Film visionary wants to be force in education

Lucas foundation director speaks to faculty

George Lucas—yes, that George Lucas—has ideas on education, and School of Education faculty heard some of them January 25.

Actually, the executive director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation came to campus to do more than talk. Milton Chen invited FPU faculty to find ways to use technology to reshape schools and bring teachers and students closer together.

Chen came at the invitation of Jo Ellen Misakian, interim dean of the School of Education. Prior to joining GLEF in 1998, he was founding director of PBS's KQED Center for Education and has been a Fulbright New Century Scholar. George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, founded GLEF in 1991 to celebrate and encourage innovation in schools. Its website— edutopia.org— offers articles, video segments and interactive case studies.

Technology can give students authority over what they learn and teachers more time to coach individuals. Sound good? Not to everyone: Many—from textbook makers to parents—have a stake in keeping education the way it is. "This is very threatening," he said of the foundation's views. "Education started off as a way of civilizing children or disciplining them."

Change will take a long time, but there is movement. "I do think that there is a consensus that has developed around the country toward the model," Chen said. "I'm hopeful."

Chen places his hope in places like FPU, which can lead change. "We're very interested in having relationships with schools of education," he said. "That's where the whole investment in human capital begins."

Schools are often isolated from their communities and ideas are taught in a vacuum, but society's needs are changing. "It's a very interconnected world. We need to educate American students to be global citizens," Chen said.

Computer programs can take over the necessary drill and memorization so teachers spend more time with individual students. "It changes the role of a teacher to be more of a coach," Chen said.

"George Lucas—Mr. Technology, right?— said that's something no computer will ever be able to do—pat a kid on the back," Chen said.

A word of encouragement or discouragement that will be remembered by a child for life, he added: "That's the power of a teacher."