Business literature advises that the goals of change management and innovation are often most effectively achieved during a time of crisis. So I’m keenly interested in the major changes going on right now in the US education system, and have been keeping a close eye on some of the new models and thinking that are emerging.
The US is a very different education system to New Zealand, with over 50 times the population, scores of different schooling philosophies and state funding models. Its track record of student achievement compared to New Zealand is pretty poor judged by PISA results (http://www.pisa.oecd.org/dataoecd/34/60/46619703.pdf). But it's also a highly dynamic and well-researched market, with private providers of professional development and educational resources (including NZ providers like Learning Media) battling it out for market share, multi-million state adoptions and Federal grants.
There are both stunning successes and failures to be observed. One of the most notable developments in recent years has been the increasing adoption of digital education resources.
The economic crisis is now beginning to significantly affect schooling. The President may want every child to be "career and college ready", but 42 states have cut education funding since the recession began as their core revenues from property taxes plummeted.Take a performance shortfall, an economic crisis, add the promise of digitally enhanced education and then let’s see what new thinking emerges. At this month’s EdTech conference in New York I caught some of the latest ideas:
1. Flip the classroom
The teacher is no longer the sole repository and manager of content in the classroom, rather they should become the educational designer helping deliver personalised pathways. Some would argue that New Zealand has done this for some time, but the argument is that technology now allows the reading and instruction to be pre-consumed, with the classroom now all about projects and problem-solving.
2. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
While some States are subsidising iPads and other mobile devices, the reality is that not all students will benefit, but all will in the future need their own personal learning device. In many cases it will be a mobile phone, so teachers and educational publishers better get used to the idea of designing learning that can operate on screens of all sizes. An extension of this idea is Bring Your Own Data - devices that capture the things you have learned outside school or on holiday or at home etc. so that teachers have an adult informed perspective for differentiated learning.
3. Digital does not replace teachers
It's a false dichotomy to emphasise technology vs teaching. This thinking is in contrast to the recent rapid growth of distance education and e-learning in the US, which is beginning to falter through lack of evidence of learning improvement. As one speaker said "you can't have high tech without high teach".
4. Broadband access changes everything
This is particularly relevant for us as the Government prepares to wire up New Zealand schools. US commentators sees real time, competency-based assessment data emerging as a critical benefit - an area I would suggest we are perhaps less equipped to exploit. A speaker proposed that "assessment is the currency for the knowledge economy".
5. Immersive learning is on its way
It's obvious to any parent that children are highly engaging by gaming and simulation approaches, but research is beginning to suggest recall is also better when students are mobile and active. Sensor technology such as Microsoft's Knect has opened up a whole new opportunity to replace the keyboard with natural human interface using gesture and speech. It was also rumoured recently that Apple's new iTV will use Knect gesture technology.
In New Zealand we have less of a sense of crisis than in the US – but perhaps we need to up the ante, and at the same time up our commitment to innovation.
In my next post I'll explore some of the new EdTech products that have caught my attention.
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