Calling All K-12 Educators: Survey on Rethinking the Role of Educators

The best way that I can describe the wicked nature of Rethinking the Role of Educators is to compare it to this cartoon from 1943.

The moment my fellow classmates and I develop an idea for a proposed solution, it seems as though numerous additional components arise, spawning out exponentially. Although, it is no wonder that this is the case given that the role of educators was first defined in the 18th century, producing factory workers during the Industrial Revolution. Fast forward to present day; history shows years of technological advancements, rapidly-changing demands for students and the necessity to evaluate what it is that teachers should be doing to support students’ needs.

Proposing an Adequate Solution Requires Feedback from Teachers Themselves

While we move closer to formulating a proposed solution to our wicked problem of Rethinking the Role of Educators — which focuses on professional development needs and in-class support for teachers —  my classmates and I are seeking responses to the brief survey below. Moreover, it includes 15 multiple question questions and one optional, open-ended response. We hope that it will inform us with insights regarding student-centered learning, leadership, and professional development practices. Of note, NO personal identifiable information will be collected as all responses are anonymous. Further, data collected will be analyzed and submitted to my professors at MSU for further evaluation.

UPDATE: Although the survey is no longer accepting responses, a list of questions and data collected can be found here.

Masters, J. (2014). Gabby gabby goes fishing (1943) fleischer Studios-1 cartoons (Video). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/HQs1dmznuGg

Rethinking the Role of Educators

The essence of a wicked problem is that it is nearly impossible to solve. To make matters more complicated, when exploring the path to a solution one often finds themselves wandering down a multitude of side-roads leading to other, equally as impossible to solve, problems. For the past two weeks in my graduate course CEP 812: Applying Educational Technology to Issues of Practice, my fellow group members and I have been researching related topics to the wicked problem of rethinking the role of educators.

I created the infographic below to help visualize the problem and showcase its wicked nature, namely how many components inform it and what is needed to get closer to solving it in practice.