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Start with Innovative Schools…

Written by David Truss

“How can the next president better help small business and entrepreneurs thrive?”

That was the question that US Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama asked on LinkedIn. A day later I posted response #1421. Here it is:

The definition for ‘Entrepreneur’ came from Google using ‘define: entrepreneur’, but I did not link to it since the link does not work.(www.onlinewbc.gov/docs/starting/glossary.html).

What I did link to was a very gifted student’s blog post– (you’ve seen it here before), a Time Magazine Article found in this student’s del.icio.us links tagged ‘gifted’, and my Square Peg, Round Hole post.

I don’t think that the purpose of our educational system is to ‘produce entrepreneurs’ but it seems fairly evident to me that we should be fostering the kind of thinking that entrepreneurs possess in our flat world.

I also don’t think that we need to cater specifically to gifted students… on the contrary, what we do to fill their educational needs, to challenge them, and to catalyze their creativity, can (and will) help every student become more ingenious.

Painting by Michelle McGauchie In his recent post, “Who are we really failing“, (which also links to the Time Magazine Article above), Christopher D. Sessums points to a year-old post about a debate, “Transforming Learning: Evolution or Revolution“. In this post, Christopher says:

“Is framing the debate of transformation as an evolutionary or revolutionary process the correct way to look at the current situation? Might there be a better set of metaphors? How might the notion of emergence fit this proposition? What might Paulo Freire think?”

I think the answer is in the question… it isn’t an evolutionary or revolutionary process… it is a transformation that has qualities of both evolution and revolution. There has been a metamorphosis in the way people connect, relate, communicate, and inquire. With regards to schools, education, and learning, you might say that we are in a cocoon right now. Some of us only know what it means to be a caterpillar, others see the potential of being a butterfly, and none of us know where our wings can take us.

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Painting from ‘Aquatic Origins’ exhibit by Michelle McGauchie. (Used with permission from the artist.)

Originally posted: September 14th, 2007

Reflection upon re-reading and re-posting:

We are definitely out of the cocoon, and although we still aren’t sure where our wings can take us, we are beginning to fly.

I think the transformation has been from groups of educators going in similar direction to a single (loose) network of learners helping, and connecting to, each other.

Comments on the original post:

  1. Here is the cookie-cutter email response. I guess with it being a ‘business’ question I should not have expected any significant mention of education.Barack Obama wrote:Hi Dave-Thanks for participating in Barack’s question on LinkedIn Answers – our campaign will review all of these answers in the days ahead.Barack is committed to helping small businesses and believes they are at the heart of the American economy. He is committed to expanding opportunities and easing the everyday pressures so many businesses face by cutting their health care costs, improving access to capital, and investing in innovation and development.He plans to fix our health care crisis and enable more small businesses to provide affordable care to their employees. He will expand loan programs for small businesses and create a national network of public-private business incubators. He also will invest in women-owned businesses, increase minority access to capital, increase supports for businesses in rural areas, and work to close the digital divide that limits the growth potential of many urban and rural small businesses.
    In addition, Barack will support entrepreneurship and spur job growth by creating a national network of public-private business incubators. Business incubators facilitate the critical work of entrepreneurs in creating start-up companies. They offer help designing business plans, provide physical space, identify and address problems affecting all small businesses within a given community, and give advice on a wide range of business practices, including reducing overhead costs. Business incubators will engage the expertise and resources of local institutions of higher education and successful private sector business to help ensure that small businesses have both a strong plan and the resources for long-term success. Obama will invest $250 million per year to increase the number and size of incubators in disadvantaged communities throughout the country.

    We appreciate immensely your willingness to share your insights and suggestions on these issues and your help in achieving these goals.

    For more information on Barack ideas for improving America visit: www.barackobama.com/issues

    Thanks,
    Scott & Becky @ Obama HQ

    David Truss on Friday, 14 September 2007, 21:46 CEST

  2. Your blog is inspiring, and can serve as a resource for teachers in the trenches. I teach 3rd grade, and I am seeing the differentiation of technological literacy…some are learning what an icon is, some can navigate to a research link, and others are making amazing connections. It is frustrating to have a curriculum that includes just “keyboarding” and it starts 1/2 way through the school year. Student need to engage in critical thinking and be able to read and think across several technological literacies. I plan to really explore what you have here and find ideas for implementation. -ABC Coach

    ABC Coach on Saturday, 27 October 2007, 17:59 CEST

  3. To ABC Coach,Thank you for your kind words.I’m beginning to think that it is time we threw the curriculum out the window and rebuilt it from scratch. Start with the ‘end in mind’ and meaningfully engage students in critical thinking and 21st Century Literacy, rather than just creating a series of patchwork adaptations and solutions. -Dave

    David Truss on Saturday, 27 October 2007, 23:07 CEST