Schools as Organic Systems

I am just thinking about the importance of having an education system that is organic, adapting and changing to the needs to the students. Stimulated by this video - cheesy though it may be.

Reflecting back over the rapid technological change of the last 20 years it is worthwhile to explore the nature of schooling as a system, that is organic and changes (or not) according to the changes in the environment. There is no doubt that the technological changes that have happened in the last 20 years are massive. Yet, most futurists agree that the technological changes that will happen over the next 20 years, will make the previous 20 years seem tame in comparison. Digital fabrication and robotics alone will change the environment we live in. Artificial intelligence will help to merge the virtual and the real and data will become so big that the power will be in asking the right questions, rather than getting the answers. For children that are starting school now, at 5 years old, in 20 years time they will only be 25 - not far off having finished their formal education - if that still exists.

          

How can schools take an organic approach and adapt to the needs of the environment, rather than tend building walls and keeping out the outside changes (or at least the technology developments that have come with it). Remember, in the 'real world' those that don't adapt die ... or at least go out of business. 

Change is not easy at the best of times, and often there is the desire to cling onto what is familiar because of our fear of the unknown. Even when we know the familiar is not the best it is 'safe' and we may not want to venture out of that safety zone.

Yet schools are systems, and they should be complex and dynamic systems that live and change and respond to the environment. To survive they need to receive and act on input from the environment and change their output as required. We have reached the stage in education where there is a collision between traditional methods (supplemented with technology) and new demands. How do we enable learning for our students to meet the demands of the future while maintaining traditional structures - is this possible? Rather than continually trying to reform education, it might be time to transform education. To quote Einstein, "You cannot solve the problem with the same kind of thinking that has caused the problem."

So what does this look like in practice?

• Believe that schools are organic organisations that are capable of continual learning, change and improvement.
• Develop a culture of learning and adapting - all teachers and students must be learners and schools need to promote the conditions for learning.
• Ensure schooling is lead by a moral purpose - the values and purpose of education (preparing students for the future) doesn't change, it is the 'how' and 'what' of that that does change.
• Celebrate flexibility and new ways of thinking - because something has always been done that way is not a good reason to do anything (neither is it a reason in itself to change it!);
• Connect inside and outside the school - all systems contain sub-systems that function together to achieve a purpose and these need strong connections to work together effectively. Avoid the piecemeal approach.
• Systems also need to be connected with their environment (social, cultural, technological and physical) so they can adapt and change as necessary, to ensure their quality survival.
• Address the root core of the problem not the symptoms. Managing symptoms does not facilitate sustainable change for improvement.
• Explore the rigid schedules and structures and challenge them - are they still necessary and do they lead to improvement achievement and engagement for students?
• Avoid the discipline-by-discipline approach - explore transdisciplinary approaches rather than siloed curriculum areas.
• Think outside the box (explore moving beyond the boundaries of the existing system)