Education for Innovation and Independent Learning

By Ronaldo Mota and David Scott

Our principal concern in this book is to understand three important ideas: learning, technology and innovation, and to examine these ideas and the relationships between them in situ; that is, we examine a number of cases of learning technologies in action in two countries, England and Brazil. The purpose of our study is to provide an explanation of the means to, and constraints on, improvements to educational policies and practices, with particular reference to innovation. We have a plethora of theoretical models that in attempting to deal with causal relations usually come to the conclusion that there are socio-economic-cultural constraints, but these observations largely remain at an abstract level and/or come to very general conclusions that are not of particular help to practitioners in the field. These issues can only be properly addressed after examining the empirical reality and having a spectrum of cases to analyze. By combining the theoretical and the practical, our aim is to explain how and under what conditions new modes of learning can be put into practice successfully and sustainably, in order for the learner to develop innovatory skills and dispositions for work and in the life course.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Release date: Jan 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9780128009918

Ronaldo Mota

Retired Full Professor at the Physics Department from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Researcher at CNPq in Physics, and Innovation and Educational Consultant. Bachelor in Physics from Universidade de São Paulo, Master in Sciences from Universidade Federal da Bahia, Doctor in Sciences from Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, and Postdoctoral Training at the University of British Columbia-Canada and at the University of Utah-USA. The focus of the career in Physics has been on the Modelling and Simulation of Material Sciences and Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes. In Education and Innovation, the main subjects are: Innovation Management, New Technologies Applied to Education and Independent Learning in Higher education. Formerly, he was National Secretary for Technological Development and Innovation at the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, National Secretary for Higher Education, National Secretary for Distance Education and Acting Minister at the Brazilian Ministry of Education. President of the Administration Board of Neoprospecta-Innovation Company, and Founder and Special Advisor of the British enterprise EdUKationBR. He holds the title of "Comendador Grã-Cruz" of the National Order of Scientific Merit, awarded by the Brazilian President of Republic and, until recently, Visiting Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Education of the University of London (Anísio Teixeira/Chair).

Book preview

1

Introduction

The principal themes of the book are introduced and the productive relationship between innovation, technology and pedagogy is discussed. The introductory chapter, in addition to explaining the argument which runs through the whole book, will also provide an account of the book’s contents.

Keywords

Education; Digital Technologies; Independent Learning; Innovation; Methodology; Sustainability

The future is not something that will happen, the future is what is happening now

(Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad, 1994)

Our principal concern in this book is to understand three important ideas: learning, technology and innovation, and to examine these ideas and the relationships between them in situ; that is, we examine a number of cases of learning technologies in action in two countries, England and Brazil. The purpose of our study is to provide an explanation of the means to, and constraints on, improvements to educational policies and practices, with particular reference to innovation. We have a plethora of theoretical models that, in attempting to deal with causal relations, usually come to the conclusion that there are socio-economic-cultural constraints, but these observations largely remain at an abstract level and/or come to very general conclusions that are not of particular help to practitioners in the field. These issues can only be properly addressed after examining the empirical reality and having a spectrum of cases to analyse. By combining the theoretical and the practical, our aim is to explain how and under what conditions new modes of learning can be put into practice successfully and sustainably, in order for the learner to develop innovatory skills and dispositions for work and in his or her life course.

We begin by introducing the principal themes of the book and then argue for a productive relationship between innovation, technology and pedagogy. In addition to explaining the argument which runs through the whole book, this introductory chapter will also provide an account of the book’s contents.

In Chapter 2 we introduce and discuss the central purposes of international education. These are: developing citizens of the world in relation to culture, language and the capacity to live among people of other nations; building and reinforcing a sense of identity and cultural awareness; fostering recognition and development of universal human values; stimulating curiosity and inquiry in order to develop a spirit of discovery and enjoyment of learning; equipping students with the skills to learn and acquire knowledge, individually or collaboratively; and providing an international context for responding to local requirements and interests.

The introduction of an international dimension in educational institutions has important consequences for students, teachers and researchers. It is a phenomenon that is increasingly influencing the way we teach and learn, and thus requires the development of new methodologies. The introduction of technological innovations stricto sensu and innovations lato sensu as key elements for social and economic development is defining the way we rethink the educational process in a world where preparing people for innovation is becoming increasingly important. In the chapter we examine the characteristics of the two educational settings that form the backdrop to this study: Brazil and England.

In Chapter 3 we look at the concept of innovation, a key concept in the formation of modern societies. In the middle ages this meant novelty arising from human creativity; whereas today it has become emblematic of modern societies and directly associated with the possibility of sustainable economic and social development. The concept of innovation is broader than simply technological innovation. More recently, a new wave of innovation approaches such as open innovation, democratizing innovation, creative economies and organizational and marketing innovation have been introduced. Many of these are associated with new types of knowledge production such as workplaces and homes, rather than traditional research laboratories and universities.

In Chapter 4 we examine the importance of innovation in contemporary society and the available new technologies that can be used in education. We suggest that we are entering the third educational revolution, which implies that substantial changes are needed to the traditional ways we use to teach and learn, as well as to how knowledge is produced and disseminated. We are now in a world where it is becoming clearer than ever that, despite the essential roles that traditional education systems have played, standard solutions and approaches are not appropriate for meeting new educational and social needs.

In Chapter 5 we analyse the relationship between education and innovation. This is a complex and rich theme, especially with respect to the impact of new technologies. To better understand the incorporation of digital technologies in the classroom, it is perhaps helpful to remember previous promises and false expectations, as well as the successes and achievements of the older cousins of last century’s digital technologies, such as movies, radio and television. It is also worth noting that it is a characteristic of technology-based education in general to place the learner at the centre of the learning process. This allows him or her to have some input into the contents and sequences of the learning process, and thus more independence and greater control over it. We therefore address the complex but important notion of independent