I believe that innovation has the potential to greatly impact learning and learners. By focusing on the development of various skills and literacies such as creativity, problem-solving, relationship-building, communication, and implementation, we can transform traditional learning experiences but only if teachers have had explicit professional development or training, which takes time and costs money. The core literacies identified by Trilling and Fadel (2009 as cited in Taking making into classrooms, n.d.), include critical and creative thinking, problem finding and problem solving, authentic learning, and collaboration which aligns well with BC’s ‘new’ curricular and core competencies (K to grade 12).
One way in which innovation can enhance learning is through the use of design thinking to address real-world challenges in various settings. This approach allows learners to engage in passion projects based on current local, national, or international needs and to use materials and technology that they might not have had access to previously (Taking making into classrooms, n.d.). It also inspires invention and innovation, as well as collaboration and the opportunity to learn from the expertise of others. If school districts implement the time and resources along with the personnel needed to provide this rich learning opportunity for students more often, we may see more students reaching their full academic potential and achieving success in school and beyond.
In addition to supporting exploration and meaningful play, making and tinkering can help learners develop creativity and a willingness to take risks (Baker & Moukhliss, 2020). These kinds of activities allow students to work on authentic problems that require problem finding as well as problem solving, and they can deepen understanding through effort and practice, as demonstrated by Jo Boaler in her work with students to build mathematical understanding (Taking making into classrooms, n.d.). Boaler has learned that effort and practice grow the essential brain plasticity that supports deep learning, and making and tinkering can also provide learners with the chance to change the world or at least a small part of it (Taking making into classrooms, n.d.). However, I wonder how design thinking activities could support students with special needs. This is something I would like to look into further, down the road.
Innovation can also teach learners valuable life skills, such as the ability to learn from criticism, see effort as the path to mastery, persist in the face of setbacks, and embrace challenges. In today’s fast-paced and instant gratification-oriented world, many students struggle with maintaining focus and completing tasks due to their limited attention spans. Identified by Tim Brown, CEO of innovation and design firm IDEO (Taking making into classrooms, n.d.) as essential for design thinkers, empathy, the ability to imagine the world from multiple perspectives; integrative thinking, the ability to exploit opposing ideas and opposing constraints to create new solutions; optimism, the assumption that no matter how challenging the constraints of a given problem, at least one potential solution is better than the existing alternatives; experimentalism, the ability to pose questions and explore constraints in creative ways that proceed in entirely new directions; and collaboration, the ability to work effectively with an interdisciplinary team to solve complex problems are important areas for learners to develop (Taking making into classrooms, n.d.).
Finally, I think that innovation has the power to transform learning and learners, fostering the development of essential skills and digital literacies that are necessary for success as long there are funds and resources to support it fully. Design thinking activities like maker spaces or project based learning allows learners to engage in authentic, real-world problem-solving (Baker & Moukhliss, 2020), and it provides opportunities for exploration, risk-taking, and creativity. It also teaches important life skills, like how to learn from criticism, see hard work as the way to mastery, keep going even when things don’t go as planned, and welcome challenges and persevere through them. By embracing innovation in the learning process, we can help students get the skills and knowledge they need to do well in a world that is getting more complicated and changing quickly.
References
Baker, F.W., III and Moukhliss, S. (2020), Concretising Design Thinking: A Content Analysis of Systematic and Extended Literature Reviews on Design Thinking and Human-Centred Design. Rev Educ, 8: 305-333. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3186
Taking making into classrooms. (n.d.). [Pdf]. In British Columbia Ministry of Education, innovative learning center, & ita YOUR TICKET. (Eds.), A TOOLKIT FOR FOSTERING CURIOSITY AND IMAGINATION. https://mytrainingbc.ca/maker/en/toolkit/Taking_Making_into_Classrooms.pdf
I think you are proposing design thinking as an innovation for learning design? Have I interpreted this correctly? If so, it would be helpful to specify how it fits the definition of an innovation. Do other learning design not support creativity collaboration and problem solving? Does design thinking as an innovation have limitation for its use in terms of context?
Something I will have to think about…later on down the road.