Peter Drucker and eLearning ecology

Peter Drucker has died at age 95. From reading his books, hearing him lecture and even a private conversation – I grew to consider him the most creative and insightful business mind of the 20th century. He was viewed as political economist who pioneering social and management theories focused on innovation of big business and nonprofit enterprises. www.nytimes.com/2005/11/12/business/ .

He liked the label social ecologist well before ecology became a household term. My favor saying from Peter Drucker was “There is nothing more practical in business than a good theory.” He also declared in a Lincoln lecture at ASU in 1982: “Over the history of mankind there have been two long term investments that provide a return far above any other. They are fine art, and education.” He may have been influenced by his passion for Oriental art, but viewing the Antiques Road Show – I tend to think he is right.

Since eSATS is advocating education as its investment vehicle for Arizona, we decided that we also needed a theory. Then last year Greg Hickman, of the Center for the Future of Arizona (now with the Rodell Foundation), presented the theory of Human Ecology of the K-12 student to the Governor’s Council for Innovation and Technology -- Education Subcommittee. We knew we had found a “good theory” that served our eLearning system design with the student-teacher as the nexus and the State of Arizona as the scope.

For you interested in details, the Human Ecology of education addresses the workings of five sub-systems:

• Microsystem—the student’s family, home, school, peer group, church, immediate neighborhood…are all microsystems;
• Mesosystem – is two or more microsystems linked together. The interaction between home and school will reinforce behaviors within both systems;
• Exosystem— delivers indirect but powerful effects as outside forces. These include board of education, parents work conditions, state academic standards, department of education, employer needs…;
• Macrosystem--includes cultural beliefs, values, attitudes, customs, national government, laws – propagated by the cultural memes and structure of society;
• Chronosystem -- the student is influenced by different systems at different times over the years.

So to Peter Drucker’s social ecology lets integrate human ecology and apply civic entrepreneurship as the grand theory to drive the pragmatic adoption of eLearning within Arizona’s K-12 education.