Education Fusion

Fission defined the 20th century.

Nuclear fission was a defining technology of the 20th century and "splitting the atom" - the rational analytical reductionism of split something into smaller manageable bits that can be conquered and easily measured  defined many of the operational principles and thought processes of the 20th century.

Fission defines current education.

Current formal education is a legacy of 20th century fission. In essence education is a simple thing - the process of facilitating learning but in practice has become complicated by institutional systemic fission - splitting education into so many separate and even conflicting parts and dividing it into levels that no longer mix together.


Educational fission is good for the purposes of measurement and management but creates a set filter bubbles with all the conditions for memetic "in-breading" that reinforces the status quo.

Exponential and combinatorial developments in information and communication technologies will present completely different social challenges to those presented by the industrial and engineering technologies of the 20th century. Technologies of the 21st century such as artificial intelligence and robotics excel at the easily measurable and testable rational analytical reductionist fission material that dominates current formal education. Technologies of the 21st century are set to displace the very skills taught and learned in our 20th century education system!

Fusion may come to define the 21st century.

Physicists are in a worldwide race to create stable fusion devices that could not only mimic the Sun but release abundant energy, without the volumes of toxic waste generated by nuclear fission - the splitting of the atom.

Fusion needs to define education in the 21st century

Diversity and interconnection are essential elements in evolution and innovation. To evolve, innovate and to thrive in the 21st century education needs to shift from fission to fusion - to shift from closed, disconnected and standardised practice to open, connected and diverse practice. Education needs embrace fusion and evolution through diverse connections, sharing and variation to catalyse innovation, creativity, change, adaptation, innovation and evolution.

Its time for education to use its imagination!