Learning from the Extremes - Charlie Leadbeater & Annika Wong
First posted at 13:49GMT on 26/01/10 by Amelia Sanders
Commissioned by Cisco, Charles Leadbeater interviewed 100 social entrepreneurs seeking to meet huge needs without the advantage of traditional resources. What we can learn from social entrepreneurs are innovating radically new ways to take learning into the poorest places in to the world.
That kind of disruptive innovation may not come from the best schools. It is much more likely to come from social entrepreneurs who often seek to meet huge need without the resources for traditional solutions: teachers, text books and schools. Disruptive innovation frequently starts in the margins rather than the mainstream. Governments should continue to look to the very best school systems to guide improvement strategies. But increasingly they should also look to social entrepreneurs working at the extremes who may well create the low-cost, mass, participatory models of learning that will be needed in future.
To find out more download the Learning from the Extremes White Paper here
That kind of disruptive innovation may not come from the best schools. It is much more likely to come from social entrepreneurs who often seek to meet huge need without the resources for traditional solutions: teachers, text books and schools. Disruptive innovation frequently starts in the margins rather than the mainstream. Governments should continue to look to the very best school systems to guide improvement strategies. But increasingly they should also look to social entrepreneurs working at the extremes who may well create the low-cost, mass, participatory models of learning that will be needed in future.
To find out more download the Learning from the Extremes White Paper here
Comments
I agree with David that a desire for control and conformity from those who are organising the educational schemes discussed in this paper could be a hinderance to their development. That is exactly why disruptive innovation in informal learning is the key to a successful project. Only By taking innovative projects away from the rigid structures of beurocracy can they achieve the best results. The key may not necessarily be in the innovative idea itself, but whether it can be set up in an effective and innovative context.
Ralph Parham, 11/3/10, 10:52GMT
I agree with your arguement that Governments should look at social entrepreneurs as pioneers of innovative services that can be learnt from and developed elsewhere. However, one of the challenges that may prevent this from happening is the desire for control and conformity that seems to be in-bred in most politicians and bureaucrats - at least in the UK - whatever their political hue and background.
David Burland, 3/2/10, 18:13GMT