Epic Battles of the Mind

Some problems go beyond complex, reaching epic proportions in how vast and various their inner workings and reach really are.  These kinds of problems were first called “wicked” in 1973 by Rittel and Webber to describe social policy problems.  Why “wicked”?  Because the word gets closest to embodying the tricky, often vicious nature of problems that are embedded within a society (Rittel & Webber, p.160).

Facing such problems may evoke images of folk heroes and mythological foes.

Paolo Uccello, St. George’s Fights a Dragon (1456, London)

But for better or worse the wicked problems facing education today are far from myth.  They have already begun to change the educational landscape of our nation and world, and will only continue to demand more attention whether we choose to address them, or not.

One such problem is that of innovation.  We know we need it, we see it’s wide reaching benefits, and yet we struggle to reorient our institutions and societal expectations around it.

Here are my meager attempts at understanding innovation in education as a wicked problem.  Check out the full res version of Innovation as Learning Ethic here via Pikochart or read as best you can below.

________________________________________________________

References

Bledsoe, Dave. (2013). “Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival 2013 (116 of 165)” [Image file].  Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/ennuipoet/10009781953.

Braverman, Asaf. (2007). Paolo Uccello, St. George’s Fights a Dragon (1456, London)” [Image file]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/theheartindifferentkeys/2161749121.

Fain, Paul.”Time to Change the Rules?” (2013.) Inside Higher Ed.  Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/11/01/calls-washington-streamlined-regulation-and-emerging-models.

Gee, James Paul. (2013).  “Institutions and Frozen Thought.” The Anti-Education Era: Creating Smarter Students through Digital Learning. (p. 85-94).  New York: Palgrave MacMillian.

Kezar, Adrianna. (December 2013).  “Innovation – Doomed to Fail?”  Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/12/06/higher-ed-disruptions-doomed-fail-without-addressing-state-faculty-essay.

Larmer, Johm. (February 2014). “How Can We Teach and Assess Creativity?” Buck Institute for Education Blog. Retrieved from http://bie.org/blog/how_can_we_teach_and_assess_creativity_and_innovation_in_pbl.

Markham, Thomas. (April 2013).  “10 Ways to Teach Innovation.”  MindShift.  Retrieved from http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/04/01/10-ways-to-teach-innovation/.

National Advisory Committee on Creativity and Cultural Education. (1999). “All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education.” Retrieved from http://sirkenrobinson.com/pdf/allourfutures.pdf.

Rittel, Horst J. W. and Webber, Melvin M. (1973). “Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning.”  Policy Sciences. Vol.4 (p. 155-169).  Retrieved from http://www.uctc.net/mwebber/Rittel+Webber+Dilemmas+General_Theory_of_Planning.pdf.

The New Media Consortium. “The Future of Education: The 2013 NMC Horizon Project Summit Communique.” (2013).  Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-Horizon-Project-Summit-Communique.pdf.

Towers, Joel. “Notes from the Dean.” (October 2013)  Metropolis. Retrieved from http://www.metropolismag.com/October-2013/Notes-From-the-Dean/index.php?cparticle=1&siarticle=0#artanc