How Satisfied are You with the Pace of Change?

by Bob Sprankle

5 comments

1 Beth Still { 07.14.09 at 10:17 am }

The title of my blog is Nebraska Change Agent. I get very tired of hearing that change will happen, but we must be patient. Why can’t change be mandated? Why are administrators so afraid to push teachers to their limits and make them learn new things? Maybe there is something that I just don’t get.

2 Beth Auwarter { 07.14.09 at 8:14 pm }

Many teachers and librarians are using social networking tools like Facebook, Flickr, Delicious and Twitter for their own use; they need to be comfortable first before thinking of applications with students. Teachers from my elementary school have tried classroom blogs and wikis with the students, but the kids often don’t have time in school to blog or comment, and at home they choose other activities.

3 Karlana aka hawaiianbrat96 { 07.16.09 at 10:12 am }

In my opinion, change cannot come without first helping teachers and administrators understand the tools, sites, and necessity of incorporating these changes into the classroom.

My district does not do enough to help people become more aware of the hardware, the software, and online tools that many students could benefit from! I was the only one, other than my ECS, that really used tools outside the ELMO and projector within my classroom. I used online tools and suggested programs to help stimulate learning outside the classroom.

Until teachers are aware and comfortable using these tools, there won’t be much movement towards the changes.

4 BethHolmes { 07.18.09 at 10:03 pm }

Hi, Bob,
Clearly, education must reform to meet the needs of a modern society. It is unreasonable to expect a nation to support an education system that cannot supply a sophisticated, globally-competitive workforce.

The “pace of change,” however, may not be the real problem. When we consider the massive changes schools have made to accommodate NCLB and accountability, we have to acknowledge that change has taken place over the past decade – and at a remarkable pace. My concern is that the “changes” that are valued in the current system are not the kinds of changes that genuinely benefit modern students. I fear that the efforts to “leave no child behind” have exacerbated the disconnect between our children and the schools they so desperately need.

I am confident that many educators in this country KNOW what changes must be made to reform our schools. We KNOW that students deserve opportunities to thrive in learning environments that honor this generation’s unique place in time. Very simply, we KNOW that today’s students need to learn in and about the world in which they live and must produce. A strong global network of connected educators COULD literally reform education for the 21st Century.

So, I spend much time these days thinking about how this core of educators might actually make THE difference. I believe the structures for reform are in place – given strong leadership in the schools. When EDUCATORS get serious about changing the education system, it WILL CHANGE. It can change using research-based school improvement practices and peer-reviewed accreditation systems. We will all have to get to work in a focused and systematic way to reform teaching and student learning at the grassroots level. Great teachers in grade level collaborative teams hold the power to reinvent school from the bottom up. I know this can happen because I have done it and I see it happening today. There is NO DOUBT that “top down” reform is minimally effective in promoting the wide-spread innovation needed to reinvent school. But, I never doubt the power of a core group of hard-working teachers to inspire the creative juice needed to bring about foundational and lasting change. This is education’s purpose and function in the 21st century. When the numbers of teachers who want positive change in our profession reaches a critical mass – we WILL reinvent school – and the pace of change will be difficult to contain. I am hoping the time is sooner rather than later. I am so eager to see it happen!

Thanks for the cool survey. I will follow it with great interest. So far, the critical mass seems to be ready for significant CHANGE.

5 Cheryl Oakes { 07.29.09 at 6:03 am }

Beth, great comment. I too agree, teachers are going to be the change agents because as our student numbers decrease and we recognize that our current staff will disappear UNLESS we do business as UNUSUAL. Our economy can not stand to add more and more and more but rather, we need different. There are so many tools which will allow that: video streaming to outlying schools, webcasting events, tools whereby we can collaborate synchronously or asynchronously, students who are challenged by a problem to solve 24/7, to name a few. These are exciting times. We are on the cusp. Glad I am here for the ride.

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