We’ve all seen it: the shiny new tech, the expensive curriculum update, the mandatory professional development session. Too often, school leaders assume innovation is something you buy, a physical tool, an app, or a program that promises to solve all your problems.
But what if the greatest barrier to innovation isn’t your budget, but your mindset?
In our newest episode of Innovator Insights, we sat down with Dr. Matthew Joseph, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning and CEO of X-Factor EDU, who argues that true educational breakthroughs don’t come in a box. They come from a fundamental shift in how we think about teaching, learning, and leadership.
Here are 3 critical takeaways from our conversation that will inspire you to look beyond the technology and unlock the true potential within your school.
1. Stop Teaching What to Think, Start Teaching How to Think
The traditional classroom model positions the teacher as the ultimate “keeper of knowledge.” But in an age where every student has a supercomputer in their pocket, that model is obsolete.
Dr. Joseph warns that we often stifle innovation by prioritizing compliance over curiosity:
“We too often want to teach students what to think instead of how to think.”
The shift must be toward discovery learning. We need to empower students to seek solutions, take risks, and define their own path to the finish line. If a student can write a song about health and fitness instead of a five-paragraph essay, why stop them? Your job isn’t to dictate the steps, but to set the end goal and allow creativity to be the vehicle.
2. Leadership is Empowerment: Innovation Cannot Depend on One Person
It is a common regret among strong leaders: they lead a successful initiative, but when they leave, the program collapses. Innovation becomes personality-driven rather than cultural.
Dr. Joseph learned this lesson the hard way in his first principalship, a realization that now fuels his entire career:
“The real power is empowering other people. I don’t want the innovation to leave because one person leaves.”
To build a sustainable culture of innovation, you must:
- Listen First: Start by identifying the internal drive. Find the teachers who say, “I wish I could do this,” and support them.
- Start Small: Dr. Joseph advises against forcing adoption. Instead, cultivate a small group of enthusiastic “champions.” Their success will generate organic, positive peer pressure that is far more impactful than any top-down mandate.
3. The Future of Learning is the Student Portfolio
In the next five years, Dr. Joseph believes the biggest breakthrough will come from how we memorialize student work.
Why? Because the workforce and higher education are moving away from results-based testing and toward experiential learning.
A student portfolio, a digital repository of projects, videos, presentations, and even AI-generated passion projects, is the ultimate tool for this future. It allows students to showcase their authentic, evolving knowledge over the years:
“It’s allowing students to showcase their work and transfer of learning in the way that showcases their knowledge.”
This is the ultimate shift: transforming education from a series of high-stakes tests into a personalized, documented journey of discovery.
Ready to Redefine Innovation in Your School?
Don’t miss the full conversation with Dr. Matthew Joseph, where he shares his personal entrepreneurial advice, tips for balancing tech and authenticity on social media, and more.
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube
