by Terry Heick
It’s not the considering behind an concept that ought to trouble us, however fairly the impact of the thought.
#edtech. Content material-based tutorial requirements. PLCs. Video streaming. Use of information. Mandates to be research-based in our conduct. Distant instructing. Differentiation. Social media within the classroom.
None of those concepts are good or dangerous in and of themselves. They’re simply concepts. They’re value-neutral–inert in isolation. We solely cost them after we internalize them–consider them utilizing our distinctive schema, think about them in circumstances acquainted to us, or in any other case contextualize them comfortably to keep away from cognitive dissonance.
By internalizing them, we clean their tough edges for simpler consumption. Who desires to really feel like they’ve an incomplete understanding of one thing? At this level, although, the thought has misplaced its unique form. It’s misshapen–the identical distinction between an actual canine and one a clown twists up in brown and white balloons.
Shifting from an idea or concept to one thing we perceive in our personal phrases isn’t any small shift. And comes with a loss. By internalizing an concept, we additionally connect feelings to them–hopeful optimism, head-shaking skepticism. Or indifference.
For instance, I like the thought of customized studying, so I connect optimistic emotions to it that may lead me to cognitive distortions downstream, the place I oversimplify its operate or catastrophize our continued misunderstanding of its potential in schooling. I champion it, however the ‘it’ (customized studying, on this case) is merely an concept. The it + context is completely different. That is chemistry.
Consider it as sample: Concept–>Integration–>Impact.
The thought alone is beneficial solely as a matter of imaginative and prescient or artistry. As an educational or mental train. As a matter of playful dialogue or good old school bench racing.
The combination is a matter of design and engineering (designer and engineer being two minds of a instructor).
Concepts, integrations, and results all matter, after all, nevertheless it’s all additionally recursive: One impacts the opposite, the thought impacting the mixing, the mixing affecting the impact, the impact shining new gentle on the thought. Possibly then, as an alternative of a linear Concept–->Integration–>Impact, we would suppose as an alternative of one thing extra like a triangle:
Concept
Integration Impact
Altering Our Pondering
And as an alternative of “Is that this a great concept?”, we would ask different questions:
What’s ‘it’? What are its elements? What does it appear like entire?
What’s it doing?
How is it working?
What does it ‘price’? Impact? Change?
How does it assist academics–make instructing a artistic and mental and human act as an alternative of a matter of coverage, process, and survival?
What are its results–and never slender results in pursuit of a single objective, however fairly macro results on a factor in its native place?
In schooling, these is likely to be redressed as:
What has standardizing content material right into a slender vary of content material areas performed to studying?
How has a gamified system of schooling labored for kids as they search to turn out to be entire human beings able to good work, compassion for the folks round them, and nuanced digital and bodily citizenship?
See additionally What Should A School Do?
How has schooling retreated right into a tangle of coverage and jargon impacted the capability of households and communities to be served by their very own studying?
How do academics reply when referred to as to be ‘research-based’? Does that encourage them to pour over peer-reviewed journals of rising pedagogies to solely herald “confirmed” methodology into their classroom? Or does it ship them to Google to seek for ‘research-based instructional strategies‘ the place they discover the identical 6-8 examples which are tossed limp and lifeless into their subsequent lesson plan as a result of that’s what they had been informed to?
Let’s broaden our view. Let’s faux for a second that we are going to ultimately be capable of design a system of instructing and studying the place each single scholar will be capable of grasp each single tutorial normal their native authorities has set out for them. What’s the impact of this technique? Of this mastery? What are we assuming concerning the requirements and their mastery? That they’ll create a nation of important thinkers that do wonderful issues?
And this technique–what are we assuming about it and its results? What does it ‘do’ to youngsters? Once they graduate from this hypothetical machine, will they’ve a robust sense of self-knowledge, knowledge, place, and familial legacy? Of important considering, work, and love? If not, is that okay?
Is that even the meant impact we’re on the lookout for? If not, what’s? We should always know, proper?
Concepts As Results
A flipped classroom is nice, sure? 1:1? Maker schooling? The 3D printer within the library? Sure, as concepts. So what are they doing? What are their results? The thought is at all times impartial.
A ‘good concept’ is advertising primarily based on emotion and look. How is it been applied, and extra critically, what are its results? Expertise. Workshop-based PD. Snark on twitter. That grouping technique you had been planning on utilizing tomorrow.
And watch out of the metrics or proof you’re on the lookout for. That new questioning technique might have 65% extra engagement from college students however might have stymied the scholars from wrestling with the query on their very own. Similar with instructor self-directed PD, 3-minute hallway switches, or labeling a college as ‘good’ or ‘dangerous.’ Saying one thing is a ‘good concept’ can solely be accepted if we transfer instantly right into a dialog about integration, after which on impact.
“What are its results?” is a fancy query that deserves our considering and most cautious genius. However one much more worthy of our collective affection is likely to be, “What’s it doing to our kids as they search to turn out to be extra human–to develop intellectually, creatively, and in knowledge and love?”
We would then crane our necks additional downstream than we’re accustomed to in order that we would see what we–they usually–are transferring in the direction of collectively.
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