Off the Chart: Here There be Monsters - C. Frye

The science of innovation is not a new concept.  For over two centuries, social scientists have understood that the introduction of new ideas or new technologies follows a very specific path.

Called "Diffusion of Innovations", popularized by Everett Rogers in his 1962 book of the same name, whenever a new idea or new technology is introduced to an audience, the speed at which that idea or technology is adopted by an individual or diffused through a group depends entirely on factors such as availability, usability, convenience, and knowledge.  Charting these values produces a comfortable bell curve to illustrate how an idea or technology comes to be popular:

Rogers Everett - Based on Rogers, E. (1962) Diffusion of innovations. Free Press, London, NY, USA.

But what isn't demonstrated by this lovely graph, is the rate of adoption.  So for us, as educators, or for students, how do we go from having a good idea to watching that idea play out among the vast majority of our colleagues?

Here's where the science gets tricky.

A current popular trend in the science of cognitive analysis is "Growth Mindset" - explained in detail by the author of the most prevalent study on the concept, Dr. Carol Dweck.  Fundamentally, having a growth based mindset allows for a faster adoption of new ideas because it matches the criteria of someone that otherwise would be labeled as an "Innovator" by Rogers: "Innovators are willing to take risks....Their risk tolerance allows them to adopt technologies that may ultimately fail" (Rogers 1962). 

So whether it is accepting new technologies or new ideas, the science of innovation is not, itself, innovative.  New is not always better, but new is also not that new.  The process of progress is often messy, no matter the content.  Failure is not only acceptable but a necessary component of learning.  More importantly, however, is accepting the risk of failure.  More often than not, it is the fear of failure that holds back growth.  The best way to foster this sense of growth in students is to help them embrace learning as a process.  There are many ways to achieve this goal; far too many to address in a single blog.  And because we are all focused on higher student achievement and student growth, we're likely using many strategies that will continue to be effective for a long period of time.

Attribution Link

In short, don't be afraid of the edge of the chart, the only reason someone wrote "Here, there be monsters" is because they were too afraid to find out the truth.  Even if there are monsters, don't fret, we have an entire toolbox of weapons at our disposal to help you slay those monsters.