{"id":14698,"date":"2024-10-16T15:55:29","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T13:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oeb.global\/oeb-insights\/?p=14698"},"modified":"2024-10-16T15:55:29","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T13:55:29","slug":"education-unchained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oeb.global\/oeb-insights\/education-unchained\/","title":{"rendered":"Education Unchained"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cFailure to unchain is an option!\u201d Jef Staes<\/strong><\/em>

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This year, I will host a Spotlight Session titled Education Unchained<\/em> at Online Educa Berlin. Drawing from my background as a Software Designer in Digital Telephony, Training Manager, and Corporate Learning Officer, I\u2019ll share insights on training & education, and lessons learned from failed transformation processes.<\/strong>


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First Lesson: “Breaking Discipline \u2013 Breaking Toxicity”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of today\u2019s greatest challenges is breaking the rigid “discipline” that often dominates education and work structures.

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“Discipline… the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.”<\/em>

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You may not realize it, but discipline <\/em>can only be enforced through power<\/em>. Without the authority of teachers and managers, enforcing discipline becomes nearly impossible. And with power to discipline, often comes punishment. Just draw upon your own imagination (& experience).

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The line between enforcing discipline and creating a toxic culture is very thin. You could say that education and organizations are made to be ‘toxic’ if they want to enforce discipline. We only hear about these toxic environments when they result in significant drama, but the truth is, we\u2019ve grown accustomed to this toxicity. It may have become our “normal.”

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Through my experience, I\u2019ve learned that enforcing discipline never<\/em> creates real learning or fosters innovation. You can only create production environments with objectives enforced by discipline. Such environments won\u2019t help us tackle the complex challenges of today.

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To boost true learning and innovation, we must unchain <\/em>people\u2019s potential. Allow them to discover their strengths and create genuine learning experiences and let them migrate toward tasks that energize them to \u2018never give up\u2019.

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To make this possible, we need to reinvent how education and work are organized. It starts with giving authority to the right teachers and managers to lead this transition.

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The real challenge in education isn’t learning technology or Artificial Intelligence. The challenge is understanding the \u2013 often neglected – dramatic impact that technology has on employment within education and the needed disruption in how our next generation should be allowed to learn what they really want to learn.


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Second Lesson: “Disrupt Employment”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There was a time when “talking movie” technology was used just for background music in silent films. Producers were hesitant to fully embrace its potential due to fears of conflict with actors who lacked the talent or passion to transition into talking roles. This fear held back the technology, reducing it to a compromise that silent actors could accept.

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The real shift occurred when producers found the courage to hire actors with the talent and passion to fully utilize the technology. The talking movie was born, unlocking a new wave of professions … the rest is history<\/em>.

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For me, disruptive innovation<\/em> is about innovation that leads to shifts in employment.<\/strong> Without the courage to close down outdated professions and open the gateway to new ones, true disruptive innovation dies, and the potential of technology only gets downgraded.

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This is happening everywhere, especially in education. For decades now, technology has had the potential to offer personalized learning – allowing individuals to choose courses based on their passions and talents, accelerating their growth. But to do this, you need educators with the passion and skills to harness the full potential of learning technology. You need the courage to disrupt employment.

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Unfortunately, this courage is lacking and so the potential of learning technology has been scaled down to a level that most teachers today are comfortable with. The same is already happening with AI and tools like ChatGPT. Rather than being used to their full potential, they\u2019re being integrated into the system as mere aids to support todays teachers. AI and ChatGPT will become part of ‘learning technology’ already sold to education. It will not result in a disruptive evolution in education … no way!

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We’ve effectively chained our next generation to an outdated educational system that doesn\u2019t allow students to explore \u00e0 la carte learning. Instead of adapting to the enormous possibilities of ‘Technology Based Learning’, the system forces technology to conform to its outdated model.

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Meanwhile, AI and ChatGPT are being hyped like never before, but the real issue isn\u2019t being addressed: \u201cOur greatest challenge is not disruptive technology, it\u2019s the disruption in employment that follows!\u201d<\/em> Failure is inevitable if we lack the courage to disrupt.


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Third Lesson – Engage!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been attending Online Educa Berlin (OEB) since 2002, and every year it showcases the evolution of learning technologies. However, it has never shown me real disruptive impact in the organization of education.

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Ten years ago, I gave a keynote and workshop where I made the following statements:

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