Sharing Good Practice
HOW TO SUPPORT INNOVATION AND DEVELOP
THINKING SKILLS IN VERY YOUNG STUDENTS
BY: GIANNA ULYATT
are set for an exciting course for
innovation.
Problems posed need to inspire
students’ imagination and allow them
to be adventurous. Some suggestions
might include: the teddy bear has had
no breakfast and is hungry; lets act out
our new story, but we have no hats or
costumes; giraffe needs a home to live
in; the wooden rail track is not long
enough to collect passengers waiting
near the door; the colour of the display
board is boring; the art and craft area
is chaotic.
Teachers know their students and
should help them discuss ideas and
encourage them to take the lead in
planning and carrying out solutions.
When truly motivated in challenging
projects, students show high levels
of concentration and learning is
accelerated.
I
nnovation is the buzz word in
schools today and there are
various science and technology
programmes available to support
this. Good education is about
broadening and enriching minds.
Students, from a very early age, need
to be encouraged towards lateral
thinking and understanding that, there
is not always a right or wrong answer
to problems. They need to experiment
to find possible solutions to various
issues and to be able to use materials
on hand, to create or invent something
new or different.
The concept of putting innovation
into practice will provide an exciting
and challenging setting for very
young children, who generally have
no inhibitions at all about their work.
Promoting innovation requires careful
planning. The environment must be
rich and varied to encourage ideas and
support free thinking. Teachers need
to step back and look at each area from
the students’ point of view. Initially
students need to be supported as they
find out how to learn and play together.
Teachers need to actively take part
in small group or paired activities, by
taking on an insignificant role, while
allowing students to take the lead in
these situations. If, for example, the
teacher is making a model, then by
talking about what is happening as it
is taking place, helps students learn
how to express abstract thoughts
into words and how to collaborate
as they work. Make sure students are
relaxed and confident so they feel safe
and secure to experiment and make
mistakes without recrimination.
There must be a range of accessible
materials and equipment, attractively
presented, from which students can
choose. All equipment and resources
need to be well organised and labelled
so students become highly proficient
and autonomous at selecting the
materials they need to solve problems.
Teachers need to provide fun activities
that teach some very basic skills.
Students need to know how to join
components in different ways, how
to turn corners, or create different
heights and depths. They need to
know how to snip with scissors, mix
colours, use tape dispensers, glue
and different mark-making tools.
Once they become proficient at
using the resources available and
can communicate simple ideas, they
Checklist
1. Participate in play, taking on an
insignificant role to help students
to confidently develop their ideas.
2. Organise and label resources
and equipment so they are easily
accessible and make sure students
return them to their rightful p lace.
3. Provide a range of problems that
inspire students and support them
as they gather the equipment they
need to solve the issue.
4. Engage in well focused discussions
as students work. Help them
express their ideas and the reasons
behind them.
5. Provide quiet spaces where
students can ponder as they
develop their ideas.
References
Festival of Education (June 2017)
A Place to Learn: Developing a Stimulating
Learning Environment (2007) – LEARN
Gianna has extensive experience as a teacher, principal, and inspector. She is a
consultant with expertise in KG and has spoken at conferences in Hong Kong,
Spain and the U.K. She sometimes works in the UAE. To connect with her, email
[email protected]
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Mar - Apr 2018
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