Chapters 5 and 6 of Invent to Learn underscore the challenges of innovation in a "traditional" High School environment. The author's recommendations for what to DO and what NOT to do speak directly to many of the teacher-centered practices that I watch in our classrooms. It is discouraging. Statements like "...teachers have concerns about their own ability to provide the required scaffolding for students that can’t be found in the back of the textbook. In addition, their “habitus,” meaning expectations created by one’s own experiences, interferes with this process. (Belland, 2012) Teachers fall back on their own experiences as learners when teaching" bring home the unfortunate realities of a system designed around outdated models and expectations.
I have hard verbatim many of the statements made in Chapter 12 (Making the Case,) most specifically "Our students need to focus on getting in to college." Perceptions at the High School level seem to be that colleges and the workplace are not changing, despite evidence to the contrary (in regards to the needs of the 21st Century workplace.) "The tests aren't changing, and kids still need good test scores and traditional AP classes to succeed" is the prevailing thought.
It is challenging to see where Making "fits" in an environment where change and innovation is not encouraged or supported.
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