Calling for innovation in education seems to be a big thing. The argument for this position would seem to be that new ideas are better or that goals have changed and adjustments must be made. There is little doubt that when it comes to the job market the world is changing, but who needs which skills to take advantage of these changes and which educational setting is best suited to helping learners develop these new skills? Are these new skills more advanced or just different? Are these skills different or do they build on traditional skills?
The innovation I see as necessary in K12 is very different from the changes advocated by others. New ideas such as coding for all, making, or project-based learning are useful and interesting, but do not address what I think is the core challenge. I think it useful to differentiate core information and skills from additional skills. In my opinion, he most significant problem is the variability in core skills that cannot be addressed by group-based instruction in the earliest grades with the consequence that more advanced students are held back and struggling students do not get the attention they need resulting in failed progress and motivational problems. The most meaningful innovation would focus on ways to individualize the development of core knowledge and skills providing the foundation for personal learner interests and more optimistic attributions for learning activities (some have taken to calling this a growth mindset).
The idea that all learners should acquire certain common skills is present at every level of education. This core may reflect essential life skills and a foundation for progress in other areas (e.g., reading, writing, math) or perhaps an expectation of the public for contributing to society (e.g., civics/government).
I think we are at a point when schools must do multiple things in multiple ways. Perhaps a theme here might be individualization, but understanding that individualization can mean different things. The individualization in individual interests should likely be addressed by increasing options and the individualization in speed of learning core expectations due to differences in aptitude and background knowledge should be addressed through systems allowing progress when mastery is demonstrated. Grade level is not a reasonable way to think about individualization when it comes to this second category (core content). Students quickly become quite different when it comes to level of achievement. Using a group-based approach to teaching the same things to students who are advancing at different rates is far from optimal or innovative.
I often write about technology providing practical ways to implement sound educational ideas that have been extensively researched and often ignored for years. Often, the problem is one of finding a way to make the tactics employed by researchers practical in classroom settings. I recognize present technology-based implementations of individual progress systems as based in the mastery-learning research of the late 1960s. Sal Kahn is one of the few technologists who seems to recognize this connection and it took some years before he described what his group has done as a form of mastery learning.
I would like to see public schools try what is sometimes described as a “mastery” model. There are different variations, but the approach I think is most practical make use of technology to individualize core areas. The use of technology should not be understood as eliminating the importance of educator involvement. To the contrary, in these areas the technology allows educators to identify critical obstacles and to function as more of a tutor.
I see public schools ignoring such blended models and leaving them for charter schools. This is part of what I mean by talking the innovation game, but not taking on the most significant challenges. In the present political climate, I see this as a problem for public education.
