Scale Begins with Answerable Questions

With the routines of schooling in motion, educators and educational leaders cannot afford not to include both reflection and review as part of their daily habits especially related to the expectations and uses of instructional technology albeit tools, programs, or devices.  

The following four (4) questions are a solid starting point:

1.     What strategies are we implementing that create and sustain 21st century competencies while balancing the need to acquire core academic skills? 

2.     What best practices are we integrating into daily practice that prepare students for college and career readiness? 

3.     Are our District-level strategies and best practices creating a learner-driven educational culture? 

4.     Are our Classroom-level strategies and best practices empowering a generation of learner-driven students? 

Though far from provocative, these four questions are critical to awareness, understanding and thinking within the framework and context of our best hopes and expectations of, for, and by technology. 

Fundamentally, technology integration leading to the conversion of teaching and learning is one best hope of this digital age.  Hybrid, blended, flipped, and a converted learning environment where technology is leveraged to drive unprecedented learning is central to 21^st century learning.  Learners empowered to author, co-create, collaborate, communicate, and own their learning is not only an outcome of technology but also a means to achieve it.

Our worst fears are that we will not realize the transformation of teaching and learning caused by the learning tools of this century.

We know with little hesitation that devices irrespective of manufacturer, label, or brand provide unprecedented opportunity for engagement.  We know engagement is also from and for both the teacher and learner alike.  However, engagement is but a first step. 

A second step is the creation, demonstration, application, and connection of learning on unprecedented levels.  This is where the unknown becomes daunting to some, irresistible to others. 

We know connectivity and access know no bounds.  A worldwide faculty of experts, doers, dreamers, entrepreneurs, designers, and etc. are at the touch of screen (or a key stroke).  Incredible that the world, the universe for that matter is close to becoming the norm for information and knowledge access and creation, not the exception.

As the calculus of where to find, interact, and interface with information and knowledge continues to change, there remains several challenges - once thought insurmountable but now can be addressed at scale.

First and foremost is ensuring that each learner enters school with the requisite skills, knowledge, and experience.  Much has and will continue to be written about the importance of literacy.  There is, however, the subject of mathematics that is often overlooked and underutilized as a fundamental, essential skill and knowledge set.

The correlation of mathematics to success in school should be obvious.  Yet, it isn’t.  Consider, the M in STEM.  Where are the foundations laid for learners to access and be successful in higher levels of mathematics?  Consider, college and career readiness.  Further still, consider the social-emotional development of learners? 

Lastly for the moment, consider the historically under-represented, minority and high poverty learners and high school completion let alone their access and opportunity in college and career fields heavily dependent upon math.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will explore in greater depth the aforementioned correlations with mathematics accompanied by the power of technology and why “scale” is within our reach.

The answers or at least the conversation that emerges is about getting to "different".  The best hopes are that we change the way we think to change the way we behave to authentically leverage the tools of this age to accomplish what no other generation of educators has to date.  

Curious? 

I hope so – more to come.