Innovation in Education

Within the framework of seeking strategies for educational innovation, El Bosque University recently welcomed M?rt Aro, Chairman of the Board at Nordic EdTech Forum “N8”, an expert in educational innovation who firmly believes that studying abroad fosters both personal and professional development in students. His vision ultimately led him to co- found several undertakings, among those: DreamApply.com, an application which strives to improve the experience of students when applying to university programs around the world.

The School of Education from El Bosque University had the honor of asking him some questions in regards to educational matters, a much relevant topic now since entrepreneurship and innovation were rarely discussed in education ten years ago. If anything it was a stigma to conceive of schooling as any other industry.When asking Mr. Aro what innovation meant to him, he said, and I quote “it’s basically to look for new ways to solve issues. Essentially our lives evolve around trying to make things faster, cheaper and better, and innovation tackles that”. To the question “what skills or changes should teachers incorporate to innovate?”, he replied that we needed to involve our kids in solving problems that are relevant to them and engage them in actual issues that are in their local environment. “Kids have great ideas and no barriers, they would get valuable and enduring knowledge that way” he stated. Mr. Aro concluded the interview by saying that it was possible to innovate even without technology and that it was important to build on our strengths as individuals, society, and country.

After Mr. Aro’s visit I felt compelled to re- examine the competences that we as teachers need to develop in order to adapt to the wave of entrepreneurship and innovation that is urging us to break new grounds in education. In a classroom that is increasingly and gradually more diverse and mixed, it seems that the skills that we gained through education, training programs, certifications and on the job training are being viewed through the filter of the innovation lens. The new context is not only exhorting us to expand our own professional profiles but to reconsider our own practices as far as what goes beyond technological adaptation and sources of information. In a world where new professional profiles emerge as a consequence of the technological revolution, the question is to what extent are we keeping ourselves up to date on the new trends in education?

Written by:

Margarita Estrada Restrepo in colaboration with Soledad Zamora.

Professors at the School of Education at El Bosque University.