Learning for Innovation & Creativity

What are innovation and creativity?

According to O’Sullivan (2021 p. 53), “innovation can be broadly thought of as new ideas, new ways of looking at things, and new methods or products that have value.” In education, innovation includes new ways of learning and new ways to show what was learned. Rather than the teacher telling the student what is important and what needs to be memorized, the learning experience is focused around the learner. How can the learner grasp the knowledge on their own or through collaboration? How can the learner show what they have learned besides regurgitating the material back to the teacher on a test?

According to “Exploring the 4 C’s of 21st Century Learning,” creativity is defined as “a set of skills that enables learners to discover alternatives, brainstorm ideas, generate solutions, rethink existing paradigms, and create new knowledge.” In education, creativity is shown when students are able to learn and think outside the box and show what they know in new ways.

Example:

In my classroom, I tried to provide my students with different learning experiences. In science, we investigated simulations online, collaborated by doing hands-on experiments, and immersed ourselves in learning through field trips. I incorporated partner talk, collaborative work, and group discussions. These were in the form of verbal discussions in the classroom as well as commenting on a virtual platform, like padlet. I checked to see if my students understood the material in different ways as well: Kahoot, Plickers, Google Slides (Pear Deck add on), Blooket, etc. Students were able to show what they learned by not only tests, but projects (graphics, videos, posters, powerpoint), written assignments, and informal “exit tickets” (paper or online).

I think that educators need to adjust to meet the needs of their learners. Now that so much is online, it makes sense to be innovative and use online tools to engage today’s learners. With so many tools and resources available, being creative when teaching is very attainable. Creativity in students is also easily accessible when allowing them to show what they know in a format of their choosing.

References:

O’Sullivan, Michael. Developing the Cambridge Learner Attributes. UCLES. February 2021.

“Exploring the 4 C’s of 21st Century Learning.” https://www.lanschool.com/blog/education-insights/exploring-the-4-cs-of-21st-century-learning/. May 21, 2021