Innovator's Mind Set...in the begining
Why is innovation so crucial in education today?
Innovation, when I think of the word, I think of a brilliant lightbulb, illuminated over the head of a person sitting at a desk. Eureka you might suggest is flowing from his mouth and they have a finger pointed to the sky. Isn't that, what we want most of our students to look like. Students with ideas resonating, asking questions upon question. Making connection through learning. Yet often we get the opposite, most students just want the answer to the worksheet to be in compliance with you the teacher so that they can get the grade to make their parents happy. Mark hungry students who can't seem to understand that learning is a process. Their parents know the drill, pay attention, memorize get good grades.
Two semesters in a row I was fortunate to teach a gifted student who didn't need to be in my course to get the credit. He took grade 12 calculus instead of my grade 10 science. One day he came to see me for help regarding a problem with molecular bonding. I was curious how he was able to just know so much and have an extreme passion for learning. His answer: "YouTube" He was curious and wanted to learn so he YouTubed ideas and lessons. Which would lead him to more ideas. This student not only has an incredible gift of logic and reasoning, but is curious.
Today I taught the atom and we discussed the model of the known atom and I asked the kids to question this model. Initially they were hesitant.....ah you taught us this so it has to be true. Or I had students who could explain the answers to all the questions some students had. I asked them to be critical of my work why don't electrons not fly into the positive nucleus?(positive nucleus attracts the electron) I addressed the 'wise guys/gals'. Your only job is to listen and write down questions. Do not answer another student's question. I made it clear there is no dumb question.
My students used SnapChat to send me their questions. Their questions were amazing:
Why only 2 electrons in the first orbit?
How does the nucleus stay together?
What keeps the electrons out of the nucleus?
Why is the mass a decimal but the number of protons and neutrons whole?
What happens when energy levels are not full
One thing I noticed today is that students have been stifled, they can't innovate because they don't know how to be curious. They know how to be compliant, to accept work to be studied and learned and to be memorized. I would love it if kids would become more curious. That they are able to queation and critically think and to learn anything.
Teachers need to give students the opportunities to be creative and curious. We need to listen more to what our students need, we need to fuel curiosity. Without curiosity we will have no innovation.
Innovation, when I think of the word, I think of a brilliant lightbulb, illuminated over the head of a person sitting at a desk. Eureka you might suggest is flowing from his mouth and they have a finger pointed to the sky. Isn't that, what we want most of our students to look like. Students with ideas resonating, asking questions upon question. Making connection through learning. Yet often we get the opposite, most students just want the answer to the worksheet to be in compliance with you the teacher so that they can get the grade to make their parents happy. Mark hungry students who can't seem to understand that learning is a process. Their parents know the drill, pay attention, memorize get good grades.
Two semesters in a row I was fortunate to teach a gifted student who didn't need to be in my course to get the credit. He took grade 12 calculus instead of my grade 10 science. One day he came to see me for help regarding a problem with molecular bonding. I was curious how he was able to just know so much and have an extreme passion for learning. His answer: "YouTube" He was curious and wanted to learn so he YouTubed ideas and lessons. Which would lead him to more ideas. This student not only has an incredible gift of logic and reasoning, but is curious.
Today I taught the atom and we discussed the model of the known atom and I asked the kids to question this model. Initially they were hesitant.....ah you taught us this so it has to be true. Or I had students who could explain the answers to all the questions some students had. I asked them to be critical of my work why don't electrons not fly into the positive nucleus?(positive nucleus attracts the electron) I addressed the 'wise guys/gals'. Your only job is to listen and write down questions. Do not answer another student's question. I made it clear there is no dumb question.
My students used SnapChat to send me their questions. Their questions were amazing:
Why only 2 electrons in the first orbit?
How does the nucleus stay together?
What keeps the electrons out of the nucleus?
Why is the mass a decimal but the number of protons and neutrons whole?
What happens when energy levels are not full
One thing I noticed today is that students have been stifled, they can't innovate because they don't know how to be curious. They know how to be compliant, to accept work to be studied and learned and to be memorized. I would love it if kids would become more curious. That they are able to queation and critically think and to learn anything.
Teachers need to give students the opportunities to be creative and curious. We need to listen more to what our students need, we need to fuel curiosity. Without curiosity we will have no innovation.
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