“Innovation” is currently a popular term that is being talked about quite often in education. While most professionals agree that creating a culture of innovation is imperative to providing the best learning environment possible, defining what innovation looks like in practical terms in an educational setting is not always, so easy to pinpoint. In general, innovation in education includes an emphasis on teamwork, interdisciplinary study, individuality, and hands-on learning. Innovation is driven by curiosity, creativity, and a never-ending commitment to excellence. The following describes how innovative concepts can be implemented and ways to create a culture of innovation in a home environment as well as the traditional classroom.
Creating an Innovative Home Environment
A solid education begins in the home. Before a child attends school and throughout the educational process, learning must be nurtured at home as well as in the classroom. To develop a child’s love of learning and foster creativity, parents need to create a home environment that supports problem-solving, idea development, and a sense of individuality. The first step in creating an innovative home environment is to realize that learning is a social practice. Children learn by interacting. Whether it’s with parents, siblings, friends, or other family members, children need to be able to freely work, play, and in general interact with others regularly. An interactive approach is a key to providing a solid foundation for learning at home. To build on that foundation, parents should implement the following ideas and activities.
• Focus on Concepts Instead of Facts – Facts are essential, and children need to have a certain amount of knowledge regarding facts but understanding and applying concepts will allow them to soar beyond basic facts.
• Look for Learning Opportunities Everywhere – Reading with children and helping them with schoolwork are distinct activities parents should engage in, but there are so many other ways to promote innovation and learning while at home. Parents should invite kids to cook with them and try out new recipes. What can be added or taken away to make it taste better? Ask children to help with age-appropriate home repairs. If a family is able, they should plant a garden or take care of a pet. Many learning opportunities exist beyond the computer and a stack of books.
• Encourage Self-Reliance – Being responsible and having to depend on oneself will help children become natural problem solvers. Even being responsible for simple chores will promote creativity and encourage kids to find better, more efficient ways of accomplishing tasks.
• Take Advantage of Resources – Utilize the services of the public library, visit museums and parks, and take advantage of classes, concerts, and other free community events. Being able to see the world from different vantage points while incorporating the abundant resources most communities have to offer will help children understand everything they learn from a broader perspective.
Problems in the Current Public-School System
While establishing an innovative home environment that nurtures individuality and creativity is extremely important, tackling the issues in the public-school system is essential. The intense focus on standardized testing is one of the significant problems with the current educational system. This emphasis on tests and scores takes the focus off of the children and the activities that are specifically centered on their learning needs. While a system of accountability should be in place, the current method of measuring success through standardized testing discourages creativity and innovation in several ways.
• Preparing for tests as well as taking tests is time-consuming. Aforementioned ultimately takes away from other meaningful projects and activities that children could be engaged in.
• The stress of testing is creating a crisis among many educators. Many feel compelled to teach to the test to keep their jobs.
• Standardized testing doesn’t necessarily do a good job of measuring what a student has learned. These types of tests usually are a one-size-fits-all approach to measuring learning. Students learn and demonstrate how they’ve learned in many ways that go beyond the methods used in standard tests.
Besides standardized testing, there are several other ways most public schools stifle innovation and creative learning. Sticking rigidly to grade levels keeps many students from reaching their full potential while putting pressure on others to accomplish academically what they are not ready for. Any physician will state that all ten-year-old are not expected to be the same height or weight. A wide range of physical sizes and characteristics at this age is perfectly normal. Why then do schools expect all ten-year-old’s to academically and intellectually be at the same level? Finally, in too many schools, teachers are tied to a precise curriculum. If three teachers are teaching fourth grade at the same school, often the administration expects each teacher to be on the same chapter, in the same unit, all at the same time throughout the school year. This may provide a certain amount of convenience, but it certainly doesn’t promote innovation and creativity.
Re-thinking the Current Educational System
Incorporating innovation in education means being willing to think outside of the box and take a new approach to teach and learning in the classroom. Training should be geared toward teaching children to think in ways that lead to innovation. Forming attitudes that are constructive to learning instead of test taking should be the goal of every school and the educational system. There are several steps schools can take to incorporate innovation into the educational process daily. The following are ways administration can help teachers create an environment that is open to change in the classroom.
• Set Aside Time to Plan – Even if it’s just 10 or 15 minutes after a weekly staff meeting, allow teachers the time to brainstorm about everything from lesson planning to how to make group projects more hands-on for the students.
• Allow Teachers to Help Select Professional Development – It’s a waste of time and money to send teachers to professional development they have no interest in or don’t feel will have any practical application in the classroom. Teachers are in the trenches every day and have a good idea of what they need help with and the types of tools that will assist them when teaching their students. Teachers should at least be part of the process when it comes to selecting the types of workshops and in-services they’ll attend.
• Model and Reward Risk Taking – Teachers need the freedom to try new lessons and provide unique learning opportunities for their students without fear. If teachers are afraid that if new ideas fail in the classroom, they will receive a poor evaluation, they’ll be less likely to take risks and try new things. The administration must be willing to encourage and model risk-taking.
• Create a Team Environment – Teachers should be colleagues, not competitors. Working together to share ideas and learn from one another should happen regularly in every school. Being able to do this successfully will then help the teachers to bring this sort of teamwork to their classrooms for their students to engage in.
Once teachers feel comfortable working together to create an atmosphere of innovation in their classrooms, there are several things they can do to pass on the same attitude to their students.
• Create a Safe Place to Fail – It’s usually necessary to do things many times and try several approaches when inventing or creating anything new. Thus, failure is one of the best tools for learning. If children don’t feel they can fail in a supportive, nurturing environment, they are likely to give up on projects after the initial try.
• Give Students a Voice – Children will feel more empowered if they are given an active role in the classroom. They should be given the ability to oversee projects and make decisions whenever appropriate. This also includes allowing them to debate and disagree among themselves. Teachers can help guide these discussions to ensure they are done properly and respectfully.
• Don’t Impose Limitations – Teachers should try to give assignments that are open-ended and not surrounded by constraints. Instead of saying, “Write a four-page paper on elephants,” a teacher could say, “Write, say, and show me everything you can find out about elephants.”
• Reward Attitude Not Just Results – In a classroom environment learning HOW to do things can be just as important as the results. Oftentimes-real life is more about attitude than actual ability. Perseverance, honesty, and staying positive should be encouraged and rewarded as well as effective results.
• Allow Children to Get Messy – This not only means allowing a certain amount of real mess in a classroom but noise and confusion as well. This goes along with allowing failure, promoting creativity, and giving them room to find their method in the madness.
• Promote Interdisciplinary Study – In real life, math is not separate from science, and history is not different from reading. Subjects are interrelated and build on one another. Dividing learning into neat subjects and categories is not the best way to promote a three-dimensional, diverse approach to learning.
