Thoughts on International Education

This is post about problems. But not normal ones: wicked ones!

Back in 1973, two Berkley professors put forth the idea that certain types of social problems were ‘wicked problems’. They proposed 10 properties of wicked problems, and while these ten criteria to not provide mechanistic diagnosis of wicked problems, they do provide key insights into the degree and nature of social problems. The ten properties are:

1. There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem.
2. Wicked problems have no stopping rule.
3. Solutions to wicked problems are not true or false, but good or bad.
4. There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution to a wicked problem.
5. Every solution to a wicked problem is a ‘one shot’ operation; because there is no opportunity to learn by trial and error, every attempt counts significantly.
6. Wicked problems do not have an exhaustively describable set of potential solutions, nor is there a well-described set of permissible operations that may be incorporated into the plan.
7. Every wicked problem is essentially unique.
8. Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem.
9. The existence of a discrepancy representing a wicked problem can be explained in numerous ways.
10. The planner has no right to be wrong.

Reading this, I though to myself: ‘So many of the problems and issues we deal with in schools share many of these characteristics’. And of course they should: schools are social organizations with social missions.  (By the way, wicked problems do not need to share all of these qualities: its a highly subjective business and is a matter of degree as much as anything).

Anyway, think of all the ‘problems’ (or issues) we have in international education. Off the top of my head:  What should the curriculum look like and how do we develop it? I would argue yes to 1-4, 8-10 and possibly some of the characteristics apply. And what about the role international education plays promoting world peace: one could maybe argue 2-8. On a different level, how do you attract and retain the ‘best’ staff. Make your own list, but this is subjective, difficult and imperative. And how best should a school strike the right balance between the pragmatic concerns (like test scores, finances and operational issues) and the ideological aspirations of international education.? 3, 4 and 10 spring immediately to mind for this one.

The next time you are facing a challenge or problem in your school, think about these characteristics. It may not solve the problem for you, but if may help contextualize the discussion and thinking and help to produce better decisions going forward. Good luck!