I remember when I was studying a language for A Level, being introduced to the subjunctive. ‘It’s not a tense: it’s a mood’, my teacher used to say. It’s the ‘mood of possibility’.
This conversation keeps coming back to me when thinking about innovation. Innovation is not about what is happening, though it makes things happen. Innovation is not about the past, though it needs to understand how we got here. Innovation isn’t just about planning the future: it’s about our attitude now.
Just as with the subjunctive, innovation is about possibility. It’s about thinking about what could happen.
But unlike the subjunctive, innovation is not simply about being carried along by what might take place. Innovation is about shaping possibilities.
As Director of Innovation, I don’t see myself as the only one who does this. I am not here to define some innovative projects for others to deliver. Yes, this is my focus and passion, but I’m here to create more innovators, in the staff, and, importantly, in our students.
In a world moving as rapidly as it is currently, and every day it is true that technology will never be as rudimentary at it is now, our students need to be able to channel the ‘innovative mood’ to adapt and pivot to the needs of the day.
Our teachers need to be able to harness this too, to prepare students for the world in which they will live and work in the future.
At time of writing, I have been in post for six months. Some of the most rewarding times so far have not been when I have come up with an idea. When you’re like me, you have three or four of these before breakfast. The really exciting and important part of my job has been when I’ve facilitated a conversation which got others thinking innovatively about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (what we teach, how we teach and what we assess).
In this blog, I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts about projects we’re involved with, developments taking place in technology and AI, and the ongoing work of the Centre for Innovation.
