It’s hard to engage in a conversation about the future of the education system in America these days without hearing the word “innovation.” 

 

Innovation schools are popping up all around, books about incorporating innovation in the classroom are everywhere and it seems that if your school isn’t innovating, it isn’t doing what’s best for students. As an educator who has always loved to incorporate the latest technology into the classroom and is always interested in changing up the way I teach, I was immediately on board when I heard this new and exciting term used around school. Eagerly, I started incorporating iPads in my lessons more often, looked for new apps for students to demonstrate their learning, and wanted to be up-to-date on the latest and greatest in technology. I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when I learned that innovation isn’t just about using technology. In fact, using technology is only a small, and not always necessary, aspect of innovation. 

 

To embark on my journey toward incorporating innovation in the classroom, I joined an innovation mini-cohort led by Elizabeth Leddy and Martin Twarogowski and started reading the book Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner. Through these outlets, I learned that being innovative is about developing a growth mindset where mistakes are valued and perseverance is more important than success. Discovering this thrilled me as I realized that I could start to build innovators in my classroom using picture books, paper and pencil, discussions and many other tools that are readily available and don’t need to be plugged in. In our first innovation mini-cohort meeting, I learned that the key skills of innovators are: empathy, creative thinking, critical thinking, grit/perseverance, experimentation and collaboration. 

 

My first lesson designed with innovation in mind was focused on Social Studies. I laid out all my Social Studies resources, determined the goal for the lesson and put the list of innovation skills next to me. Not only was I pleased to find how easily Social Studies and innovation skills overlap, but I was also excited by the idea of making Denver’s history come alive for the students. 

 

First, the students had to develop empathy for the experience of the Native Americans living in this area in the 1800s. Then, they had to research what life was like for them and come up with thoughtful questions that would help them improve their lives. Finally, they had to work together with a partner and create a tool to help the Native Americans survive. The students were given paper bags, straws, foam, packing peanuts and yarn to create a prototype of their tool. It was hard to choose which was my favorite part of the project. I loved hearing the students’ questions about life for the Native Americans in the 1800s. The ideas they came up with as tools for indigenous peoples to use were so creative and focused around a true understanding of their needs. However, preparing for students’ own ideas not working out was probably the most beneficial piece of the lesson for all of us. We discussed how often our first ideas don’t work and how that doesn’t mean they were bad, but that they need adjusting. Throughout the lesson students tried and failed, adjusted, readjusted, talked, problem solved, and tried again and again to create the best tool. 

 

Teaching with innovation isn’t revolutionary. It doesn’t require hours of planning and research. What it does require, however, is the willingness to not know the answer, to help students learn the value of failure and to be open to engaging in conversations about the ways life is different for everyone. When we nurture these skills in our students, we are creating innovators.