I thought that one statement summed up what we as educational leaders are trying to do. The school we are trying to create is not your school or my school. Gone are the days when teachers and textbooks were the sole sources of information. That model doesn't work anymore. When students can find the answer to any content-based question in 30 seconds on their smartphones, why would we continue to act as if they still depended on us for the content? Instead we need a learner-centered model designed to give students the skills they will need for their future. They will need the digital literacy skills to decide what information is valuable and why. They will need the curation and metacognitive skills to organize resources and create portfolios of their learning. They will need the collaboration skills and self-motivation to succeed in online coursework and a collaborative work environment.
It's one thing to understand this need. It is another thing entirely to implement those changes, because as any teacher knows, it is extremely difficult to change the way one teaches. But it can be done with hard work and with the right support from administrators. To implement these changes, teachers need administrators who not only understand the changing face of education, but who will walk the walk. They need administrators who will become fluent in the needs of 21st century students and who will give teachers the time and support to help them develop new curriculum and methodologies - to create a new school for our students.
Note: At the time of writing of this post, I was not familiar with Peter Gow's (@pgow) blog Not Your Father's School. But it is most definitely worth reading.
