What might we learn from the beacons that are already showing us what a different future for education could look like?
In my latest podcast in the series of ‘conversations on the future of education’ I’m joined by Jeff Wetzler, co-founder of Transcend and one of the people behind BOLD – Beacons of Learning Design. We ask “what if the future of education isn’t about finding the model that every school should adopt, but about learning from those who are already showing us what might be possible?”
BOLD brings together learning environments from around the world that are pushing beyond inherited assumptions about what school is for, what learning can look like, and what young people are capable of.
The most important thing about this project is that it isn’t an attempt to create another blueprint for schools to follow. Instead, it is an experiment in learning from the edges.
What can we discover when we put very different contexts alongside one another? What principles appear to endure across cultures and systems? What can we learn from the places already testing new possibilities – not simply about what they are doing, but about the conditions, mindsets, relationships and forms of leadership that make it possible?
I was particularly struck by the idea that the purpose isn’t simply to prepare young people for the future, but to activate them as people who can help shape a better one. That shifts the conversation from education for the future to education as a contribution to creating the future – a thought that aligns well with my previous blog post on the ‘isms’ shaping our society.
I think there is something here for all of us who are thinking about innovation and transformation in education.
We don’t necessarily need another silver bullet, another prescribed model or another initiative to implement. We simply need to become better at noticing what is already emerging, bringing those experiences into conversation, identifying the deeper principles beneath them, and creating the conditions for those ideas to take root in our own contexts.
As Jeff puts it, “This vision is bigger than any one school or any one organisation.”
I think that’s what makes this conversation worth listening to. I hope you’ll take the time to listen to our conversation (video embedded below)
For more information check out these links:
- Shaping a better future (BOLD Project Website)
- Transcend Education (Transcend’s website)
- Conversations on the future of education (podcast series – all episodes)
