That quote came from this 12 minute video about innovation that is a great watch:
The video, titled Future Learning, was one of 3 sources assigned by the head of my school at the end of the last school year. As employees gather tomorrow for 2015-16, these 3 sources will be guiding our conversations.
The other 2 are:
10 Ideas for 21st Century Education by the Innovation Unit, a London-based solutions firm for public services.
The Capabilities Your Organization Needs to Sustain Innovation, by Linda Hill, Greg Brandeau, Emily Truelove and Kent Lineback, Harvard Business Review.
My 3 biggest takeaway from synthesizing these 3 sources:
1. The argument from the video that the 3 skills students need now are how to read, how to research, and how to think critically about any and all doctrines.
I think these are crucial, and I'll add one more, because this is my blog:
How to support people. This means how to:
-volunteer
-recognize friendship
-show up
-listen first
-constructively critique
-work in teams
-appreciate different viewpoints
-seek to grow individually and collectively
-appreciate failure
-speak out against injustice
-help and seek help
-find optimism
-inspire others
-navigate conflict
-cultivate empathy
-know when and how to lead
-mass communicate in person and online
And more along these lines.
2. It's #9 of the 10 ideas for 21st Century ed: "Work with families, not just children."
I could be much better at this. I could involve parents in their studies more, invite parents to student showcases more often, share student work more often, and, above all, ask parents for help, and to get involved, and to let the students in on these conversations whenever appropriate.
I always loved it when I got to watch my parents chat with my favorite teachers. It was like worlds colliding. There's no need not to engage all the worlds of a child in her education!
I am so inspired to do this in 2015-16.
3. What does a 'win' for education look like?
I think it first of all embodies what the business world continues to discover and measure through research, that the more diverse and inclusive the team, the more productive the team will be. This doesn't just mean race and gender, but ideology, age, physical/mental condition, and then dissolving the power dynamics that have traditionally existed between these identities, in order to truly work together to solve problems and create visions for team success.
I think it is driven by empathy. It's a gift to someone else, whether it be a friend, a family, a community, or the greater community at large. The inspiration originated first from listening.
I think it is gifted to the public and reaching outward online. While it's important to maintain a safe distance online by protecting private personal information, it's just as important to jump into the sea of fellow human beings that exists online. Social media, for example, attracted 1/3rd of the entire world's population within 10 years of its invention. This means humans REALLY want to use it! Our students want to use it, too, because its value is intrinsically clear.
I think it is student-driven, not teacher-driven, from conception to completion. The teacher is the guide on the side, and not the sage on the stage.
