Bon Air Middle School
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Equitable Education Solutions Blog: Creating an Innovative Mindset in the Classroom
Innovation is a way of thinking that creates something new and better; it is a method of considering concepts, processes, and potential outcomes rather than a task or a technology. Innovation is less about classroom tools such as devices, social media, and the internet, and is more about how students are equipped to use those devices. And it is essential in the 21st-Century classroom.
Simon Sinek said in his Ted talk, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” that all great organizations start with their why and then move toward the what and the how. Education’s why is to develop learners and leaders that will create a better future. This means educators must embrace approaches to teaching and learning that are preparing students for the future – not the past.
In the student-centered classroom, every student is embraced as an individual learner. You may have heard the phrase “teaching to the middle.” This is a dangerous area to live with teaching and learning if you are seeking to develop innovative thinkers in your classroom.
Let’s go back to starting with Sinek’s famous tagline of “why.” Why might an educator want to create an environment of innovative learning? Here’s a few answers:
- To do what is best for each individual learner.
- To create better learning opportunities.
- To ignite deeper engagement in a concept, leading to higher levels of mastery.
The ability to innovate is a skill that can easily create job opportunities, and the ability to translate knowledge into action is far more important than the ability to acquire knowledge.
Teachers as Innovators
Why should every teacher have an innovator’s mindset? Every teacher has encountered a student who didn’t seem to grasp a concept in the way they initially taught it. When the approach to a lesson has worked for many students, but not all, it is time to seek a different way. One of the biggest challenges facing teachers today is to think of new ways of providing instruction in order to move forward. Remember, we live in a world that needs better methods to solve complex problems every day. By learning how to create innovative learning opportunities within your classroom, you are essentially equipping students to be successful in the real world.
Here are some driving questions to ask as you seek ways to innovate teaching and learning in your classroom:
- Would I want to be a learner in my own classroom?
- What is best for this student?
- What is this student’s passion?
- What are some ways we can create a true learning community?
As time progresses, you might find that the tools and methods previously used to teach students may not meet the needs of your current students. Bringing about change in education shouldn’t focus on moving everyone from one standardized point to the next, but rather moving individuals from their point “A” to their point “B”. When you begin to see your students as individuals, you may find yourself seeking out support tools and professional resources to sharpen your craft. And this is great!
According to principal and author, George Couros, there are 8 crucial characteristics that are necessary in order to have an innovator’s mindset.
- Empathetic: Empathetic teachers think about the classroom environment from the students’ point of view, not the teachers. Empathetic teachers are learner-centric, not teacher-centric.
- Problem Finders/ Solvers: Teachers should allow students to find the problem instead of posing it to them first. This allows students to become self-starters and evaluate how they learn.
- Risk Takers: Many schools have accustomed students to “schooling”, where everything they do is in a safe, controlled environment. This teaches students that there is no need and no room to take risks and try new things.
- Networked: Spaces where people are actively sharing ideas allows deeper learning and ultimately makes learners more engaged. Networking is powerful when ideas are being shared, thinking is clarified, and new and better ideas are being developed. Learning should be social.
- Observant: Sometimes the most important thing that can come out of networking isn’t a new idea, but the inspiration to try something new.
- Creators: Knowledge is not something to be absorbed, but something a learner creates. Imagine how much deeper learning would be if “creation” was non-negotiable for both educators and students.
- Resilient: The school environment needs to be a safe place to challenge and encourage learners to stretch their thinking, and it also needs to be a safe place for them to fail and try again.
- Reflective: Innovators need to question their efforts, progress, and process. Reflection helps learners make their own connections and deepen their learning (Couros, 2017).
Students as Innovators
As you grow your capacity, you will become better equipped to build your students this way. It is not enough for only the teachers to be innovators in the classroom; the students must also be empowered to become innovators themselves.
If a teacher is bringing new ideas into the classroom and stepping out of their comfort zone, but still outlining exactly what steps the students will take in the lessons, no innovation has truly been accomplished. Don’t get caught up in step-by-step instruction as you create an innovative environment in the classroom. One of the definitions of the word innovation is a new method, idea or product.
Many educators might argue that engagement is the most important component of teaching and learning. While engagement is necessary, it doesn’t equip students with the skills to learn; meaning, teachers must empower students to be self-directed and guide their own learning rather than rely on someone else to engage them. To reflect on your current instructional practices and how they promote authentic engagement vs. compliance, expolore our two-part series on this topic: Part 1 | Part 2.
Engaging students means that someone has helped them get excited about a topic, while empowering students means that someone has given them the knowledge and skills to pursue their passions. Both elements are important in the classroom, for many people do not feel empowered unless they have become engaged with their learning.
A question you might consider asking yourself regularly is: “If I had to choose between compliant, engaged, or empowered, which word would I want to define my students?” Likewise, school leaders should inquire the same in regards to their staff. How will you shift the mindset in your school?
Bon Air Career Middle School
Email: alandrum@kokomoschools.com
Website: www.kokomoschoools.com
Location: 2796 N Apperson Way, Kokomo, IN, United States
Phone: 765-454-7025
Facebook: facebook.com/bacskokomo
Twitter: @bonaircareer