Change Happens Slowly, Right Up Until It Happens Quickly, with Ted Dintersmith

Our guest today is Ted Dintersmith, one of America’s leading advocates for innovative education policies.

Let the sprinters sprint, let the runners run and the joggers do a jog - and for those who want to stay in place all we say is just keep an open mind - Ted Dintersmith


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Summary

Our guest today is Ted Dintersmith, one of America’s leading advocates for innovative education policies. He is the executive producer of the 'Most Likely To Succeed' documentary, watched by millions and screened at 1000 community events, and the author of an inspiring book, What School Could Be, that takes us through his journey to over 200 schools in all 50 states.

In this episode, Ted and Andrew discuss how change can be met with resistance and how to overcome it. They also talk about the value of involving the student in the learning process. Moreover, they point out how exhibitions can transform learning into a positive and fun experience. Finally, they discuss Ted's innovation playlist, his scalable, permission-based, trust-based strategy for taking small steps to change, public exhibitions as a tool for school growth and more.

Listen and take note of Ted’s unique perspective on the education system and how it can change for the better.

In our discussion, we cover:

02:32 Ted discusses how to overcome resistance to start the discussion for change

05:07 Andrew asks Ted what should be done when someone starts advocating change and they get shut down by someone in authority.

09:20 Ted responds to Andrew’s question about what might hold a school back from changing.

12:41 At this point Ted and Andrew discuss whether school networks can become advocates for change and in what way.

15:40 Ted comments on how the startup model can be applied to schools to invoke change.

19:20 Here, Ted offers some insight on how a student can benefit from creating something and sharing it with or presenting it to his peers and parents.

23:13 Ted explains how a school leader can focus on the positive aspects of their school - however small - to show the value of the school to parents, staff and students alike.

27:36 Ted explains how public exhibitions of student work can transform the learning experience for students while also providing an opportunity to boost word of mouth in the community.

29:20 Ted offers an example from his own experience - a failed hydroponics experiment - to show how losing focus can lead to negative outcomes.

31:35 Finally, Andrew asks Ted to identify tipping points for change of the education ecosystem in our modern day world.

Quotes:

08:30 “Let the sprinters sprint, let the runners run and the joggers do a jog - and for those who want to stay in place all we say is just keep an open mind

26:40 “Most of what kids do in school is like writing an essay on the sand on a windy beach...

Here is an infographic we made about Ted's amazing book, feel free to share (click here)!

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

Innovation Playlist: https://teddintersmith.com/innovation-playlist/

Most Likely to Succeed Documentary https://teddintersmith.com/mltsfilm/

What School Could be: https://teddintersmith.com/what-school-could-be/

Where to learn more about Ted:

Ted on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dintersmith/

Ted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dintersmith

Ted on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-dintersmith-0211985a/

Ted’s website: https://teddintersmith.com/

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Website: www.enrollhand.com

Our webinar: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/