All my updates are like chapters in a book,
they all complement each other (and short!), and I would recommend to read all
for them (but in any order! :) ).
This update is about a vision.
A visionary is not the one who can see things
farther away than others, nowadays everyone can utilize binoculars or other
instruments to see things afar.
A visionary is the one who can see NOW, what
others will see much later. And again, nowadays there are tools which allow
everyone to be a visionary.
I am not a visionary. Even if I see something
still hidden for many, it is because I am standing on (stealing from Sir Isaac
Newton) “the shoulders of giants”.
The power of a random walk generated by a
social “Brownian motion” has led me to my current position. My diverse
experience allowed me to compose my views. Now I am using my professional
website www.TeachOlogy.xzy, my personal blog, and my fundraising
campaign https://www.gofundme.com/teachology as “binoculars” which
all people could use to see what I see.
In movie “Jobs” Ashton Kutcher’s character
Steve Jobs tells to Dermot Mulroney’s character Mike Markkula: “You are either
with me or against me!”.
I am not so drastic. I am looking for people
who are with me on the path for transforming education by transforming the
science of education. But I would never consider as enemies people who do not
share our view.
Recently I wrote a short letter to a high
ranking Boston University official. Despite my expectations, he responded with
a thoughtful letter, doubting the need for a science of education (and some
other views). Obviously, I cannot post his letter, but below is my response to
him, which also can be applied to any institution, organization, or an
individual.
Dear _______.
1. First I want to express my gratitude for
you finding time to read, to think and to respond. My informal statistics shows
that out of 20 people who received my email 16 would not react at all, 3 would
send back something trivial like “thank you”, or “good luck”. One writes
something thoughtful, like you did. I truly appreciate your time.
2. If we want to travel from one place on
Earth to another place on Earth as fast as we can we use an airplane. Trying to
do it faster and with more comfort, with more people on board, and less fuel
spent, we make plains better and better. However, no matter how good we are at
making airplanes, if we want to travel in space we have to completely change
the approach. First, we have to change our own psychology, we have to want to
travel in space, we have to believe it is possible, and then we have to find a
drastically new principle which could be used for building “space planes”
(a.k.a. rockets). And this is just a beginning of the new approach.
Using this analogy, I say that currently
everyone involved in education – in any/every role! – is trying to build better
airplanes. I want to build a rocket. The project will not address any current
issues in education any soon, and that is why almost no one feels any
attraction to it. Which brings me to my current actions.
3. Searching for people.
I am not really looking for any funding (yet),
I am not trying to convince anyone that I am right. I am looking for people
with whom my view resonates. I am not the only one who (a) states that a
science of education does not exists, and (b) it is possible to develop it (for
me – I am positive that it is possible at least for STEM subjects /we have an
example when an art has been gradually transferred into a science – the game of
chess/; I am not an expert in other areas, however, I would expect that there
are common principles which work for any subject). Hence, I have a long list of
people in various spheres (officials, charity officials, venture capitalist,
etc.) to whom I am trying to reach out. I am in the process of a consensus
building. It might take weeks, or months, or years, I do understand this.
However, I see only two scenaria.
I. When the project finds sufficient support
and will be ready to be launched into the next phase, all credits for that will
be just mine, Boston University will not have anything to do with it (like the
patent bureau where in 1905 Albert Einstein wrote his papers has nothing to do
with the special relativity theory – I am not compering myself with AE, I am
using this example as a clear analogy).
II. or it will be I and Boston University
together (even if initially we were not exactly on the same page).
3. I would not describe my emotion as
frustration, at least that was not intentional. I would rather say I feel some
disappointment. But my hope is that I am not alone who is disappointed with the
current state of education (for example, considering how the funds put into
it).
I want to thank you again and to express my
appreciation, and to invite you to physics department Pumpkin Drop which
happens today at 12!
Sincerely yours,
Valentin