Incremental change

A phrase that struck me recently:

Significant change often takes a giant leap that can't be achieved through incremental steps.

At school, we seem to be in the business of incremental steps. Of varying the system with a continuous series of small changes that improve the current model. The problem is that we have squeezed as much as we can out of the current model of school - a model that includes students learning in blocks of time with people their own age in subject areas with one teacher who generally gives direct instruction. It is a model that has its roots in the industrial revolution when public education prepared people for the industrial age and a completely different world than we live in today.

Another problem is that making constant small changes makes people weary. Weary of change and suspicious of it. Teachers become immune to change because there is so much of it! I was in a meeting today with good leaders who spoke of ways to tinker around the edge of the model we are running. I guess it gives us a sense of satisfaction to make improvements to what we are doing - but the conversation never turns to fundamental change - giant steps - that would make the school a fundamentally different place where the ideals that we all know deep down really work would thrive and be the norm, rather than an exception. Student centered, student choice, no "lessons", less compulsion, more engaged, independent, critical thinkers who can solve problems confidently, manage their own learning, communicate fluently using a variety of medium and can work collaboratively.