January 2022 – The Advisor That Cares

I believe that people are resistant to change due to familiarity. I have friends in terribly toxic relationships, yet they remain in them because of their perceived comfort. I imagine the same is true when approaching our innovation situation. We will come across people who may be miserable with the current system yet vehemently hold on to it for fear of change.

Listening to the 1940’s progressive education video, some of the things that struck me as they described traditional education were factors like grouping students into classrooms, repeatedly drilling lessons, and that students only “go to school because they have to” (Danieljbmitchell, 2007). As the video transitioned into descriptions of progressive education being presented in the 1940s, the idea of “learning by doing” struck me (Danieljbmitchell, 2007). I love that past the idea of progressive education included hands-on practice to make classroom skills relevant to real life.

I have seen this exact desperate search for a passing grade in higher education through some of my previous coursework. It would seem that we have not seen more changes in education over the years because more focus seems to have been placed on standardizing the evaluation of learning (tests) instead of actual learning. Classmates would simply look up questions online or utilize groups to share answers. These students never even considered the cumulative nature of education. The basic concept that content builds upon itself and the whole point of education should be to seek knowledge instead of just chasing a test score, advancing to the next grade/level, or obtaining the next credential.

While we have seen technology advance, we have learned through our readings that many have just been additions to the classroom without successful implementation strategies and no thought to innovation. Therefore, these devices often provide no real change to learning. I often think we convince ourselves that our to-do lists are too long to implement new processes, techniques, or strategies for learning. Change is hard but often so very worth it.

Yes. There is a culture of “this is the way we have always done things” rampant in education, higher education, and business. Seth Godin said it best when he said, “people who like the place don’t want to hear you’re changing everything… (Godwin, 2014). In a previous role, I was charged with chairing a committee to evaluate the processes of our first and second-year advising center. I created an A-Z list of everything we attempted to cover with our incoming college students. Through a committee of collegues, under the direction of my executive director, we attempted to go item by item to see what processes could be outsourced, streamlined, eliminated, or improved. I would like you to picture the Finding Nemo Seagulls saying, “Mine, mine, mine.” The committee was not very effective at innovating the intake procedures for college students. My executive director was appalled and amazed that, on the one hand, people were screaming that they could not do everything that was expected of them, yet they were unwilling to relinquish any of their tasks. Change is hard. Marc Rosenberg explained it by saying, “Schools aren’t bad; they’re just having a very difficult time evolving. After all, they’ve worked so well for so long. And if it ain’t broke…” (Rosenberg, 2014).

For me, education is a helping profession at heart. There should be room for innovation if everyone tries to find the best solution to the learning variations in their classrooms, among their students, or with their clients. Organizations must find their why. Simon Sinek’s explanation of the brain and the “golden circle” was fascinating to me (TED, 2010, 6:04). The inspiration begins when you “start with why” (TED, 2010). I want to help inspire change through innovation in my organization.

References

Danieljbmitchell. (2007, August 01). Progressive Education in the 1940s [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opXKmwg8VQM

Godin, Seth. (2014, September 16). People who like this stuff….https://seths.blog/2014/09/people-who-like-this-stuff/

Rosenberg, Marc. (2014, September 09). Marc My Words: Back to School – Technology Is Changing Learning, but Is It Changing Schooling? https://learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1499/marc-my-words-back-to-schooltechnology-is-changing-learning-but-is-it-changing-schooling

TED. (2010, May 4). How great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4&t=122s

In order to prepare for my innovation plan, I found that I needed to learn more about why there is a need for change in education.

Sir Ken Robinson explains that our education system is based on an outdated industrial model of grouping students together, throwing lesson plans and objectives, then sending them out to be productive members of society (Robinson, 2010). Students are still advancing to the next grade level, topic, or learning objective despite lapses in learning or understanding. This practice of advancing students whether or not they are prepared or understand the concepts on which the next grade or following content will build only sets students and education systems up to fail. To change our educational system, we must approach learning in new and innovative ways. This type of change is essential because education provides our future generations of political leaders, teachers, doctors, lawyers, trade skills-people, and members needed for a functional society.

Sir Ken Robinson explains that we “cannot predict the outcome of human development. [We] can only create conditions under which they will begin to flourish” (Robinson, 2010). This analogy to an agricultural model is an appealing way to reframe “human flourishing as an organic process.”

Through the materials of this course thus far, I have learned about the idea of nonconsumption as an opportunity to broaden learning opportunities through disruptive innovation in otherwise unmet needs areas within educational systems. Through Michael Horn’s conference talk, I learned that competing in areas of nonconsumption is more likely than trying and overtake an existing system which is helpful information as I formulate my innovation plan (Horn, 2013).

Disruptive innovation is vital to education because students and our education systems are falling behind. Currently, education teaches the average student level at an average pace, leaving high achievers bored and slower learners behind. Scott Cook goes on to argue that in addition to teachers teaching to the average student, our “students don’t get the best teacher in their geographic area; they get the average based on the instructors in that system/grade at that time” (Disrupting Higher Ed, 2014).

Disruptive innovation brings things that were impossible to do in the old model into the realm of possibility, explains Clayton Christensen (Tech as Disruptive Force, 2014). He goes on to say that using disruptive innovation can take costly and complicated systems “to make it affordable and accessible so that a whole new population of people [has] access to something that used only to be available to the wealthy” (Tech as Disruptive Force, 2014). Scott Cook agrees that applying technology is a profound disruption because it makes education more easily accessed and more affordable (Disrupting Higher Ed, 2014). This access to technology explains how the concept of blended learning is not about the devices themselves but instead the access to tools that were not previously available in the traditional classroom.

According to Michale Horn, disruptive innovations provide an opportunity to “reinvent the model itself to solve for: multiple intelligences, learning styles, talents, motivations/interests, aptitude,” and more (Horn, 2013). With advances in technology, students can now get real-time feedback and on-time support through blended learning opportunities. By giving learners control over their learning, students can help them become more engaged in the learning process.

The opportunities for innovation I see within my organization are giving students equal access to information related to their program of study. Currently, students are left to navigate the world of higher education by learning lingo, searching websites, and trying to determine what information is essential to know. There is currently no assessment to determine their level of understanding, and students cannot become the navigator of their learning effectively. I want to develop an innovation plan that allows all students access to the most common policies and program information they can review and process at their own pace through blended learning modalities. I want to utilize various resources such as onboarding information for student information systems and degree tracking purposes. I want to include program specifics such as internship applications and departmental websites/information links. I want to incorporate an element of ownership component for students to inform themselves about their program with my guidance. I want an option for students to assess their understanding, possibly through quizzes or feedback surveys, so that I can target interventions and information sharing that will keep students engaged through the completion of their chosen program.

References

Horn, Michael. “Disrupting Class – Part 3: Disruptive Innovation in Education.” YouTube, uploaded by Edmentum, 5, March 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX2hOF5YkfQ

“Part 6 — Technology as a Disruptive Force in Education.” YouTube, uploaded by Clayton Christensen Institute, 5, June 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0ENX-GTUf4

“Part 7 — Disrupting Higher Education.” YouTube, uploaded by Clayton Christensen Institute, 5, June 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY18XHjGTFU

Robins, Sir Ken. “Bring on the learning revolution! | Sir Ken Robinson.” YouTube, uploaded by TED, 24, May 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LelXa3U_I