Of Note: Go Outside to Get Better Inside

The Drivers Transforming Learning for Students, Schools, and Systems by Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn
Corwin; 1st edition, October 30, 2023

Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn argue that “we must change the way we change!” The authors propose a model comprising four Drivers, representing the forces propelling educational systems into the future while addressing current challenges. These Drivers are Well-Being and Learning, Social and Machine Intelligence, Equity-Equality Investments, and Systemness. Their cohesive interplay forms an integrated approach described as "Deep Learning.” Readers will explore each Driver through vignettes that provide real-world examples from public and private schools in Canada, the USA, and Australia. These case studies illuminate how institutions successfully implemented the new initiative, with a particularly captivating vignette detailing Uruguay's ability to transform its entire education model using the Deep Learning approach. For independent school educators, the fourth driver (Systemness) introduces exciting possibilities for collaboration instead of competition. The vignette featuring the Australian Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales (AISNSW) exemplifies how “Systemness” fosters cooperative efforts, challenging traditional top-down approaches and criticizing the limitations of standards-based accountability (SBA, Fuller & Kim, 2022). The book opens new dialogues for private school teachers, emphasizing achieving deeper purposes through the "Go Outside to Get Better Inside" philosophy – a mantra that positions external catalysts as pivotal for success.