Imagine If…

Ask yourself; “If I had the chance to do so today, how would I build a school system to meet the needs of all students, especially those furthest from opportunity?”

Carlos Moreno in “Finding Your Leadership Soul” p. 90

I’ve been involved in many meetings and conversations where the question posed by Carlos Moreno has been the focus of discussion. It’s a very challenging question to come up with a response we feel does it justice, and more the case, often difficult to find agreement among a random group of people. Seems we so easily get sidetracked with fighting against some new idea or initiative that we don’t agree with, or defending our preconceived ideas and experience, that we find it difficult to focus on describing what we might do instead. We must become better at articulating what we’re fighting for, rather than what we’re fighting against. As I said in an earlier blog post titled What are we fighting for, if more of our conversations were framed in this way we’d find ourselves more galvanised around solutions that we consider worth pursuing, rather than wasting lots of effort on simply airing grievances and complaints about what needs to change.

Bottom line is that it’s often more ‘comfortable’ complaining about the issues that confront us than it is to pursue solutions. Educational systems are complex ecosystems with numerous stakeholders whose current positions, power, and economic interests are tied to maintaining status quo. Administrative bureaucracies (e.g. MoE, ERO Teachers Council etc.), teacher training institutions, curriculum resources providers, plus the tens of thousands of educators whose livelihood is at stake – all have significant investments in preserving existing structures. Most individuals instinctively resist the discomfort associated with large scale change, preferring incremental modifications that maintain a sense of familiarity and control. This creates powerful systemic resistance to transformative thinking.

Even when we do see examples of innovation occurring, it is typically evaluated through narrow, short-term lenses like test scores, college admission rates, or immediate employability. This is because our current societal and economic metrics prioritise immediate, measurable outcomes, which ends up working against pursuing transformation goals that require patient, long-term investment in fundamentally reimagining learning ecosystems.

Educational transformation isn’t just about changing pedagogical methods, but interconnected shifts in social structures, economic models, technological infrastructures, and cultural paradigms. This multi-dimensional complexity overwhelms most people’s capacity for systemic thinking, making comprehensive re-imagination feel impossibly abstract.

So where might we start with the re-imagining process? Simply posing some challenging questions that invite a variety of responses can be a useful starting point – particularly if the questions are intended to ‘stretch’ thinking beyond the current concerns and issues that are clogging our thinking. Granted, many of these things are important issues to be addressed – but losing sight of the ‘long-game’ being played means we’re seriously jeopardising the future of the learners in our care. Sure, they’ll be able to read and write and solve math problems with increased efficacy – but without that learning being situated in a broader context they’ll find themselves cut short of being able to ‘thrive’ into the future as seems to be the catch-cry of so many future-focused learning ecosystems around the globe.

What if we were to seriously engage in conversations that invite us to imagine if…

• students could design their own learning pathways, choosing projects and subjects that genuinely excite and motivate them.
• schools were structured around collaborative problem-solving instead of individual testing, where students work together to address real-world challenges.
• every student had a personalised learning mentor who understood their unique strengths, interests, and potential learning styles.
• schools prioritised emotional intelligence, creativity, and adaptability as much as traditional academic subjects.
• students could freely move between different learning environments – physical, virtual, local, and global – to pursue their curiosities.
• technology enabled truly individualised learning experiences that could adjust in real-time to a student’s progress and engagement.
• interdisciplinary learning was the norm, where mathematics, arts, sciences, and humanities were deeply integrated.
• education prepared students not just for jobs, but for actively creating and reimagining their futures in a rapidly changing world.

In the case of the list above, these ‘wonderings’ focus on the experience of the learner and how we could design new approaches that better address their needs. Many schools are already operating in ways that illustrate possible responses to some of the questions. But more could be done if we were to think more ambitiously about these things – and in particular, if we thought about the parts of our system that may need to be addressed in order to support this happening. Here are just some of the ‘imagine if’ statements you could use to start the conversations in your context…

Imagine if…

• funding followed the student’s individual learning journey, instead of being tied to standardised institutional models.
• teacher training focused on being learning facilitators, mentors, and experience designers rather than traditional instructors.
• schools were funded and evaluated based on student growth, creative output, and community impact rather than test scores and compliance metrics.
• if accreditation systems recognised diverse learning pathways, including project-based learning, apprenticeships, and self-directed educational experiences.
• community organisations, businesses, and educational institutions formed dynamic partnerships to create integrated learning ecosystems.
• policy frameworks allowed for radical experimentation in educational approaches, with built-in mechanisms for continuous adaptation and learning.
• teacher compensation was based on their ability to inspire, support, and unlock student potential, rather than years of service or degrees held.
• learning resources were open-source, continuously updated, and freely accessible to all students regardless of geographic or economic barriers.
• educational governance included student, parent, and community voices as equal partners in decision-making processes.
• technology infrastructure was designed to support personalised, adaptive learning experiences while protecting student privacy and agency.

