Have you ever had a question you couldn't solve?

In education, the amount of unsolvable wicked problems seems never-ending. By following the why/what if/how process created by Warren Berger (2014), I was able to hone in on a specific problem and offer possible solutions. I worked alongside my counter part, Kenna Battle. We explored the problem of Rethinking the Roles of Teachers that was identified in the NMC/CoSn Horizon Report 2017.  We took on the perspective that the role of a teacher has to change due to current 21st century skills and practices and the technological revolution. Technology integration has allowed for more effective teaching but also adds a level of complexity that many teachers are unaware and unprepared for.

In discussing the new roles and 21st century skills and practices, we identified 5 actionable steps as solutions to the problem. Being apart of policy reform, provided with applicable professional development, time for collaboration, feedback, and identifying goal areas a teacher can move toward rebranding. For example, designing a professional development with differentiated material or having a teacher provide insight when a new curriculum is being explored as part of a new policy. A big part in rebranding the role of a teacher is how teachers view themselves. Without necessarily taking away the title of a teacher, we must adapt a mindset shift that elicits these new roles in order to move along the teaching continuum. 

If you click on the link below you will find our presentation that we created to understand the problem and our possible solution.

Here is our presentation that explains our problem and our potential solution.

References

Berger, W. (2016). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. Bloomsbury.

Freeman, A., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Davis, A., and Hall Giesinger, C. (2017). NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2017 K–12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Thompson, J. (2017, March 04). Where Do You Fall on the Teacher Continuum? Retrieved from http://www.learningpersonalized.com/fall-teacher-continuum/