We need to teach into the unknown. Innovation is preparing students for their future, not our past." Grant Lichtman's TED Talk about his experiences on his road trip to observe schools across the nation over ten years ago really resonates with me and my innovation plan, teaching 21st century skills in a blended learning environment.
I do not disvalue my educational experience as a student or the experience of others, but let's be honest. It is outdated. Some of us lived in the student world that transitioned from learning from transparencies on overhead projectors and chalkboards to INCREDIBLE technology... where computers were gigantic monitors and towers, the internet came on an AOL CD, can you hear the dial-up sounds in your head right now? Our ringtones came up recording the audio from the radio at just the right time or from our Limewire downloads and advanced technology was an anti-skip CD player. Others of us lived when these things were science fiction. If we continue to use what society has engrained in us to believe is proper education, factory-model instruction, one-size-fits-all standardized testing, sit-and-get teacher-centered lessons, we are living in a time machine that is taking us to the past where we don't belong. It brings slight comfort to know that Grant was able to learn that for one school's problem, another had a solution, and vice versa. What stinks is I would love the time to go explore other campuses, other math classrooms, and see successes, but when is there time? This goes into developing effective professional learning, where time and resources could be spent on teachers to actively engage in their learning through continuous observation and feedback. But doing this requires systemic change, so what influence can we have to get this change to happen? One possibility is moving higher up in the educational hierarchy but with my experience, those who move up get sucked into the vortex of the past and forget how to consider challenging the status quo. Another possibility is through voting and impacting legislation but I am not sure what that really looks like. When we look at resources like this, looking to see what these presenters are doing now helps me strengthen (or sometimes weaken) the message. Fortunately, Grant is still blogging (https://www.grantlichtman.com/blog/) and one post he has is from December 19, 2019 (The Three Tipping Points for School Change). He continues to write through the pandemic, but even though this post was just months before our worlds were flipped upside down, he captures what is needed eloquently.
The Desire to Change
“We want something different from what we have.” The Dedication to Challenge “We ask our students to get outside of their comfort zones and take risks.” The Decision to Control “We can’t control everything, but we are going to totally own what we can control.” (Lichtman, 2019) This could apply to us right? We want something different from what we have, an educational system that supports and encourages authentic learning. We ask ourselves to get outside of our comfort zones and take risks, embracing innovative lessons. We cannot control everything, but we are going to totally own what we can control, which is what happens in our classrooms daily. This blog is now bookmarked, Grant seems to be on to something...
References
Lichtman, G. (2019, December 19). The Three Tipping Points for School Change. Corwin Connect. https://corwin-connect.com/2019/12/the-three-tipping-points-for-school-change/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=SAGE_social&utm_content=corwinpress&utm_term=6bad4b6b-44c0-4546-be62-e90caed921e8
TEDx Talks. (2013). What 60 schools can tell us about teaching 21st century skills: Grant Lichtman at TEDxDenverTeachers [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEZTyxSl3g
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My husband lovingly teases me when I reflect on my day with him and say "I learned something new today!" because he would be surprised if I didn't learn something new.
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