Navigating Complexity
By Justin Bruno, Assistant Director of District Programming at Michigan Virtual
Countless words have been written about the impact that the global Covid-19 pandemic has had and will have on K-12 education. This moment in history has been described as “disruptive”, “future-shaping”, an “incredible opportunity”, and more. Just as much attention has been devoted to discussing what the pandemic has revealed or exposed about K-12 education, with observers justifiably noting systemic inequality, technology shortcomings, outdated policy, etc. But perhaps one of the most obvious yet accurate observations, which has constantly been reinforced over the last two and a half years, is that schools have highly complex, variable, and context-dependent needs. Discussions around online learning, emergency remote learning, and the role of technology in instruction and learning, especially in the wake of the pandemic, too often lack the nuance and appropriate scope needed for productive decision-making.
Variability and complexity are what makes it so difficult to research and serve schools; of course if we could reliably bottle up, replicate, and distribute whatever combination of factors works in one school, we’d embark on our own Operation Warp Speed and cure what ails all the others. One of my favorite metaphors for describing the K-12 education system is the Complex Domain of the “cynefin framework”, a method of analysis and decision-making, which John Miller has described as the “dancing landscape”. This landscape is like an ocean, where surfers and sailors are dealing with a high level of unpredictability in the size and timing of the waves they face; contrast this with a mountain or other terrain where most factors can be mapped and planned for in advance. For those of us who work in or with schools, how do we navigate such an unpredictable and varying landscape? How do we create programs, resources, or environments that benefit as many students as possible while anticipating such differing needs and complexities? How do we, in our planning, account for the fact that teaching is both an art and a science?
Addressing complexity requires us to engage in nuanced discussions and abandon binary thinking. To that end, online learning isn’t “good” or “bad”; like most human endeavors, it is highly dependent on contextual factors that can lead to varying degrees of success. Rather than be forced into false binaries, schools should be empowered to take more risks to find innovative approaches that work best for small groups and individual students. Those approaches might range from online learning, to project-based learning, or even to differentiation in gender grouping. Less important than the approach itself is the ability for schools to differentiate down to the individual student level and be adequately resourced to manage such a range of varying models and approaches simultaneously.
Two things that we know lead to success in any setting are effective communication and relationship-building. Research across a variety of disciplines shows that teams and individuals are more likely to achieve their desired outcomes when communication and relationships are of high quality. Unfortunately, many folks are quick to assume that traditional in-person learning (or in-person teaching) is the best and only way to build meaningful relationships and healthy communication habits. It can of course be more difficult to foster those connections when less in-person interaction takes place, but we have a growing body of evidence that can help us craft high-quality learning experiences that enable great communication and relationship-building. Recognizing the complexity of teaching and learning and the variability of schools and students would allow us to focus instead on the “first principles” like communication and relationships and devise personalized approaches that fall outside of binary choice sets.
Education leaders must now set a future course that doesn’t include solutions to every problem, but instead relies on a new way of doing things to find success in small doses and without panacean expectations. The American education system is yet another institution that is being stressed under the weight of high expectations for simple solutions. Those of us in education must push back on those expectations and highlight successes that arise from a new way of thinking and a new way of doing things, resisting the temptation to “return to normal” and seizing opportunities for change. Decision-makers must determine whether online learning, competency-based education, micro-schools, or whatever other model or tool they are considering is the right paddle or sail for their vessel as they navigate the complexities of the ocean, knowing that there is no fixed destination and the marine forecast can change in the blink of an eye.