Innovation in Learning First Thoughts

For the past 20 years I have watched the shape of education in Alberta go through various changes. This evolution of education philosophy has at times been interesting and fun and at other times has been nerve wracking and stressful. I have always considered myself a life long learner, and I have always enjoyed looking at new potentials in teaching as necessary to keep teachers working towards our common goal of how to create the citizens and leaders of tomorrow. Very often in education people use certain styles and philosophies for no other reason than that is the way they were taught, or this is the material they borrowed from another teacher when they first got started as a teacher, or my personal favourite, “Its just the way I have always done it!” Our communities have changed, technologies have raced ahead faster than ever before and our students are being exposed to an ever widening world. Education needs to grow and evolve. Yes, we still need to teach the basics but that is not enough. No longer does the traditional one size fits all classroom get to be the mainstay of our school systems. With inclusive education and policies that want to focus on high school and beyond we as educators have to get out of our comfort zones and think outside the box. I am proud to say that in my province that process took another step forward a few years ago with the introduction of High School Redesign. High School Redesign has afforded teachers the opportunity to collaborate and innovate within their schools. We no longer have to be nailed down to a rigid set of education standards. Teachers are being tasked with coming up with new ideas to help solve age old problems like student engagement, graduation rates, and post-secondary success rates. With themes like flexible learning time and students taking ownership of learning we can hopefully see that the students graduating in the 21st century leave with more tools that better prepare them for the real world. Literacy is being challenged in our ever changing technological world. We need to be able to use these tools in order to help our students. Embracing technology and entwining it in our classrooms helps these students familiarize themselves with proper use of these tools. In order for teachers to do this the teachers must themselves not be afraid of change and innovation. Otherwise the world may just pass them by. Instagram and Snapchat do not have to be dirty words in the high school classroom. And to deny their importance and impact on the students of today is a missed opportunity I think for educators.