Crisis as the Mother of Invention in Education

Tuesday, August 3 - 1:00 pm

Tom Vander Ark - Presentation Slide Link
Ted Kolderie - Presentation Notes Link

More big ideas gathered late in the afternoon on Day 2 as Tom Vander Ark and Ted Kolderie presented their thinking as to why innovation is a strategy to systemic reform in education. Both presentations focused on innovative forms of school-organization, on innovative approaches to learning (including the greater use of digital electronics) and on, innovative, broader, concepts of achievement. Here are a few takeaways from both presentations:

• The k-12 system is in crisis and needs to be reconstructed on a new model.
• Placing all bets on traditional school is not an effective strategy for the country's future.
• The private sector has play a more involved role in education innovation in order to produce at scale.
• Blended learning (online learning that happens at school) is a shift in instructional responsibility. This innovative approach to learning will create adaptive learning environments, which will involve adaptive lessons, courses, and instructional tools.
• Over the past 20 years policy has opened the k-12 system to the creation of new public schools. This provided an opportunity to search for new models that would better motivate students and teachers. So far we have not used that opportunity well.