Saturday, June 18, 2016

Five Education Trends I Learned From Howard Tullman - Marti Konstant



Transforming The Education Model: 

I recently interviewed Howard Tullman, CEO of 1871, for my book the Agile Careerist. 1871 is Chicago’s entrepreneurial hub for digital startups. Howard is the charismatic leader and wildly successful entrepreneur who launched and nurtured several big businesses in Chicago. He excels at starting, building, and fixing companies. He is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, educator, writer, lecturer, and art collector.
While the distinct flavor of his myriad insights will appear in my book next year, I couldn’t wait to share a few of his sage reflections about the future of education. 
Meeting with a CEO of a bustling technology organization is a lesson in time management and a sharpening of peripheral awareness. Howard Tullman moves swiftly from one appointment to the next, sporting a pair of fashionable sneakers and hip casual attire.
He was intensely focused on our conversation, yet was keenly aware of what was next on the agenda. The French team for the America’s Cup, who sailed on the windy waters of Lake Michigan last weekend, waited for a quick collaboration software demo as we finished up the interview.
Curious to know more, and a sucker for French accents, I viewed the interactive demo with the team. Like an orchestra conductor with all the right moves, Howard navigated the life-size screen on the wall with his gestures, while answering multiple questions from the French athletes. It was a command performance by a genuine Chicago Ambassador.
His affection for education is apparent. Driven by optimization of systems in need of repair, he built up a deep understanding of education through experience and research. He turned around and started multiple education companies in his mid-career, taking the helm as CEO. Education is a critical ingredient in 1871’s success today.
Howard highlighted five trends he sees for the future of learning:

1. You will be the editor of your education

In the age of personalization and customization, Howard believes that “you will be the editor of your own education.” When the fluid accumulation of knowledge is powered and directed by the individual, you will learn what is important to you. This varies over time according to your personal development and learning style.
Motivation and engagement will be higher because it’s personal.

2. Learning environments expand beyond the walls of      traditional classrooms

Half or more of what people learn will not be in traditional classrooms. The lessons will be learned in the theater of work, daily living, and passion pursuits. Lifelong learning is a continuum of iterative experiences, creating progress milestones on the calendar. As a perpetual student, you will be the builder of your knowledge in an experiential learning habitat.

3. Commit to lifelong learning or get left behind

All generations will be upskilling, the act of adding relevant skills to your work toolkit. The newest members of the workforce often wonder what they will do for the rest of their lives. They are not alone.
The quandary of figuring out how to adapt is present among the multiple generations at work today. For example, workers between forty and sixty years old need to figure out how to enhance and build upon their body of work created in the first twenty years of their careers.
Workers will need to learn about and manage multiple responsibilities, while handling inquiries from across the organization, rather than reporting to one boss. Keeping up with the pace and accumulation of necessary knowledge requires a continuous learning mindset.

4. Teachers will become guides, not stage performers

Students are individuals with unique learning styles and absorb information at different rates. Education will become more self-directed. Teachers will not stand on a stage with lecture notes because students do not fall into a one-size-fits-all learning model. Instructors will guide their students through their education path.
New systems will emerge to accommodate the pace of the individual. For example, programs will be designed as remedial, extra credit, or on par.

5. Be ready to do the work

Influenced by Sal Khan, founder of the Khan Academy and innovator in online education, Howard believes in the 100% rule. Many students today graduate with less than 80% of what is needed to do the work. Current standards reflect a satisfaction with 80%, but according to Howard, “If we built a house that is 80% right, it would fall down.”
At Tribeca Flashpoint Academy, a digital media school Howard founded, he changed the high-end vocational education model. The school graduates students fully capable of doing the work of filmmakers, animators, and recording artists.
As Howard remarked, “You have to be ready.”

Lifelong learning in action

Due to his genuine curiosity and focused commitment to pursuing knowledge, Howard is a lifetime student. He is the perceptive observer of trends in the market. His personal filter of the data corrals the insights for viable business strategies on a daily basis.
Similar to the motion of the stock ticker running across the bottom of a financial trading screen, Howard studies and closely monitors developments within twenty industries. He spends ten hours a week pouring over data from industries like Banking, Insurance, Education, and Entertainment, among others.

Education in flux

Formal education struggles to deliver on the insistent promise of these parameters, yet there are an abundant number of new methods found online addressing some of these mandates. Education models are truly ripe for innovation. I look forward to the changes.
Photo credit: 1871
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About Me
Hi, I’m Marti Konstant. I’ve played many career roles throughout my life’s work: mobile security marketing executive, entrepreneur, growth hacker, visual artist, and designer.
I am the founder of The Agile Careerist Project, the inspiration for action-based career design for people in pursuit of meaningful work. While interviewing over 100 global workers, I observed clever habits and attitudes that formed the foundation of my work.