Let's Talk About Visionary Leadership

FROM HERE

TO

HOW?

Looking back to time time I graduated from high school in 1970 I wonder how my school administrators could have possibly conceived the world in which my children would live and learn. Schools in 1970 do not come close to meeting the needs of children in 2007, yet in some ways little has changed inside the scared walls of learning. In other ways we have witnessed a total revolution in the way we talk about teaching and learning.  And as we are busily about the business of changing the way we teach in the brave new world of education I am not sure the way we learn has changed.
 
So many problems confront educators. While we are often faced with the challenges of making it through an average day the fact remains that we need to be visionaries. We need to know how to plan and design educational institutions that will not only meet the needs of children of today, but as the Moody Blues sang, to our children's children's children.

If you are taking this class you are preparing yourself to become one of our society's most important leaders regardless if you remain on the local level or are catipolted into a state or national areana.  Do you believe this?  If not, why?  If so, are you ready for the responsibilities that come with the leadership positions that you have, and/or aspire to?  I trust the answer is yes.  Frankly if you are not ready you need to step out of the way even before you get in the way. Don't be one of the characters of the Bob Dylan song that blocks up the hall. If you don't want to lead us into the future, please do not attempt to lead us back into the past or keep us in the present. Neither are acceptable any longer for our schools. Yet, having said that we must move into the future as educational leaders you are also one of the protectors of all things sacred, and to the preservers of those things that need to be preserved. Are you capable of doing that as well?

Ah, a paradox....lead us into the future while preserving those thing from the past and present that we must keep. Those things we must hold precious and never let go. Those things that we will need as much in the future as we need now. Just as those of us today need things from yesterday as we set our couse squarely into the face of the future.

So, paradoxical thinkers and grasshoppers (bonus points for those of you that can ID this reference) here is the task for this blog: Find some quiet time and reflect. Tap into your sense of vision and leadership and then relate that to us here.

Once you have reflected upon the topic examine and respond to any of these questions to ignite our collective creative spark:

• What will schools look like in the future?
• Will we need schools in the future, or will computer terminals in our homes be enough?
• Will we still need books?
• What skills and knowledge must we retain as we consider educating the children of the future?
• Will they still need to know how to read and write, or will computers do all of that for us?
• Do we really need to know our multiplication tables?
• Are there any other thoughts you may have, and surely you do.

So, here is yet one more opportunity to think your way into the future. Better hurry, it is on the way. In some places tomorrow is already here. Where are you?

References to consider (please add your own to this list):

The book Future Shock by Alvin Toffler
The album (CD to you young folks) To Our Children's Children's Children by the Moody Blues
The song In the year 2929 by Seager and Evans
The movie The Matrix

Here are some YouTube posts that deal with the subject.  What do you think about them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opXKmwg8VQM
This is a film from the 1940s regarding progressive education at the time.  The clip includes a brief part of a lecture being given by John Dewey. It is the only time I can recall actually "seeing" Mr. Dewey speak. It also has a couple other well know professors from Columbia debating "progressive education".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnh9q_cQcUE&NR=1
A post about our changing world and education

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L2XwWq4_BY&NR=1
A post regarding 21st century learning from Library of Congress and Colorado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOXWFFiotNk&feature=related
Schools of the future with Microsoft being a consultant. Does reality clash with the ideal here? How?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBKFaZze33c&feature=related
This posting about schools of the future primarily for your enjoyment, but does it have a sense of reality behind the satire?

As educational administrators you will be ask to lead us into the future, and I have just one question for you: Got vision?