tests. External motivations, like testing or most of our assessment practice as it is today, doesn’t work the way it did 30, 40 years ago. “Fear” motivated far more back then… Bring home a “bad” report card and you had to deal with mom & dad.
I think one key is to reenvision learning and schooling in such a way that intrinsic motivation rules all. Of course tie it to learning core skills, knowledge, etc. but when kids want to learn something, nobody has to force them. My son (17 yrs old) finds school to be a necessary evil… he never really enjoyed reading. But recently he pulled one of my conspiracy books (a fun interest area for me) and read it. He’s now spent probably 100 hours reading, researching, filtering, etc. about this topic and learning a ton. Okay, now I’m worried he might actually believe that stuff 🙂 But, he’s internally motived by an interest.
How do we reinvent school so that each child is internally motived to learn and succeed? I think technology can help with the level of differentiation necessary for this…
Thank you very much for this great post!
The comforting thing for me is that the early 20th century model was itself a radical departure from the previous era.
The model changed when faced with real and pressing needs from society. The world (or at least the US) arguably needed left brain, linear, broadly skilled (rather than specialized) citizens.
Today we need heuristic thinkers, generous collaborators and folks with a host of other new skills, behaviors and values.
At that point in history we were able to transform education to face the challenges of the day. We face new challenges, thus we require a new transformation.
And I think the risk of failing to transform is fairly high. If as you quote above, “education will occur in many different, more adaptive venues,” then schools (and educators) will have a devalued position except as baby sitters and for the credential.
I agree that the change is slow. I do however find hope in the idea that we are requiring more and more of our teachers. They have to meet new and higher requirements to get certified and must continue to learn in order to remain in teaching. I think it will truly weed out those who are not in education for the right reasons and will help to create the changes you are describing.