Michael Fullan and Charles Fadel in conversation with Jöran Muuß-Merholz about a swiss army knife, a forest of opportunities and a cement mixer.
When radios, televisions and smartphones arrived in schools, the promise of revolution was made. But AI, explain education experts Charles Fadel and Michael Fullan, is changing the way we think for the first time.
In an interview with Jöran Muuß-Merholz, they expose the “cement mixer effect” (Nele Hirsch): AI is being used to reinforce outdated educational concepts. Their counter-proposal: a broad transfer of skills instead of early specialization that prepares students for an unpredictable future. They provide concrete examples from their work with school districts in North America and argue for a change that must be driven from below (“systemness”) as well as from above (university entrance requirements).
Related Links:
- Center for Curriculum Redesign (CCR). Founded by Charles Fadel
- Education for the Age of AI: Why, What and How should students learn for the age of Artificial Intelligence? Charles Fadel et.al. (2024).
- Bildung für das Zeitalter von KI: Warum, was und wie Schülerinnen und Schüler für das Zeitalter der künstlichen Intelligenz lernen müssen. Charles Fadel et.al. (2024). (German Translation by Jöran Muuß-Merholz).
- 21st Century Skills. Learning for Life in Our Times. Charles Fadel & Bernie Trilling (2012).
- Motion Leadership. Michael Fullan’s Website
- The New Meaning of Educational Change (6. Auflage). Michael Fullan (2025).
- The Principal 2.0. Three Keys to Maximizing Impact. Michael Fullan (2023).
- The Drivers. Transforming Learning for Students, Schools, and Systems. Michael Fullan & Joanne Quinn (2023).
- Spirit Work and the Science of Collaboration. Michael Fullan & Mark Edwards (2021).
- The right drivers for whole system success. Michael Fullan for the Centre for Strategic Education (CSE), Melbourne (2021).
- Co-Intelligence. Living and Working with AI. Ethan Mollick (2025).
- Zementmischer versus Komposterde. Nele Hirsch (2023).
Recorded on March 5, 2025, online
Fine Print
Podcast: CC BY 4.0 | Michael Fullan and Charles Fadel with Jöran Muuß-Merholz, Agentur J&K – Jöran und Konsorten
Text: CC BY 4.0 | Henriette Scholz, Agentur J&K – Jöran und Konsorten | edukativ.fm
Photo of Michael Fullan: CC0 | James Woollatt | wikmedia.org
Photo of Jöran Muuß-Merholz und Charles Fadel (left to right): CC BY 4.0 | unknown photographer
