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How t o Turn Your Classroom int o an Idea Fact ory

B ri g h t wo rks S c h o o l
S t u d e n t s b u i l d i n g a c a f e a t B ri g h t wo rks S c h o o l i n S a n F ra n c i s c o .

s u g g e s ti o n s fo r tu rn i n g K - 12 c l a s s ro o m s i n to i n n o va ti o n s p a c e s c o m e fro m Bringing Innovation to School: Empowering Students to Thrive in a Changing World, p u b l i s h e d i n J u l y b y

Ho w c an we p re p are to d ays s tud e nts to b e c o me to mo rro ws inno vato rs ? Its an urg e nt c halle ng e , re p e ate d b y Pre s id e nt O b ama,
c o rp o rate CEO s , and g lo b al e d uc atio n e xp e rts like Yo ng Zhao and To ny Wag ne r. Virtually e ve ry d is c us s io n o f 21 s t -c e ntury le arning p uts
inno vatio n and its c lo s e c o us in, c re ativity, ato p the lis t o f s kills s tud e nts mus t have fo r the future .
If we re s e rio us ab o ut p re p aring s tud e nts to b e c o me inno vato rs , e d uc ato rs have s o me hard wo rk ahe ad . G e tting s tud e nts re ad y to tac kle
to mo rro ws c halle ng e s me ans he lp ing the m d e ve lo p a ne w s e t o f s kills and fre s h ways o f thinking that the y wo nt ac q uire thro ug h
te xtb o o k-d rive n ins truc tio n. Stud e nts ne e d o p p o rtunitie s to p rac tic e the s e s kills o n rig ht-s iz e d p ro je c ts , with s up p o rts in p lac e to
s c affo ld le arning . The y ne e d to p e rs is t and le arn fro m s e tb ac ks . Thats ho w the yll d e ve lo p the c o nfid e nc e to tac kle d iffic ult p ro b le ms .
Ho w d o we fill the g ap b e twe e n s aying we mus t e nc o urag e inno vatio n and te ac hing s tud e nts ho w to ac tually g e ne rate and e xe c ute
o rig inal id e as ? The ans we rs are e me rg ing fro m c las s ro o ms ac ro s s the c o untry whe re p io ne e ring te ac he rs are making inno vatio n a
p rio rity. The ir s trate g ie s vary wid e ly, fro m tinke ring wo rks ho p s and d e s ig n s tud io s to d ig ital g aming and g lo b al c halle ng e s . By
e mp has iz ing p ro b le m s o lving and c re ativity in the c o re c urric ulum, the s e ad vanc e s c o uts are d e mo ns trating that inno vatio n is b o th
p o we rful and te ac hab le .
Ac ro s s d is p arate fie ld s , fro m e ng ine e ring and te c hno lo g y to the s o c ial and e nviro nme ntal s e c to rs , inno vato rs us e a c o mmo n p ro b le ms o lving p ro c e s s . The y frame p ro b le ms c are fully, lo o king at is s ue s fro m all s id e s to find o p p o rtunity g ap s . The y may g e ne rate many
p o s s ib le s o lutio ns b e fo re fo c us ing the ir e ffo rts . The y re fine s o lutio ns thro ug h ite rative c yc le s , le arning fro m failure alo ng with s uc c e s s .
Whe n the y hit o n wo rthy id e as , inno vato rs ne two rk with o the rs and s hare re s ults wid e ly.
In the c las s ro o m, this s ame p ro c e s s c o rre s p o nd s ne atly with the s tag e s o f p ro je c t-b as e d le arning . In PBL, s tud e nts inve s tig ate intrig uing
q ue s tio ns that le ad the m to le arn imp o rtant ac ad e mic c o nte nt. The y ap p ly the ir le arning to c re ate s o me thing ne w, d e mo ns trate the ir
und e rs tand ing , o r te ac h o the rs ab o ut the is s ue the y have e xp lo re d . By e mp has iz ing ke y thinking s kills thro ug ho ut the PBL p ro c e s s ,
te ac he rs c an g uid e s tud e nts to o p e rate the s ame way that inno vato rs d o in all kind s o f s e tting s .
He re are e ig ht tip s to b o rro w fro m c las s ro o ms whe re te ac he rs are re inve nting ye s te rd ays s c ho o ls as to mo rro ws id e a fac to rie s .
1. WELCO ME AUT HENT IC Q UEST IO NS.
G o o d p ro je c ts s tart with g o o d q ue s tio ns . Lis te n c lo s e ly to s tud e nts to find o ut what make s the m c urio us . Ins te ad o f p re s e nting the m with
re ad y-mad e as s ig nme nts , invite s tud e nt fe e d b ac k whe n yo u are d e s ig ning p ro je c ts . Make s ure yo ur d riving q ue s tio ns fo r p ro je c ts
invo lve re al-wo rld is s ue s that s tud e nts c are ab o ut inve s tig ating .
2. ENCO URAGE EFFECT IVE T EAMWO RK.

