Dealing with Educational Change:The Faces of the School of the FutureEduardo O C ChavesCoordinator,UNESCO Chair of Education and Human Developmentat the Ayrton Senna Foundation (São Paulo, Brazil)Member, International Advisory Council for Partners in Learning

Topics

• Technology, Change and EducationTechnology, Change and Education• Reconceiving EducationReconceiving Education• Redefining LearningRedefining Learning• Reinventing SchoolReinventing School• Sustaining the New School with Sustaining the New School with

Technology Technology

Technology, Change and Education

Technology

• Broadly understood, technology is Broadly understood, technology is whatever human beings invent to:whatever human beings invent to:• make life easier• make life more pleasurable

• “Hard” and “Soft” Technologies• ICT: most important technologies for

education

Four Revolutions in ICT

• The invention of The invention of conceptual languageconceptual language• The invention of The invention of alphabetical writingalphabetical writing• The invention of The invention of movable type printingmovable type printing• The invention of The invention of digital technologydigital technology

The Fourth Revolution

• In the past 25 years digital technology In the past 25 years digital technology has drastically changed the way we: has drastically changed the way we: • Access Access information information • Communicate Communicate • Do businessDo business• Work Work

• Create networksCreate networks • Make friendsMake friends• Have funHave fun• Manage our love Manage our love life life

Digital Technology and Education • It is inconceivable that all these changes It is inconceivable that all these changes

will leave education & learning will leave education & learning unaffectedunaffected

• And yet, the mere introduction of And yet, the mere introduction of technology into schools will not technology into schools will not necessarily change them necessarily change them

• Technology induces change if Technology induces change if accompanied by changes in ideas, in the accompanied by changes in ideas, in the way we view thingsway we view things

Scharffenberger’s “Three S’s”

• Technology can be brought into schools Technology can be brought into schools to:to:• Sustain what is already being done there• Supplement what is being done there • Subvert what is done there

• The impact of technology will depend The impact of technology will depend on our being either conservative, or on our being either conservative, or reformative, or then revolutionaryreformative, or then revolutionary

Negroponte’s Law

• The introduction of technology into The introduction of technology into schools will probably be much more schools will probably be much more innovative and transformative in places innovative and transformative in places where the present quality of school where the present quality of school education is perceived as quite badeducation is perceived as quite bad

Greg Butler’s Principle

• The best time to change is when you The best time to change is when you don’t (yet) have to…don’t (yet) have to…

The Hour is Now

• Even for good schools, the time to Even for good schools, the time to change is nowchange is now

• And change must not be merely And change must not be merely reformative: it needs to be truly reformative: it needs to be truly transformative (and that means: transformative (and that means: revolutionary)revolutionary)

• Change has to be achieved first in the Change has to be achieved first in the field of ideas, in our “mindsets”field of ideas, in our “mindsets”

The Focus of Change – The Three R’s• We must:We must:

• reconceive education• redefine learning• and so reinvent schooling

• We need technology that will We need technology that will sustainsustain the new, reinvented school – and the new, reinvented school – and subvertsubvert the old one… the old one…

Reconceiving Education

The Traditional View of Education• Education has been viewed, up to now, Education has been viewed, up to now,

as a process by means of which one as a process by means of which one generation of society transmits to the generation of society transmits to the next:next:• its way of viewing things (knowledge, science)• its way of doing things (technology)• its way of deciding what is important (values)

Emphases of the Traditional View• On the content to be transmitted On the content to be transmitted

(academic disciplines, organized by (academic disciplines, organized by grade / series / year)grade / series / year)

• On those who master this content and On those who master this content and thus do the transmitting (teachers)thus do the transmitting (teachers)

• On the methods of transmission On the methods of transmission (teaching)(teaching)

