MCL is a Vision . . . for now

2 comments Published Friday, April 27, 2012 by Chuck Schwahn in  

We are frequently getting requests to go see the school that is described in the video titled Lori Does Her Learning Plan. (The video is available through the masscustomizinglearning.com website or directly through YouTube) Sorry, but Inevitable: Mass Customizing Learning is only a vision at this point. Since the publication of the book, many school districts are taking "starter steps" so that they are ready for the "on ramp" when the technology catches up with the vision. A field book to help educators and school systems negotiate that on ramp is scheduled to be available sometime this summer. Some exciting "starter steps" that will be part of that Fieldbook are now available on our website.


At present, we are in discussions with a very successful tech-oriented company that may partner with us to make the vision a reality. The vision has great appeal. I worked with a group of 170 educators in Pennsylvania this Thursday (April 26). We spent 3 hours studying the rationale for MCL, the vision, what it could mean for learners, and what it could mean for our profession. It appears that there is near universal acceptance and support for MCL as described in Inevitable.

Visions are most powerful when they run well ahead of our present capacity to do them, and visions are more exciting when written in the present tense rather than the future tense. Creating the vision of a desirable and doable change is the first step in creating a new reality. (cjs)


Inevitable: An Inside Job

0 comments Published Tuesday, April 24, 2012 by Chuck Schwahn in  

When we write, we attempt to share ideas and get people excited about innovative visions that have the potential to improve learning for learners. Later, if and when the book is successful, we learn in reverse some of the things that made the ideas/visions fly. When Bill Spady and I wrote Total Leaders for AASA, we didn't realize that it was probably the only "Ed Leadership" book that looked at education through leadership eyes. Other leadership books looked at leadership through old, entrenched, unsolvable "educational issues" eyes. The Total Leaders Framework allowed educational leaders see their role from a much larger perspective. They were able to see things anew, out-of-the-box you might say.


Bea and I had a similar hit about Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning recently. When we think about education and technology today, most of the innovation is coming from those deep in technology and not so deep in education and learning. Inevitable looks at technology through educator eyes. We apply technology to "transform" our learning paradigm. We don't/didn't think of technology first, we though of learning and leaders first.

So Inevitable doesn't "throw the baby out with the bathwater." Inevitable keeps the tried and true, our good practices and habits that research tells us work. We ask the most important question, "how is this learner outcome best learned." Those coming from the technology side tend to see "technology as teacher." While we think much of what we now want learners to know, be able to do, and to "be like" can be taught effectively through technology, we also know that the teacher's (learning facilitator's) role is critical for the most critical learner outcomes.

So, we now say that, "Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning is an Inside Job." (cjs)

New Elementary School Chapter

0 comments Published Saturday, April 7, 2012 by Chuck Schwahn in  

Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning was written for K-12 educators, but because your humble authors believe that our high schools are most in need of transformation, our major emphasis was on the secondary school level. Chapter 7, which deals with Lori doing her schedule, has been an important tool in helping readers to understand the Inevitable vision. (see the Lori Does Her Learning Plan by clicking on the Youtube icon) Since publication, we have been frequently asked to provide examples for the elementary educators. We have done that, and that new chapter, Chapter 11, is now available on our website. Feel free to download it and copy it for your colleagues if you wish. Go to resources on our website (masscustomizedlearning.com) and click onto it. It is in a power point format.


Also, we have decided to add that chapter to our hard copy book. In the near future, whenever we complete the publication process, Inevitable books will contain the Elementary School Chapter. There will be a small note on the cover stating that the Inevitable "Includes the new Elementary Chapter."

Thanks for keeping the MCL buzzzzz going. Inevitable continues to sell well and we are getting great reviews from readers and those who attend our workshops and seminars. cjs

Educators Major Competition

2 comments Published Monday, September 12, 2011 by Chuck Schwahn in  

Just today I learned that Apple now has in excess of 40,000 educational apps. The questions . . . why is Apple doing that? Why are we educators not doing that? Why hasn't ASCD taken that on? Apps will be a large part of any Mass Customized Learning success and we are sitting on our hands. MCL is Inevitable, either we do it or Steve Jobs will. Just saying . . . (cjs)

Inevitable Bookstudy -- QQ Special Education

3 comments Published Thursday, March 10, 2011 by Chuck Schwahn in  

Nancy submitted a very interesting question . . . "What suggestions are there for special education students in the MCL environment?" The short answer is that there doesn't have to be anything special . . . just do it. Special Education got it first with personalized learning plans (IEPs) for all learners. The big difference was that that concept was not scalable before today's mass customized technology. Today we are capable of doing for each learner what we were legally bound to do with special education learners way back when.


The special ed stigma should be reduced with ALL learners, in effect, having IEPs. True, there will have to be modifications for some learners . . . interesting, but just yesterday there was a story on my Yahoo page about how special ed learners quickly learned to operate . . . and learn with an iPad. Maybe we can forget about the special education label as we admit that all learners have special learning needs -- learning needs that can be met for everyone, everyday.

Does the word "scalable" need to be explained? This was a fun question to answer. (cjs)

Another Bookstudy Question . . . about Training for New Roles

0 comments Published Wednesday, March 9, 2011 by Chuck Schwahn in  

The question . . . what happens with the "highly qualified teacher"? Will there be training for teachers to become learning coaches?


A very good question. The role of the teacher will change significantly . . . and, we believe, become much more meaningful and professional. Teachers will continue to teach, of course. They will need to teach those important things that cannot be learned online . . . the more complex learner outcomes and experiences that require interaction with the learning facilitator and other learners. The question we might ask is: "What skills does it take to coach, mentor, guide, and monitor individual learners as they become self-directed life-long learners? Just thought -- we could learn much from our guidance counselors as we design staff development activities to ensure that teachers have the skills and confidence to "coach" learners.

My take is that most teachers would be quite good at working with individual students as they plan and monitor their activities. Today's technology can and will play a large role in the planning, monitoring, and recording of learner progress. Hope that we have time to discuss this on Monday. We will want your ideas, of course.

This question also included a second ???? "Will this affect the way universities train prospective teachers?" For sure, for sure! We should all be learning about this at the same time so that we are on the same page. We believe that MCL is INEVITABLE, that it is desirable and doable . . . and that we all must change to meet the Age of Empowerment needs of our learners. Your questions scare us a bit . . . when the MCL vision hits, there will be MUCH TO DO. But first, we need to get the vision out there so all role groups become advocates and begin to think of what "they" need to do to make MCL a reality. We want to thank TIE for this bookstudy group . . . we hope and trust that you are becoming MCL advocates!!!

Inevitable Books Study - another question

0 comments Published by Chuck Schwahn in  

A question from Nancy . . . Are there parts of MCL that could be implemented even if the whole district or school is not doing it?


At the AASA national conference about a month ago we used the following content in a slide . . . the WBWs refer to our use of a Weight Bearing Walls Metaphor. Like if you take out a WBW, the roof comes crashing down.

The Bad News is that you can’t tiptoe, walk gingerly, or even waltz into MCL

All Industrial Age WBWs are required to make our assembly line system work . .

. . . just as All Information Age WBWs are required to make Mass Customized Learning work

When the Paradigm changes, the parts too change

1911 Stanley Steamer parts don’t fit 2011 Corvettes

MCL must be “Readied for Rollout” much as the first iPhone and the first iPad were!

Now that may be a bit overstated but it is quite accurate. BUT, there are some things individuals, teams, or schools might do to get ready for the real thing. We can discuss a few things that a high school team from Sycamore, IL is doing when we talk Monday.




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