What Evidence do you need?

The blog post written by American entrepreneur Seth Godin titled The limits of evidence based marketing, got me thinking.

He writes,

We present facts and proof and expect a rational consumer/voter/follower/peer to make an intelligent decision on what’s better. That’s how science works. Thesis, test, evidence, conclusion. All testable and rational.

Is this how we expect to change practices inside the classroom? The best professional development I have ever experienced was not in some all day seminar, but inside of a classroom. Observing a teacher. A great teacher. However, the merits of professional development is for another post.

Let’s continue to dive into what Seth is saying. He goes on to write about how Apple Computer in the 1980’s tried to persuade large corporations to switch to Apple computers. They used ad after ad and study after study to no avail, but it was not until they realized,

It was only the gentle persistence of storytelling and the elevation of evangelists that turned the tide.

You can find example after example of this idea in many of the “new” non-fiction business books.

It is clear, in at least the media and powerful lobbyists want us to think, that our education system is failing and needs change. I don’t necessarily agree with everything out there, but at a minimum I believe we do need to take into consideration the changing learner.

Classrooms at the secondary level are traditionally teacher-led. There is a ton of research out there that says, this is not how students learn best. So we need to shift the focus in the classroom from the teacher to the learner.

How can we help push us to consider the learner above all else? Mr. Godin writes:

What would change the mind of many people resistant to evidence is a series of eager testimonials from other tribe members who have changed their minds. When people who are respected in a social or professional circle clearly and loudly proclaim that they’ve changed their minds, a ripple effect starts. First, peer pressure tries to repress these flip-flopping outliers. But if they persist in their new mindset, over time others may come along. Soon, the majority flips. It’s not easy or fast, but it happens.

Flip the hardest one to flip, the one you think won’t change, don’t use statistics just show them how other teachers are embracing the paradigm shift. Who knows they may end up being your biggest supporter!

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