A New View of Education

• Education is a process of human Education is a process of human development development • We are born incompetent and dependent• But our “hard-wiring” is minimal and quite open• And we have an incredible capacity to learn… • Thus we can decide what we want to become• Education is the “software” that allows us to

become competent and autonomous adults

Emphases of the New View

• On the “matrix of competencies” that we On the “matrix of competencies” that we must develop in order to become adults must develop in order to become adults – taking into account the fact that we are – taking into account the fact that we are all differentall different

• On the learner, who needs to develop On the learner, who needs to develop into a competent and autonomous adultinto a competent and autonomous adult

• On the process of learning – “mathetics” On the process of learning – “mathetics” (i.e., developing competences and skills)(i.e., developing competences and skills)

Autonomy and Competence

• We will be We will be autonomousautonomous if we become if we become capable of freely defining a project for capable of freely defining a project for our lives our lives

• We will be We will be competentcompetent if we become if we become capable of transforming that project capable of transforming that project into a reality into a reality

• Education is the “software” that Education is the “software” that cancan make us both autonomous and make us both autonomous and competent adultscompetent adults

• Education takes place through learningEducation takes place through learning

Redefining Learning

Learning – The Concept

• Learning is clearly not the same as Learning is clearly not the same as absorbing and retaining information absorbing and retaining information (see Peter Senge)(see Peter Senge)

• To learn is to become capable of doing To learn is to become capable of doing things that we were unable to do before things that we were unable to do before

How do We Learn?

• We learn to do things by trying to do We learn to do things by trying to do them, making mistakes, receiving help them, making mistakes, receiving help and support, trying again, until we and support, trying again, until we become capable of doing thembecome capable of doing them

• Learning is an Learning is an activeactive process: it process: it involves doing things (even if the doing involves doing things (even if the doing is mental)is mental)

• And learning is And learning is collaborativecollaborative (co-labor- (co-labor-active)active)

The Place of Others in Our Learning• Others can Others can help us learnhelp us learn, but the , but the

learning is – or isn’t – ours alone learning is – or isn’t – ours alone • Thus others inevitably do participate in Thus others inevitably do participate in

our education, our education, but not as our but not as our “educators”“educators”

Paulo Freire

• No one educates another… No one educates another… • But nor does one educate himself But nor does one educate himself

alone…alone…• We educate one another as we We educate one another as we

collaboratively collaboratively learn how best to live our lives in a learn how best to live our lives in a complex and often unjust worldcomplex and often unjust world

Reinventing School

The Old School

• Its curriculum contains the basic Its curriculum contains the basic information students are supposed to information students are supposed to have in each of the basic disciplines have in each of the basic disciplines (subject matters)(subject matters)

• Teachers deliver content to students Teachers deliver content to students (teaching)(teaching)

• Students absorb this information Students absorb this information (learning) (learning)

• To evaluate the students is to check if To evaluate the students is to check if they absorbed the information they absorbed the information (evaluation)(evaluation)

Technology in the Old School

• Technology in the old school supports Technology in the old school supports the teacher, teaching, content delivery the teacher, teaching, content delivery

• The technology that is important is that The technology that is important is that which helps student access information which helps student access information

The Context of the Old School

• Information was scarce; access to it, Information was scarce; access to it, difficultdifficult

• Values were stable; assumed to be Values were stable; assumed to be universaluniversal

• One lived most of his life where he was One lived most of his life where he was born born

• Contact with the “external world”, by Contact with the “external world”, by travel and by communication, was travel and by communication, was minimal minimal

• Everybody was certain that the future Everybody was certain that the future was going to be like the past…was going to be like the past…

The New School: Assumptions

• Students are active learners, and they Students are active learners, and they want to want to use technology to learnuse technology to learn (anytime, anywhere) (anytime, anywhere)

• But they want to learn things that are But they want to learn things that are related to their interests, that “have a related to their interests, that “have a point”point”

• Their learning must connected to the Their learning must connected to the definition and implementation of their definition and implementation of their life project life project

Learning in the New School

• Embedded in life Embedded in life • Active Active • Contextualized (“just in time”)Contextualized (“just in time”)• Modular (“just enough”)Modular (“just enough”)• Practical (“how to”) Practical (“how to”) • Personalized Personalized

