EdTech 523: Educational Innovation

Discussion 1: What does innovation mean to you? In your post, include what personalized learning means to you, characteristics of innovation that you have identified and the challenges associated with thinking outside the box.

Modernist architects are principled in their design philosophy that form follows function. It would be prudent for educational architects (teachers, curriculum writers, and instructional designers) to agree that the form(at) of instruction (i.e. methods) must derive from the objectives--the purpose of a learning program. Efficiency and effectiveness are key. Due to advances in technology and shifts in societal norms, students learn physiologically differently today. What is valued in education is also changing. Therefore, the "function" of school is different. Innovation is a necessary part of education's evolutionary process. To avoid obsolescence, new requirements need better solutions. Innovations are not just improvements, however, and they are not just hypothetical idealizations. They are attention-grabbing and revolutionary shifts in direction. In the realm of education, one manifestation of innovation is flexible, student-centric learning.

The Christensen, Horn, and Staker article seems to support a disruptive version of innovation in education. In this model, "newness" arrives in a discontinuous versus incremental and evolutionary way. To them, disruptive innovations do not try to bring better products, but rather offer a new definition of what is good. They believe that the "deployment of disruptive blended-learning models will have a greater impact on replacing the classroom with a student-centric design" (para. 12). Reflecting on this assertion, I felt slightly uncomfortable. Isn't such a disruptive change too drastic and harsh? Isn't it too much too soon? What about students that value and succeed in other models of education? Are we really ready to completely redefine "what is good"? In the spirit of compromise, I am in support of hybrid models of personalized learning. To me, a "combo" offering is more sustainable and appealing to a wider audience. In this way, more needs are being met and more interest is piqued. Blended learning and personalized education are two examples of this hybridity.

To me, personalized education means student voice and choice. There is a shift in power and autonomy such that education is guided by the learner. This learner does not get lost in the crowd or herded like a sheep through the "system". Rather, this learner is motivated and empowered to explore, take risks, seek support, manage time and resources, and pursue mastery (or at least successful achievement of fulfilled objectives). In Michael Horn's TEDx presentation, he claims that in our current education model, time is the constant and learning is highly variable, but that student-centric learning flips this relationship on its head. (He uses this juxtaposition to promote competency-based learning.) Flexible settings, time parameters, and presentation modes are hallmarks of personalized learning. Assessments as formative, helpful, and cyclical versus summative, conclusive (and potentially punitive) are also features. I see this starting to take place in my school district, where data from formative assessments is informing teachers where their students are on a trajectory of learning, and targeted interventions are designed around these areas to help students meet specific, individual learning needs. There is also a shift towards standards-based grading (which is a step towards competency-based grading), which has become universal at the elementary school, and is now creeping into the middle school. This is also an example of the evolutionary model of innovation versus the "all right stop, collaborate, and listen", halting (and perhaps imposing) model of innovation. (That song just popped into my head, sorry it's out of context to this discussion!)

Change is in the air, and many schools are starting to offer options for those looking to embrace these "outside the box" methods and philosophies. Nevertheless, there are challenges and dangers associated with innovation. Some of these include the danger of giving up power to an unknown and fickle player, danger of letting the "shock" of the change overpower conversations about actual progress, danger of systemic failure, and danger of being detached from reality to some degree (by ignoring some of the important norms and expectations that are still "inside" the box, whether we like it or not.) There are also the challenges of organization, funding, resources, and training. These are real variables that need addressing throughout the innovation process.

References

Christensen, C. M., Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2013, May). Is K–12 blended learning disruptive? An introduction to the theory of hybrids. Retrieved from http://www.christenseninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Is-K-12-blended-learning-disruptive.pdf.

Horn, M. [TEDx Talks]. (2011, November 21). Toward student-centric learning [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF8hNkEG0ig&feature=youtu.be.