Innovation is not set aside for the elite. It is not a term meant to be used in education alone. It describes a global effort towards betterment. It is necessary that we not only recognize innovation, but that we find our own role in it.
When it comes to innovation, I find myself intrigued with EDUicons and their story… they are the epitome of innovation… of breakthroughs in all walks of life. I reflect back to history’s “greats” and look for parallels. How did they get there or here?
In Katie Martin‘s Book, Learner Centered Innovation, she continuously asks “What if ?…” She also challenges us to look at different points of view. From the administrator, to the teacher, to the student, Katie targets the idea of… “BE THE CHANGE”
“What if ?… and begin to create the change that you wish to see in your context.” –Katie Martin
Think about Albert Einstein‘s mindset. Would you consider him a problem solver? An innovator? A person looking to improve life for all? A CHANGE MAKER?
“We cannot solves our problems with the same thinking that we used when we created them”. –Albert Einstein
Problems are a way of life. Problems are a sign that we are trying. Without them, that means we’re staying inside our comfort zone of a hamster wheel and allowing life to continue status quo.
In 1915, Albert Einstein published his personal masterwork on the general theory of relativity. How did this happen? I suspect it was a result of him pursuing his passions.
Interestingly enough, from the Encyclopedia World of Biography it states, “He was a poor student, and some of his teachers thought he might be retarded (mentally handicapped); he was unable to speak fluently (with ease and grace) at age nine. Einstein’s formal secondary education ended at age sixteen. He disliked school, and just as he was planning to find a way to leave without hurting his chances for entering the university, his teacher expelled him because his bad attitude was affecting his classmates”.
This puts me right back to something Katie said during the first IMMOOC Season 4 podcast with George Couros and AJ Juliani. When talking about her son she stated, “school simply does not align with his strengths!” At that very moment I felt like Katie was speaking for me as a child and my very own two sons… it was powerful! I personally was not “caught in the middle of the turning point in education” as Katie so eloquently puts it. But my sons are… right in the middle!
One teacher wants them to find their passion… let me rephrase… relight the passion that other teachers put out.
One teacher demands a shared Google Doc, while the next doesn’t even know what a Google Doc is.
One has flexible seating, which allows for my son’s inattentiveness to have laser-focus, while others continue to call him out on inattentiveness in a compliant, rows of desks, teacher centered world.
The BREAKTHROUGH IS HERE… the serum to save education… to save our children’s love of learning… to create change… to be a part of an innovative world!
What is your role?
What will you do with it?