FastCompany’s steps to start an Education Revolution

Great article titled Start An Education Revolution In Seven Steps. Go read the entire article but here is the spoiler.

How to Start Your Own Revolution

1.) Gather an A-team of dedicated people and choose a demographic/location/school.

2.) Brainstorm with your team. Which skills/topics can you use to empower students (we’re all students!)? Is there a way to combine those topics into a Voltron-like program?

3.) Pitch it to schools and community leaders and students themselves. What’s the feedback? Are people excited about the program? If not, that’s okay — massage it a little, rework some things, and get back to pitching until you find a sound topic.

4.) Partner with an institution! Whether it be a community outreach center or a public high school, make sure your partner knows the demographic like the back of their hand and is dedicated to enacting your program. Your partner is going to be your biggest cheerleader when other people try and bring down your “frivolous little program.”

5.) Seek out support from industry professionals. If you’re starting a program on graffiti writing, find some amazing graffiti writers. If your topic is on sustainable agriculture, find a permaculturist. By bringing industry support, you not only legitimize yourself but open up the platform for different ideas, opinions, and messages to be absorbed by your students. Diversity is key to keeping any student — young or old — engaged.

6.) Iterate, iterate, iterate. You most likely won’t have a perfect curriculum, or program for that matter. Things will fall through, balls will be dropped; that’s the nature of any experiment or prototype. Design the best damn curriculum you can, then use feedback and your team’s observations to make the needed changes.

7.) Lastly, put it out for the world to see! By getting feedback from outsiders, you open yourself up to critique for the betterment of your program. Who knows, a friend might tell a friend who might tell someone who ends up being really interested in your program and wants to use your model to build their own. The power of collaboration is truly a force to be reckoned with.

The interesting thing is that this model is the same one I use to teach instructional technology students how to write a proposal and craft a sales presentation, the steps work and have an impact way beyond the students. (although they are highly, positively impacted!)