Original photocollage by Thom Dunks
Over the span of thirty years in school administration I have watched with great interest the tides of educational reform flow and then ebb.
During this first decade of the new century, we’ve heard a loud and persistent clamber for accountability from policy makers and the media alike. Consistently, they prescribe more and more collection and analysis of linear data with the focus on mathematics and literacy skills.
Yet among the myriad of voices advocating change, there are some who share a different vision, who offer very persuasive notions about the crucial need for a new and welcome emphasis on creativity and innovation.
The research of Christopher Dede of Harvard University is receiving global attention in the quest for designing reform that will adequately prepare the next generation for the 21st Century. The opening sentence of his profile on the university’s web page states the following: “Chris Dede’s fundamental interest is the expanded human capabilities for knowledge creation, sharing, and mastery that emerging technologies enable.” To paraphrase Dr. Dede, If we were to start new schools from the ground up, would we replicate the current model of the industrial age?
Sir Ken Robinson speaks to audiences throughout the world on the changing needs of business, education, and organizations in the new global economies. He continues to build a foundation in the promotion of creativity and innovation in teaching and learning. His findings and perspective on the topic have been published in his two most recent books, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative (2001) and The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything (2009).
The ideas and works of Daniel Pink address the needs of our future economy and society. He sees the future belonging to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind—creative, empathic “right brain” thinkers. In the extraordinary book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule The Future (2005) his publisher footnotes that “Drawing upon research from around the advanced world, Daniel Pink outlines the six fundamentally human abilities that are essential for professional success and personal fulfillment—and reveals how to master them.”
Author and columnist Thomas Friedman writes extensively about Education, the Economy, the Environment, and Technology in these modern times. I found a recent editorial entitled, The New Untouchables to be a very relevant compass in this search for new directions and expanded strategies.
This period in modern American Education is at its most significant crossroad. For the past two decades, educational leaders and futurists had predicted that the 21st Century would mark a significant paradigm shift in the landscape of teaching and learning. We are now 10 years into that new century, awaiting signs of tangible reform and innovation. I would advocate that the time is now to pay close attention to those voices in the wings. The urgency to innovate and create new models is very present.