Innovation often means teaching that goes against common sense – TeachThought
November 18, 2025 | Updated November 15, 2025
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Recently I came across this interesting article: From pedagogy to anthropology While embracing all that is contained within it, it made me think about the inevitable dangers faced in adopting this and other progressive forms of teaching.
See 7 Differences Between Good Teachers and Great Teachers
Sometimes going against the grain can be a lonely experience, and while sound theory and instinct can serve as a warm blanket against the cold, one well needs a practical survival guide to help implement new practices. Teachers need to prepare themselves for the realities before them to help reshape their classrooms and ultimately strengthen their resolve to uphold their chosen epistemology.
From Heutagogy, constructivism to PBL, most advanced teaching models essentially focus on putting the learning process and results into the hands of learners as much as possible. But let’s cut to the chase, implementing this pedagogy is messy and requires a tremendous amount of patience, a degree of pragmatism, and most importantly, a highly skilled teacher who can get students to accept it.
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1. Deschooling means reworking.
As your teaching practices shift to become more learner-centered and less teacher-centered, be prepared for the vehement complaints from many students (and parents) that you are not teaching them, and the inevitable loss of confidence caused by these wild claims. It’s never been a stronger feeling than when your able students start complaining. In these times it may seem like you are robbing Peter to pay Paul, but to prepare for the situation, make sure you have a very good A well-thought-out plan and rationale in case your line manager decides to investigate their outrage and, more importantly, something you can talk to yourself about in foreseeable moments of doubt.
Always remember what real learning is and you’ll be fine.
2. Be pragmatic.
That being said, it’s wise to start students exposed to new styles in small doses to ease them into areas that may be uncomfortable for many. Imagine the look on most students’ faces if you said at the beginning of the unit, “Okay, this is the outcome you need to achieve by the end of the unit, but you designed your learning to achieve it.” This isn’t just about pushing students into the deep end. That’s throwing them out of a helicopter into the middle of the ocean.
You need to create the space and culture for them to succeed: how to research, how to collaborate, how to set incremental goals, how to manage time, how to work independently. Remember, by the end of high school, students have had more than 11 years of teacher-led learning, and as they get older, they may have been told thousands of times about the importance of achieving a certain grade, and that without strong leadership from the teacher, that grade may be in jeopardy.
This mix is exactly what I find myself doing. I always start a unit with a strong learner-based approach and slowly incorporate a more guided process at the end as we do assessments. No matter what anyone says, we must be pragmatic at the end of this unit: Students will Specific learning outcomes are tested and if these requirements are not met, I am at great risk as a teacher. However, the overall goal is to continuously manipulate this ratio in favor of learner-based learning.
3. Patience (in the midst of chaos) is a virtue.
This is where a lot of patience is required. For some groups, it may take longer for it to become standard practice. You have to remember that succeeding in student-centered learning is never easy, so you have to be patient with yourself as you work to get it right. You have to be extra patient with the chaos of it all.
At times, this chaos can be overwhelming, especially for learners who are largely disconnected from their learning. To them it seems like a free ride, an opportunity to do nothing, and the urge to manage and organize such occasions by reviving old tricks is strong. In this case, being guided and forced down a certain path may be the only chance to keep the dream alive. But that doesn’t mean it has to be entirely teacher-led. Ensuring students achieve an end result does not mean there is only one way to achieve it.
A smart transition strategy isn’t about compromise, it’s about making smart decisions to stay alive.
4. No pain, no gain.
If this all sounds rather daunting, that’s because it is. But we shouldn’t have any expectations because, after all, we are talking about perfecting the teaching model and taking teachers to the top. I have fallen off the wagon countless times, but I always come back because I know that learning is significantly enhanced and, ironically, ultimately forcing testing yields better results.
But more importantly, I keep coming back because when it works, seeing students learn for themselves and take ownership of their experience is a pure joy and always validates why I love education.
Adapted image attributed to flickr user Dan; Innovation often means teaching that goes against the grain
