Chapter 5 - Innovating Learning
Quote: “The essential point is that education for innovation must be constructed consciously and needs to cultivate the capabilities for collaboration, multidisciplinary inquiry, trial and error, and the creation of new ideas, products, and services. It must also incorporate the intrinsic motivations of play, passion, and purpose in learning.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 201)
I chose this quote because it succinctly summarizes the author’s primary message. Although the author speaks primarily about post secondary education, the principles that he promotes can be applied to secondary education as well. However, facilitating reform will undoubtedly be a slow and incremental process.
Quote: “The essential point is that education for innovation must be constructed consciously and needs to cultivate the capabilities for collaboration, multidisciplinary inquiry, trial and error, and the creation of new ideas, products, and services. It must also incorporate the intrinsic motivations of play, passion, and purpose in learning.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 201)
I chose this quote because it succinctly summarizes the author’s primary message. Although the author speaks primarily about post secondary education, the principles that he promotes can be applied to secondary education as well. However, facilitating reform will undoubtedly be a slow and incremental process.
Question: I am definitely a fan of the concepts presented by the author but I still do not have answers to the question, what can I do? As a secondary mathematics teacher, bound to implementing state standards and a curriculum designated by the school district, what specifically can I do to guide my students to pursue their passions?
Connection: “Race to the Top is a race to mediocrity. We need Accountability 2.0” (Wagner, 2012, p. 151) I think we can all connect to yet another slogan of educational reform. The sound bites are promising but what are we really getting in the way of reform? Perhaps the reform needs to be more from the perspective that one size does NOT fit all. Some students work best when collaborating, some can’t focus in a group and need to work individually. Some teachers are better suited for the high achievers while some teachers are at their best when they are working in small groups with under achievers. Not all students perform well on tests so test results are not a 100% solution for judging student achievement. If we try to assess all students in the same fashion then the students who do not excel in that learning mode will underperform from their true potential. What about achievement evaluations that take into account the student’s learning style? Students would be given an option of a test, project, presentation, etc. It would definitely require more work on the part of instructors but I feel it would better assess the true achievement of the students.
Connection: “Race to the Top is a race to mediocrity. We need Accountability 2.0” (Wagner, 2012, p. 151) I think we can all connect to yet another slogan of educational reform. The sound bites are promising but what are we really getting in the way of reform? Perhaps the reform needs to be more from the perspective that one size does NOT fit all. Some students work best when collaborating, some can’t focus in a group and need to work individually. Some teachers are better suited for the high achievers while some teachers are at their best when they are working in small groups with under achievers. Not all students perform well on tests so test results are not a 100% solution for judging student achievement. If we try to assess all students in the same fashion then the students who do not excel in that learning mode will underperform from their true potential. What about achievement evaluations that take into account the student’s learning style? Students would be given an option of a test, project, presentation, etc. It would definitely require more work on the part of instructors but I feel it would better assess the true achievement of the students.
Aha: I was surprised to hear about all of the politics that apparently goes on in Universities and Colleges. If you don’t march to the drum of traditional education path you do not have a chance of becoming tenured. Tenured professors have the power in Universities so outlier teachers try to bring them on board with their collaborative, multidisciplinary projects in the hopes to get the support and backing from the University. Perhaps we need to find more balance in the objectives of Universities. While research in specialized fields needs to be done, perhaps that should not be the primary focus of a University. The education of the students should be the number one priority not something that a professor is burdened with so that he/she can get funding for their research project. |
Chapter 6 - The Future of Innovation Quote: I was surprised at how much this chapter of the book focused on the role parents play in creating innovators. The author stated “all of the parents whom I interviewed were adamant that one of their most important jobs is to encourage their children to find and pursue their passions” (Wagner, 2012, p. 211) Based on this quote, it seems the movement to create innovators needs to address new parents as much as academia. If all of these successful innovators came to the education system with parental influences that promoted pursuit of their passions shouldn’t this message be taken to new parents as well as educators? |
Question: Will creating a collaborative, multidisciplinary, inquiry, and trial and error learning environment be sufficient if the so-called tiger and helicopter moms aren’t on board? Invariably there will be kickback from some parents and rightly so; knowing that not all students learn the same, there may be students who are better suited for the more traditional educational approach. If a student has not been raised in an environment of play, passion and purpose would they be prepared for the social challenges of collaborative learning? I guess that makes two questions….
Connection: “It shocks me the number of young people who have no idea what they are interested in because they have been pushed to achieve versus pushed to explore.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 206) This line really jumped off the page. This was me when I went to college a “few” years ago. My passion was to be a teacher but I gave it up for something that I felt would be more lucrative so I would be better able to support myself. I used my math skills to get a degree in Electrical Engineering but had know idea what I would do with the degree once I got it. Low and behold I ended up not utilizing the engineering degree directly; instead I earned my living as a software developer. I have now, in the second career of my life, returned to my passion.
Aha: One of the participants in the author’s parent focus group was a partner at a leading asset management company. She shared “we hire young adults coming out of the best schools. With some who don’t succeed, I think it’s often because of how structured their lives have been--the constant pursuit of the A.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 206) It is natural to think that the students who get the good grades will be successful, and the majority of them probably are but if students are trained to learn independently and then thrown into the workforce and expected to collaborate with colleges without any training it make sense that these new professionals would not succeed. They were not trained to perform in a collaborative environment. So a balance of approaches would provide a well rounded learner.
Wagner, T. (2012). Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. New York: Scribner.
Connection: “It shocks me the number of young people who have no idea what they are interested in because they have been pushed to achieve versus pushed to explore.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 206) This line really jumped off the page. This was me when I went to college a “few” years ago. My passion was to be a teacher but I gave it up for something that I felt would be more lucrative so I would be better able to support myself. I used my math skills to get a degree in Electrical Engineering but had know idea what I would do with the degree once I got it. Low and behold I ended up not utilizing the engineering degree directly; instead I earned my living as a software developer. I have now, in the second career of my life, returned to my passion.
Aha: One of the participants in the author’s parent focus group was a partner at a leading asset management company. She shared “we hire young adults coming out of the best schools. With some who don’t succeed, I think it’s often because of how structured their lives have been--the constant pursuit of the A.” (Wagner, 2012, p. 206) It is natural to think that the students who get the good grades will be successful, and the majority of them probably are but if students are trained to learn independently and then thrown into the workforce and expected to collaborate with colleges without any training it make sense that these new professionals would not succeed. They were not trained to perform in a collaborative environment. So a balance of approaches would provide a well rounded learner.
Wagner, T. (2012). Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. New York: Scribner.