Session 2 Group Discussion: Exploring challenges to and success factors for innovations in education

Group Discussion:

Exploring challenges to and success factors for innovations in education in your groups.




First of all, our group members all think that the challenges are the chances for us to get success. In other words, the challenges are the potential success factors for innovation.

In this picture, the all the components include the vision, skills, incentives, resources and action plans are the factors of success of the innovations in education. So, we discuss the success factors in five parts and we think that all the factors are challenge to the innovations in education. Details as follow:

(1) Vision
As we know, vision is something imaginary or a goal or an deal. All the people do not like or accept something fail in the future. But as Joyce Wycoff said, innovation means doing something new which means something that may fail. If people fear failing, they will not innovate. Then there is no brave for some people to create a vision which may come true. 

A clear, ambitious and practical vision make us to set up specific goals. No one can make sure that they can image what is the outcomes with the innovations. Just like the picture shows us, if no vision, we will confuse what we want and how to make it. In terms of innovations in education, the vision is significantly important for all the stakeholders. The clear vision let us get the goal step by step, it gives us the image of processing in the future, not just the outcomes.

So, the vision is the challenge for us to innovate something in education. And also, a good vision is a success factors for innovations in education.

(2) Skills
We should equip the corresponding skills when we are doing something. Skills bring about confidence. The more skills we have, stronger we are. However, innovation is something new. We need different tools and different mindsets. We should be provided enough training and coaching to face the new situation.

When we come across some challenges from the innovation implementation, we will not worry no way can handle it. We think it just like conceptual objects, after we learn from it, then we can use it and develop it. 

(3) Incentives
After we have a great vistion, some talent skills, we step close to the success. But if the innovation does not supported by others(e.g.,government, parents, and sociel stakeholders), we will have no passion to create the new thing for the education. Because everyone stop us from changing, they get use to the education system which is exist a long time and they don't want spend time on the new thing that may not  success by the end. 

We have the challenges from the incentives. How to change others idea and get the support? Government wants the best outcomes that the country should benefit from it. Parents do not want their children be the victim for the innovation in the education and so on. It may relates to the purpose that why we should do this. Is the education be better after the innovation? or the educational innovation will develop the counrty 's comprehensive strength? Maybe. But what we want to say is teaching people to scan the environment for new trends, technology is changing the world. No change, no try, then no improve, no develop.

(4) Resources
We think the resources maybe a little challenge. Because the resources are so different especially the humen resources. All the people have their own idea about the knowledge, their own style to deal with the problem. In terms of the innovational education, we need the experts to make a better action plan to make  sure the innovation will improve the education at least. And we need the teachers who equip the ability to manage the innovational system and should feedback the efficiency and insert their own good idea to improve the new system. 

Not only the human resources but also the hardware resources are important in this innovational processing. With the developing of innovational education, the hardwares and softwares are always improving to a higher level at the same time. But the developed region always has the priority to use the new thing and improve themselves in a faster way. And with the phenomenon exist for long time, the educational level gap will be larger which lead to the inequity. However, with the technology developing, educational equity will not be a problem. 

(5) Action Plans
There is no action plans will be a false start. Action plans make us know the process how does our vision come true. The plan may be good for us to handle the direction to our goal. But everything changes in anytime. If something wrong with the plan, we should change the plan to the correct way. Good action plans can help us focus ideation, however, overly restricative plan can stigle ideation and perpetuate assumption and mindsets from the past. If we know how to handle changes, then the plan will not be a barrier for our goal.

Above all, the five aspects we discuss are the main point. There are many other challenges and success factors in reality. In my opinion, the improvement of efficiency for the education is the key success. And we should make the success through all the aspects that will affect the outcomes. Although it is difficult for us to handle all the challenges, we know the way to get what we want. No matter what changes in the future, only if we follow or advance the new trend, we will success. 

Landon Min Lan