Pro je c ts o ffe r an id e al c o nte xt to d e ve lo p s tud e nts c o llab o ratio n s kills , b ut make s ure te amwo rk d o e s nt fe e l c o ntrive d . If p ro je c ts are
to o b ig fo r any o ne s tud e nt to manag e alo ne , te am me mb e rs will have a re al re as o n to re ly o n e ac h o the rs c o ntrib utio ns . Te ac h s tud e nts
ho w to b re ak a b ig p ro je c t into manag e ab le p ie c e s and b ring o ut the b e s t id e as fro m e ve ryo ne o n the te am. O ffe r the m e xamp le s o f
inno vatio ns (fro m the Mars ro ve r to the iPad ) that wo uld nt have b e e n p o s s ib le witho ut te am e ffo rts .
3. BE READY T O GO BIG.
Inno vato rs have a te nd e nc y to think b ig . The y kno w ho w to us e s o c ial ne two rking to o ls to make a wo rthy id e a g o viral. Enc o urag e s tud e nts
to s hare the ir p ro je c ts with aud ie nc e s b e yo nd the c las s ro o m, us ing d ig ital to o ls like Yo uTub e o r o nline p ub lis hing s ite s . He lp the m
b uild ne two rks to e xc hang e id e as with p e e rs and le arn fro m e xp e rts aro und the g lo b e .
4. BUILD EMPAT HY.
Inno vatio n d o e s nt hap p e n in a vac uum. Inno vato rs who have e mp athy c an s te p o uts id e the ir o wn p e rs p e c tive and s e e is s ue s fro m
multip le vie wp o ints . Ap p ro ac hing a p ro b le m this way le ad s to b e tte r s o lutio ns . Te ac h s tud e nts s trate g ie s fo r making fie ld o b s e rvatio ns ,
c o nd uc ting fo c us g ro up s o r us e r inte rvie ws , o r g athe ring s to rie s that o ffe r ins ig hts into o the rs p e rs p e c tive s .
5. UNCO VER PASSIO N.
Pas s io n is what ke e p s inno vato rs mo tivate d to p e rs is t d e s p ite lo ng o d d s and flawe d firs t e ffo rts . Find o ut what d rive s s tud e nts inte re s ts
d uring o ut-o f-s c ho o l time , and lo o k fo r o p p o rtunitie s to c o nne c t the s e p urs uits with s c ho o l p ro je c ts . As k s tud e nts : Whe n yo u fe e l mo s t
c re ative , what are yo u d o ing ? What to o ls o r te c hno lo g ie s are yo u us ing ? The ir ans we rs s ho uld s e t the s tag e fo r mo re e ng ag ing p ro je c ts .
6. AMPLIFY WO RT HY IDEAS.
In to d ays flat wo rld , whe re ac c e s s to info rmatio n is ub iq uito us , inno vatio n c an hap p e n anywhe re . O p p o rtunitie s to s up p o rt g o o d id e as
are als o g e tting flatte ne d . Philanthro p y and ve nture fund ing , o nc e re s e rve d fo r the we althy, have b e e n c ro wd s o urc e d with o nline
p latfo rms like Kiva (www.kiva.o rg ) and Kic ks tarte r (www.kic ks tarte r.c o m). To p artic ip ate fully in the c ulture o f inno vatio n, s tud e nts ne e d to
b e ab le to d o mo re than g e ne rate the ir o wn id e as . The y als o ne e d to kno w ho w to c ritic ally e valuate o the rs b rains to rms and d e c id e
whic h o ne s are wo rth s up p o rting . De ve lo p c las s ro o m p ro to c o ls fo r s tud e nts to c ritic ally e valuate e ac h o the rs id e as . The y may d e c id e to
thro w the ir c o lle c tive e ne rg y b e hind o ne p ro mis ing id e a o r p ull c o mp o ne nts fro m multip le te ams into a final p ro je c t.
7. KNO W WHEN T O SAY NO .
Be ing a c ritic al thinke r als o me ans b e ing ab le to s p o t id e as that are nt re ad y fo r p rime time . Bo ld ne w id e as may have b ug s that ne e d to
b e wo rke d o ut. An ap p ro ac h that ap p e ars to b e a g ame -c hang e r may b e to o e xp e ns ive fo r the b e ne fits it affo rd s o r may have
unantic ip ate d c o ns e q ue nc e s . G ive s tud e nts o p p o rtunitie s to lo o k fo r p o te ntial p itfalls and kno w whe n to s ay no .
8. ENCO URAGE BREAKT HRO UGHS.
Will s tud e nts c o me up with b re akthro ug h id e as in e ve ry p ro je c t? Pro b ab ly no t, b ut yo u c an e nc o urag e the m to s tre tc h the ir thinking b y
s e tting amb itio us g o als . What wo uld s tud e nts b e ab le to d o o r d e mo ns trate if the y we re truly o p e rating as inno vato rs ? Pro vid e the m with
re al-wo rld e xamp le s b y s haring s to rie s o f inno vato rs fro m many fie ld s , inc lud ing s o c ial inno vato rs who tac kle wic ke d p ro b le ms like
p o ve rty o r illite rac y. Share the b ac k s to rie s o f b re akthro ug hs to s ho w ho w muc h e ffo rt we nt into e ac h ins p ire d id e a. Le t s tud e nts kno w
the y c ant e xp e c t to re ac h b re akthro ug h s o lutio ns to e ve ry p ro b le m the y tac kle . Find ing o ut what d o e s nt wo rk c an b e a us e ful o utc o me ,
to o . G e nuine inno vatio n is ind e e d rare b ut wo rth re c o g niz ing and c e le b rating whe n it hap p e ns .
Exp lo re : c re ativity, inq uiry le arning , p as s io n-b as e d le arning
Pre vio us Artic le Le s s o ns Le arne d : Ho w a Pro g re s s ive Ne w Sc ho o l Ad ap ts to Re alitie s
Ne xt Artic le
Whats the Diffe re nc e Be twe e n G ame s and G amific atio n?