Colleagues and friends:
I’m an avid consumer of science podcasts, and I often listen to them as a way to start my day with new knowledge and learning. During my most recent listen, a scientist introduced the phrase “idea leap” to explain a concept that pushed the scientific community forward in its thinking.
This mention reminded me of one of my essential doctoral readings, Thomas Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions, and how science often exists in two states: one of “normalcy” and one of “revolution” brought about by these kinds of idea leaps.
As I think about the application of this to our work in education, I’m more convinced than ever that we are on the cusp of a period of “education revolution.” From the growing influence of artificial intelligence, to microschools and unbundling the traditional school day, there is no shortage of idea leaps in our sector. But which idea leaps are going to drive this revolution, how will we know these ideas are having impact for all learners, and how will the paradigm of public education shift?
As we consider these questions, we should take a page from our colleagues in the scientific community and remember that scientific revolutions require sharing knowledge and learning openly, confirming hypotheses with data and evidence, and building consensus. This month (and every month), The Learning Accelerator is creating, sharing, and building consensus on mission-critical idea leaps in the education field, all in service of kids.
Yours in partnership,
Ryan Mick, Chief Program Officer
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