There is a great deal of conversation about systems thinking and design thinking. Both matter, and neither is enough. Students should understand how complex systems function. They should map relationships, identify feedback loops, and recognise leverage points. They should design responsibly within constraints while retaining the freedom to question those constraints. They should test solutions, revise them, improve them. But notice what that pair leaves out. Systems thinking

There is a phrase in a Rush song, from "Limelight," about being outside the gilded cage (with a nod to Shakespeare, of course). It has stayed with me for years, and I have never been able to hear it without thinking about schools. From the outside, the cage shines. Golden, impressive, enviable. But a cage, however beautiful, is still a cage. Education as performance In a great many places, education has quietly become a kind of performance. Students are encouraged to build po