Week 9: Charles Reigeluth: Systemic Change in Education

Charles Reigeluth presented the topic: “What systemic change is, why it is important for instructional designers, both in education and training."

Recent interest in school reform.  Discussed a new paradigm for education and training.  Two types of change:

• piecemeal
• systemic, paradigm shift, replacing

Only need systemic change when environment fundamentally changes. Toffler's three great waves of change: Agriculture, industrial and information revolution -> each brought paradigm shift in family, business and transportation. So, how has education changed in the information age.

Systemic change:  Fundamental transformation; big changes in society cause (require) systemic changes in all societal systems; driven by pull and push.

What might it look like - what are the emerging features?

• Look to other societal changes from industrial to information age as clue (for example, centralized control vs. autonomy, mass production vs. customized, compliance vs. innovative, conformity vs. diversity).
• People learn at different rates (education now a sorting process vs. learning process), so need to instead focus on attainment-based, resource-based and person-based constructivist approaches.  Technology plays a role in the systemic change, but not just as a tool in current learning.
• Examples:
  

1. Mastery learning
2. Continuous progress
3. Personal learning plans
4. Performance-based assessment and learning
5. Teacher as coach or facilitator
6. Thinking skills and meaning making
7. Interpersonal Skills focus
   

Implications for Instructional Designers:

• Customized, learning-focused instruction
• New ISD process (linear not suited for this complex environment that involves the learners in their own instruction)
• Design on a higher level
  

Suggested further review:

• Robert Rush
• Toffler
• Barbara McCombs (learner-centered principles)
• Montessori Schools