The Curriculum of the New School • Its curriculum is not a grid of subject Its curriculum is not a grid of subject

matters and series (academic matters and series (academic disciplines and grades) disciplines and grades)

• Its curriculum is a flexible and rich Its curriculum is a flexible and rich matrix of competenciesmatrix of competencies, with the , with the various competencies that students will various competencies that students will need to develop in order to transform need to develop in order to transform their diverse life projects into realitytheir diverse life projects into reality

Programs of Study in the New School• There is no reason why the program of There is no reason why the program of

study of every student should be the study of every student should be the same: students are differentsame: students are different

• A given student does not have to A given student does not have to develop every competency in the develop every competency in the curriculum: only those that are curriculum: only those that are necessary or important for transforming necessary or important for transforming his life project into realityhis life project into reality

The Teacher in the New School

• In the New School teachers will not In the New School teachers will not teach…teach…

• The function of “teachers” will be to The function of “teachers” will be to advise, orient, coach, mentor, and advise, orient, coach, mentor, and facilitate learning (by watching & facilitate learning (by watching & listening, giving feedback, asking listening, giving feedback, asking challenging questions, calling attention challenging questions, calling attention to issues and neglected aspects, to issues and neglected aspects, instigating curiosity…)instigating curiosity…)

The Methodology of the New School • In the traditional school, the teacher In the traditional school, the teacher

knows the answers and tells them to knows the answers and tells them to the students the students

• In the School of the Future teachers & In the School of the Future teachers & students alike should be asking students alike should be asking instigating questions and looking for instigating questions and looking for answersanswers

• This is the very essence of This is the very essence of problemproblem//inquiry/ project-based learninginquiry/ project-based learning

The Context of the New School - 1• The school will, in many ways, be The school will, in many ways, be

integrated with the home and the integrated with the home and the community, because the kind of community, because the kind of learning it proposes and facilitates is learning it proposes and facilitates is full time and does not acknowledge the full time and does not acknowledge the constraining boundaries of the constraining boundaries of the institutions that seek to promote institutions that seek to promote learning learning

The Context of the New School - 2• But the new school must have a wider But the new school must have a wider

focus and be truly global, because our focus and be truly global, because our world is each day more interdependent: world is each day more interdependent: economically, culturally and socially – economically, culturally and socially – and even politicallyand even politically

• Its students may come to live and work Its students may come to live and work in different countries – if what we call in different countries – if what we call countries continues to be a viable countries continues to be a viable political unit political unit

Sustaining the New School with Technology

Technology as Tool and Toy

• Technology is whatever human beings Technology is whatever human beings invent to make life invent to make life easiereasier or more or more pleasurable pleasurable

• Some of our technology is Some of our technology is tooltool; some is ; some is toytoy……

• Tools help us sustain our livesTools help us sustain our lives• But it is our toys that give us reasons to But it is our toys that give us reasons to

keep on living keep on living

The Key to Success in Learning

• The key to success in work is in finding The key to success in work is in finding things we enjoy doing and then things we enjoy doing and then inventing ways of making a living with inventing ways of making a living with them…them…

• The key to success in learning is in The key to success in learning is in identifying things that catch our identifying things that catch our interest and trigger our curiosity and interest and trigger our curiosity and then finding ways of developing our then finding ways of developing our competencies by learning them…competencies by learning them…

Education and Happiness

• The end of education is our The end of education is our developmentdevelopment

• In the long run, education is nothing In the long run, education is nothing other than “the pursuit of happiness”: other than “the pursuit of happiness”: the creation, for each of us, individually, the creation, for each of us, individually, and of all of us, collectively, of a life and of all of us, collectively, of a life that fulfills our deepest aspirations that fulfills our deepest aspirations

• Technology is a powerful aid in this Technology is a powerful aid in this pursuitpursuit

eduardo@chaves.coeduardo@chaves.com.brm.br