Classrooms today are harder places to work than ever before. Teachers are overwhelmed by workload, frustrated by disengagement, and confined by a system that hasn’t meaningfully shifted in decades. They know something isn’t working, they feel it every day.
So, when someone comes along with a message that resonates, something that promises hope, packaged in the language of innovation, it’s easy to grab on. Not because teachers are gullible, but because they’re hopeful, tired, and urgently seeking something that works.
But this dynamic carries serious risks.
1. Emotional appeal over evidence
Many of today’s educational ideas are heavy on narrative and style, but light on substance. When someone with little or no classroom experience claims to have the solution to education’s biggest challenges, we need to ask:
- What’s the theory of learning underpinning it?
- Has it been tested in real-world, complex school environments?
Too often, these questions are overlooked in favour of energy and enthusiasm.
The rapid rise of AI tools in education is a recent example. Teachers are understandably awed by the power of AI to generate lesson plans in seconds. But are these plans aligned with the mandated curriculum? Do they reflect the sophistication expected of a Highly Accomplished Teacher? Are they embedded in a pedagogical framework proven to improve student outcomes? Are they differentiated to meet the individual needs of the students in their classroom?
Tools alone don’t transform learning. Pedagogy does.
2. A system that rewards appearances
We must also acknowledge that the education system itself often incentivises surface-level innovation. Schools are applauded for adopting new programs, not for demonstrating long-term impact. It’s easier to showcase something flashy than to commit to the slow, sometimes uncomfortable work of deep transformation.
As a result, we see what some call innovation theatre, lots of visible activity, not always matched by depth or sustainability. Take, for example, the recent boom in entrepreneurial ‘shark tank’ experiences in schools. While well-intentioned, these programs often fade quickly because they aren’t embedded in curriculum or tied to a broader learning strategy.
3. The Professional Development void
In many schools, professional learning is fragmented, underfunded, and disconnected from both research and classroom realities. In that vacuum, anyone with a microphone and a message can find a following. Teachers, time-poor and overwhelmed, don’t always have the bandwidth to critically evaluate what they’re being offered.
Without being disparaging, I am often surprised by how quickly schools commit to offerings from individuals with limited experience who have rebranded themselves as ‘consultants’ or thought leaders. Charisma and branding are not substitutes for depth, research, or proven impact.
So, what’s the alternative?
If we truly want to improve education, we must resist the temptation of quick fixes.
Real change is complex. It requires a deep understanding of pedagogy, curriculum, change management, and system design. It demands long-term vision and short-term discipline. And it begins with leaders who are willing to slow down, ask hard questions, and make decisions based on evidence, not just emotion.
The first question every school should ask is: “What is an education worth having in this era?”
As leaders, we must build educational discernment within our teams, the capacity to separate hype from substance. We must model critical thinking, engage with research, and raise the standard for what we bring into our schools.
Because our teachers, and our students, deserve more than just the next shiny thing.
They deserve solutions that work.
A Note on Vivedus
Vivedus may appear to be a new arrival on the educational scene, but beneath the surface lies over 70 years of research and development. The Vivedus Learning Activation Model is built in partnership with world-leading assessment and curriculum experts at the University of Melbourne.
Unlike trends that come and go, the Vivedus Platform is:
- Aligned with curriculum and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
- Grounded in proven pedagogical practices
- Designed to deliver measurable impact on student learning and engagement
Our team has decades of classroom and leadership experience, multiple postgraduate degrees, and strong connections to leading academics and institutions across the globe.
Vivedus might look like a shiny new thing, but it is anything but. It’s a rigorously developed solution, designed to help schools move beyond novelty and towards the deep, sustainable transformation our students need.
Learn more and experience the Vivedus Planner for yourself.