Engaging in conversations about these sorts of questions becomes challenging if we are under pressure of time, or feeling disempowered by external threats or constraints – or where we may find ourselves in a situation where those in authority (anyone from school leaders through to national leaders) choose to exert their authority and advance their ideas as the ‘right way’ without due regard for considering the complexity of connected parts of the system, and the diverse needs and views of those within it.

Despite this, we must find the time and opportunity to share in these ideas ‘without prejudice’ – maintaining an ‘open-to-change’ posture and being ready to accept change that may affect us personally.

The illustration below may be helpful in thinking about the range of things that need to be taken into account as each of the ‘imagine if’ scenarios above are discussed…

At the centre is the thriving learner. To thrive the learner must be competent with basic literacy and numeracy skills – and so much more. They must experience agency in the way they approach their learning, so that as they progress through the school system they graduate with the dispositions required to ensure they can adapt to the change they will inevitably experience, and make choices that will positively impact not just their lives, but the lives of those around them and those they share the planet with.

The education resources in the next layer are all of the things that support, engage, and guide the learner in her/his learning. This includes everything from the curriculum resources they may use to the teachers and others who support their learning, and the resources (curriculum etc.) that those people use. It also includes a host of other things such as the technology that provides access to the information required and the environments and learning spaces they use in the process.

A future-focused view of schooling will necessarily need to tap into all forms of community support, whether it is drawing on community expertise to add depth to the learning that is taking place within the school through to community facilities being used as sites for learning for example. Where schools once operated in relative isolation to their communities, they will increasingly need to be integrated into the fabric of those communities, so that the ‘boundaries’ between school and community will become increasingly blurred, with the ‘village’ taking greater responsibility, in partnership with the school, for the raising of the child.

Finally, we must consider the systemic structures that exist to support and sustain the positive things that are happening in schools and the community to make learning happen for our tamariki. Changes here must start with engaging deeply to understand the extent to which our current structures remain anchored in the mindsets of the industrial-aged school system – one-teacher-one-class, school day and timetables, hierarchies within schools (principal, SLT, team leader etc.), allocation of tasks to ‘teachers’ (with ‘aides’ providing only support roles), grouping of learners by age, emphasis on learning happening in physical places called schools – and distance education seen only as a ‘second choice’ option etc. etc.

Finally, I draw your attention back to the quote from Carlos Moreno at the top of this post, which challenges us to ensure the things we imagine will meet the needs of all students, especially those furthest from opportunity? Equity must remain an overarching value associated with any design decisions for a future system. We can no longer tolerate the marginalisation by design that is a factor in so many parts of our current system (think streaming for example) that leaves whole populations of students without the opportunity to experience success (and ultimately to thrive) in the same way as their peers in other schools or neighbourhoods.

Call to Action: Reimagining Education Together

As you read and reflect on what I’ve written above, particularly the list of ‘imagine if’ questions, remember that the future of education isn’t something that happens to us—it’s something we actively create. Here are concrete steps you can take to start transforming educational thinking:

1. Start conversations that go beyond critique and into possibility. As you reflect on how you might start the new year, think about how you might gather colleagues, parents, students, and community members to explore the “imagine if” scenarios presented here. Create safe spaces where diverse perspectives can be shared without judgment, focusing on collective vision-building rather than defending existing structures.
2. Actively seek out voices traditionally marginalised in educational conversations – especially students, young educators, and community members from underrepresented backgrounds. Their perspectives are crucial for designing truly inclusive learning ecosystems that meet the needs of all learners.
3. You don’t need systemic permission to innovate. Start small within your sphere of influence – whether that’s your classroom or your school. Could you redesign one unit to be more interdisciplinary? Experiment with personalised learning approaches? Create more collaborative assessment methods? Small, intentional changes can create ripple effects.
4. Think about the connections you could explore between educational institutions and local businesses, community organisations, and technology sectors. These partnerships can provide real-world learning opportunities and help break down traditional institutional boundaries. Start small – pick one and go from there.
5. Commit to your own growth as an educational change-maker. Read widely – the end of the year is often a good time to find lists of reading recommendations – find something that appeals and commit to reading it over the break. Think about the conferences you could attend in the new year, plan to participate in professional networks that challenge traditional thinking, and remain open to radical reimagining.

Remember, transformative change begins with a willingness to ask different questions and imagine bold alternatives. As Carlos Moreno challenges us: How will you build a school system that meets the needs of all students, especially those furthest from opportunity?