Why are we challenging the learning process and promoting a transformation in style and substance that makes so many uncomfortable? How do we inspire faculty, parents and most importantly students to make these changes, creating a sense of urgency to take action when developing a culture of inquiry? What I really want to ask here is why are we struggling to change?
The mountain of evidence that we must change the way we help students learn should create a sense of urgency. Yet many of these journeys toward change were produced and published nearly a decade ago and still we struggle with questions like: should we challenge the process? take the risk? make the change? There are well researched books and videos that support student-centered, inquiry based, problem based and project based learning and assessments. "Race to Nowhere" is a movie which challenges the process of teaching and learning as it currently exists and Beyond Measure: Rescuing an Overscheduled, Overtested, Underestimated Generation by Vicki Abeles similarly questions the current idealized singular path to success. #EdJourney by Grant Lichtman and Diving Into Inquiry by Trevor Mackenzie examine innovative and student centered teaching practices with meaningful assessments. How do we inspire a shared vision that this change must come?
I recently completed a graduate course in Leadership. It was a valuable mix of lecture, reflection and application of ideas as we created a plan for change. Each class period introduced us to important tools needed to create a viable change management plan. We were instructed to explain what needed to change in our school culture and why it was urgent, to identify who the stakeholders were as well as obstacles to implementing the plan. We were challenged to use representative tools from class instruction to support our plan goals.
My point in saying all of this is that had we been given a daily quiz on Stakeholder Analysis models or the five characteristics of a leader, I would likely have failed. Producing a plan that incorporated Force Field Analysis and Stakeholder Analysis helped me to understand where each tool should be applied and its effective use in leadership. While I cannot insist that change must happen because it better suits my individual learning style, I might argue that many students learn effectively when applying their knowledge to bigger questions and ideas.
What must we do to create a culture of inquiry, student-centered learning and innovation? Do we really want to or are we just "looking," to better inform ourselves but not take the risky steps to change? I was asked recently to describe my superpower and my kryptonite as a collaborator. I easily identified "seeing the big picture" as my superpower and reluctantly admitted that my kryptonite is patience with a process. Maybe that should be the title of my next blog post. In the meantime let's work at answering the Why question. I know all of the reasons I believe that a culture of inquiry is inspiring, engaging and intellectually demanding and rigorous. I know how assessments can be very valuable when integrated with meaningful feedback, ongoing revision, great and essential questions, reflection and learning evidence. Let's create an elevator speech for "Why?" we must change our current practice and inspire people to come with us on this journey.