Simplicity is so underrated

"Simplicity is a great virtue but it requires hard work to achieve it and education to appreciate it. And to make matters worse: complexity sells better.” 
― Edsger Wybe Dijkstra

In my 10 years+ plus of teaching experience, it has felt as if we've been always resorting to complexity to come up with answers. We’ve complicated schedules and curriculums in the name of learning without realizing that we could have framed the problem differently.

That’s why joining the Innovation Academy (IA) has been a breath of fresh air. Simplicity lies at the heart of this program.

Real projects= culture of excellence

A soccer team would have no reason to be if it were not for the real games. These push players to train hard during the week because they understand that the drills and skills will allow them to achieve mastery. When people see the value in idea, no matter how challenging it may be, they will want buy in. 

Education should be no different; it should provide avenues for students to have their work gauged in a real-world context.  And that’s the IA’s ethos.    

Students interviewing Raul Cachay editor from Cosas

In the grade 10 cohort, students are creating a professional magazine featuring 11 great organizations in Peru. They have taken full ownership of this project: they’ve gone on field trips to interview CEO’s, they’ve reached out to publishing companies and put forth a lot of time and effort to get this right.

Real projects shift the focus away from the grade. In this context, the students care more about the audience. Will their target audience find their magazine useful and up to standard? This is the benchmark students go by.  

One can put in the hours trying to devise elaborate unit plans, but unless the audience is an authentic one, there won’t be the conditions necessary for students to push themselves and create work of excellence. It’s as simple as that. 

Blend them like a smoothie 

By having 4 different disciplines join forces, teachers can easily align the skills and concepts to meet the students’ needs.

The Logo of Break Through, the magazine

So going back to the magazine, students know that they must first master the skills and concepts necessary to create a product of value. Therefore, they learn how to use colons and semicolons correctly, learn about the overarching characteristics of great organizations, so that they can synthesize information properly, and use programs such as Photoshop and InDesign effectively. 

This is pivotal especially if one considers that many of the skills and concepts are common in different MYP subjects. So rather than being covered excessively and superficially, skills and concepts are being learned purposefully.

Purpose

As Corey states the IA’s purpose is to help students find theirs.  This simple yet powerful idea helps drive this program.  We believe that if students understand who they are, they’ll be able to reach their full potential, academically and personally.

Too often, students come out of high school with good grades, but lacking reflection and self-awareness. I cannot but ask myself, what’s the value of a grade, if people still lack identity and purpose? 

The fact is that the IA does not only give a purpose to the students. In the IA, I've found my niche; in simplicity, I've found my happiness.