Imagine, if you will, that you have discovered a lamp in a mysterious cave. You rub the lamp (because that’s what you do in a situation like this) and out pops a genie. It’s a stingy genie, so it offers you only one wish: you get to make a single change to education.

What would you pick? More resources? Less assessment? Better CPD? The possibilities are endless. And a recent #edchat challenged Twitter users to make that choice.

@kcota15 wanted schools to be “more student-led and focused”, while @ktbuck123 cheated slightly, wishing for two things: “I would cut way back on testing and allow teachers to work more creatively to inspire students”.

“Grades should go,” opined @drdouggreen, who also sneaked in a second wish of “requiring a full year of student teaching and a research-based master’s like Finland”.

Meanwhile @tomwhitby had a particularly wide-ranging change in mind: “Reinvent the personal development system for educators. Make it part of the work week, support it, keep it relevant and individualised.”

Although many wishers focused their attention on outside influences, the key difference @wmchamberlain sought would come from within: “I think I would change how teachers see their own culture and its effects on the students.”

Sarah Cunnane

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