How do you teach innovation in the classroom?

1 Define innovation

Before you start teaching innovation, you need to define what it means for you and your students. Innovation is not just about inventing something new or using technology; it is about solving problems, improving processes, or meeting needs in novel and effective ways. You can use examples from different fields, such as science, art, business, or social justice, to illustrate how innovation works and why it matters. You can also invite your students to share their own definitions and examples of innovation, and discuss how they relate to their personal interests, goals, and values.

2 Encourage curiosity

Curiosity is the fuel of innovation; it drives people to ask questions, explore possibilities, and seek new knowledge. You can encourage curiosity in your classroom by creating a safe and supportive environment where students can express their wonder, share their opinions, and challenge their assumptions. You can also design learning activities that spark curiosity, such as inquiry-based projects, experiments, simulations, or games. You can also use open-ended questions, prompts, or scenarios that invite students to investigate, research, or imagine different aspects of a topic or problem.

3 Embrace failure

Failure is an inevitable and essential part of innovation; it helps people learn from their mistakes, refine their ideas, and discover new opportunities. You can embrace failure in your classroom by modeling a growth mindset, where you see failure as feedback, not as a final outcome. You can also celebrate failure as a sign of effort, courage, and learning, rather than as a source of shame, fear, or punishment. You can also provide constructive and specific feedback to your students, and help them reflect on their failures and identify their next steps.

4 Promote collaboration

Collaboration is the key to innovation; it enables people to combine their diverse perspectives, skills, and resources to create better solutions. You can promote collaboration in your classroom by establishing clear and shared goals, roles, and norms for teamwork. You can also facilitate collaboration by using cooperative learning strategies, such as jigsaw, think-pair-share, or peer review. You can also encourage collaboration by providing opportunities for students to interact with other students, teachers, experts, or community members who have different backgrounds, experiences, or views.

5 Foster creativity

Creativity is the core of innovation; it involves generating original and useful ideas, products, or solutions that meet the needs and challenges of the present and the future. You can foster creativity in your classroom by offering choice and autonomy to your students, where they can decide what, how, or why they want to learn or create. You can also stimulate creativity by using divergent thinking techniques, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or SCAMPER. You can also support creativity by providing adequate time, space, and materials for students to experiment, prototype, or showcase their work.

6 Model innovation

The best way to teach innovation is to model it yourself. As an educational leader, you can show your students how you practice innovation in your own teaching and learning. You can share your own questions, ideas, failures, and successes with your students, and invite their feedback and suggestions. You can also demonstrate how you use innovation tools, such as design thinking, lean startup, or agile, to plan, implement, or evaluate your projects or initiatives. You can also expose your students to other innovators, such as mentors, role models, or guest speakers, who can inspire and motivate them to pursue their own innovation goals.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?