IETA 2019

Having no historical precedent, the current speed of technological breakthroughs has lead to the coming age of workplace automation, dramatically altering the world of work that our students will enter upon graduation. With the vast disparities of inequity that have existed for centuries, all that is known about how students learn, and the predictions regarding the world that our students will face tomorrow, utilizing a traditional, one-size-fits-all approach to teaching and learning is educational malpractice. Built upon the foundation of leadership and school culture, a redesigned learning experience fundamentally shifts the teaching and learning paradigm to one that is personal, while altering the use of authentic assessments, how technology is leveraged, the spaces in which the learning occurs, the way educators grow professionally, how schools collaborate with the community, and ultimately, the sustainability of the system as a whole. In this session, Murray will dissect some of these keys, which each serve as a puzzle piece for redesigning the learning experience, to unlock tomorrow’s schools so that today’s modern learners leave ready to create new industries, find new cures, and solve world problems. We must create tomorrow’s schools today and you are part of the solution. 

What is necessary for a district to really grow together into a climate and culture of innovation and support of divergent thinking? That is the million dollar question. In this session, we will discuss the Hierarchy of Needs for Innovation and Divergent Thinking - an organizational structure meant to support teachers in their innovative journey, and what all educators can do to establish these necessary components including changing mindset, climate and culture, creating a common language, and effective support and leadership. Innovation is more than handing out devices. Let’s talk about how we can create the conditions to support teachers and students as they think of new and different ways to learn and grow!

(based on the book Divergent EDU (Froehlich, 2018))