Pedagogy needs to inform the design process

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The following question in the context of a conversation connected to class size was posed to me via Twitter and the blog of @danhaesler and warrants a response longer than 140 characters:

“A poor lesson in front of 40 kids will still be a poor lesson in front of 20”. Could a great lesson in front of 20 still be a great lesson in front of 40? Just throwing the question out there. I am not a teacher and have no research to quote.

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The world that our children experience

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This blog post seeks to capture aspects of emerging technology and culture that will shape the world of tomorrow for the students of today. The way we have taught kids in the past just won’t cut it into the future. The traditional classroom is predicated on a control philosophy. The teacher’s role has been to manage and control the behaviours of the class and once this is achieved, to then be the provider of knowledge and content.

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Manifesto for education change

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The world is changing rapidly. Regrettably, education is not keeping pace with change. We need to re-think education. Toffler said 21st Century learning is about learning, unlearning & relearning. So true. Governments are rarely visionary. Educators need to lead the vision of education as politicians cannot. Do not. Education should be about empowerment of people. Education should be about growing people.

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Matching exec functions to C21st priorities

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As I plan for 2013, I was inspired to take up a challenge. Most executive positions in schools piggy back on to old paradigm thinking and roles. How many companies retain positions and titles simply because you’ve always had them? They wouldn’t and if they wish to remain alive, they don’t. Yet why do schools cling on to roles? We don’t think like businesses. Schools are excellent vehicles for recycling old ideas and not changing. No wonder Seymour Papert recognised back in 1995 that unlike other sectors, megachange was hitting a brick wall in education. And nothing much has changed almost two decades on. Time for a re-think!

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When it comes to leading schools

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Talk about a comprehensive analysis: conclusions based on an analysis of the behaviour of 30,000 managers, as seen through the eyes of some 300,000 of their peers using 360-degree evaluations. The finding was that bad leadership is defined not so much by any appalling things leaders do as by certain critical things they don’t do.

When it comes to leading schools, those with capacity and position to grow a vibrant learning community should constantly be looking to our own habits and perspectives. This list, published in the Harvard Business Review Blog Network, is pure gold. 

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