If we are talking about transforming K12 education to be more human-centered we are talking about a shift of mindsets and organizational structures.
As Allan Cohen shared on a podcast, transformation is…
“…a kind of change that actually let’s go of the past and creates something entirely new. As a practical matter, that means breaking from or disrupting or interrupting the way things have been going, not simply improving it. But, imagining something that’s not constrained by where it’s been.” (Episode 2)
So what are the first principles of the most powerful learning experiences? In other words, what are the “laws” that govern how we design the most powerful learning models and experiences?
Education Evolving defines 7 principles:
- Positive relationships
- Foundational needs met
- Positive identity
- Student ownership and agency
- Real-world relevant
- Competency-based
- Anytime, anywhere learning
Another organization, Education Reimagined, envisions learning experiences characterized by five interrelated elements, forming a new design for learning:
- Learner agency
- Socially embedded
- Personalized, relevant, contextualized
- Open-walled
- Competency-based
One of the challenges with school transformation, I think, is that we don’t yet agree on a set of first principles that we can use to design learning models suitable to our local contexts. Like a chef who understands the principles of cooking, we can use agreed-upon principles of learning in creative ways/combinations to design powerful learning experiences.
And right now, we are mostly cooks, following a recipe of compliance and standardization that has been around for over a century. We need to become chefs!
If we areto transform K12 education systems, we must challenge the assumptions of the current system and unearth the authentic (new) principles of learning.
Once we establish the first principles of learning, then we need to talk about the first principles of leadership.
Learning first….
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❓ Provocations:
What are the principles of learning on which we can build human-centered systems and organizations? How do we know the identified principles are true? Does the work of Education Evolving or Education Reimagined resonate with you? What do you see as the barriers to transforming our mindset about powerful learning?
💎 Resources:
🧠 Mindset:
Principles of learning
💡 Area:
Learning
📣 Drop your thoughts in the comments, or in the Facebook group, and feel free to share resources. 🔥🔥🔥
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