I’ve had an exciting week bringing myself up to speed on some of the new web 2.0 technologies. I can see that these tools offer great possibilities for a new approach to learning. They have the potential to fundamentally transform teaching and learning. That said, the question remains, “Will we embrace or resist these new technologies?”
So, let’s diverge from discussion of the technologies themselves and spend some time focusing on some of the steps necessary to align educators behind our vision. Fundamentally, we are talking about shifting people’s belief systems about teaching and learning. Teachers have strong beliefs about what a good classroom should look like.
They have beliefs about technology, the students they teach, high stakes testing, and the culture in which they are teaching. Parents and community members have beliefs about what a good public education should provide. Administrators hold their own beliefs about teachers, students, parents, and teaching and learning.
The funny thing about beliefs is how powerful they are and how important they are in shaping our experiences. Take the example of two people walking in the park at night. One person believes this is dangerous, the other believes it is romantic. Suddenly, the wind blows. Leaves scud across the pathway and the bushes rustle. What does the person who believes it is dangerous experience? Fear. The other person, with the belief that a nighttime walk in the park is romantic, experiences it as a delicate display of nature’s beauty.
Perhaps beliefs are not facts; but our own constructs. We may have past experiences that ground our beliefs; but the belief itself is not factual. The Wright brothers were aware of thousands of years of experience that proved that man could not fly. If the two brothers had adopted those beliefs, they would never have experienced flight. Often, our beliefs limit possibilities.
Are we truly open to possibility? How often have you thought, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” That attitude would have grounded Orville and Wilbur Wright. Recently, I listened to a Director of Technology announce with confidence, “Twenty-five percent of the teachers in my school will never ‘get it’.” That belief will shape her experience and make it a “lock” that her prophesy will be fulfilled.
Marting Luther King declared, “I have a dream”. He dreamed of the possibility of racial equality, the possibility that a man would be judged by the content of his character and not the color of his skin. He didn’t have all the answers about how his dream would come about; but he dared to believe it could. He believed so strongly in the possibility that others were inspired to shift their beliefs. A great leader inspires others to believe that the seemingly impossible is possible.
If we are to transform education, we must shift our own beliefs about what is possible for our children, our teachers, and our schools. If we wait to see it before we believe it, we’ll just be in the way. When we dream about the possibilities, regardless of knowing how they will ever be implemented, when we believe in those possibilities so strongly that others are inspired to believe too, then we will be on the road to meaningful educational change.
Because you believe something strongly does not guarantee that you will succeed; but it is a prerequisite for success. I believe if we do our jobs well, we will inspire those around us to embrace the new technologies and the new pedagogies that will come with them.
When you believe it, you will see it!
Pete
The Teacher's Path 
Hey Pete,
I was so excited to see you have a blog! You can bet I will be reading your posts. Shifting beliefs is indeed the issue..the technology is the easy part!
Very well said, Pete. I gave a presentation yesterday about contemporary literacy for community college instructors. One woman came up after the session was over and said that she believed all that I said, but that it was deeply troubling to her, because she said that she thought the library and books and journal databases were still important. I never said that they weren’t and said many times that what was important was having the skill to know when Wikipedia was the best source and when traditional scholarly sources were best.
I think that people feel threatened when something new is introduced.
Thanks again!
I understand where she is coming from. One thing leaders who are introducing new ideas have to be very sensitive to, is the tendency for those who are listening to hear a one sided message.
Often when we speak to groups we extol the virtues of “active” or “constructivist” learning. What the audience hears is that traditional forms of teaching and learning are dead. They tend to hear it as an either, or proposition. The reality is that there are many different kinds of teaching and each has their place; however, we are proposing that the overwhelming dominance of lecture be shifted. Lecture, after all, takes the least amount of planning, the least amount of structure, and the least amount of work.
Designing an effective active learning experience for kids takes a great deal of care.
Hey Pete, really love this entry and the conversation. It reminds me of the name of the K12 Online conference, unleashing the potential, but it is also about changing perceptions. It feels true to me, especially your last comment. Thanks for introducing yourself to me via my blog.
Jo