We often get asked, “When is it a good time to start invention education?” Our answer? Now.
Inventing is a powerful experience that enables students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and many other important life skills. It’s never too early or late to introduce inventing to your students. In this blog post, we’ll share 2 easy ways to get started!
Start at the Very Beginning
The invention process begins with identifying a problem, which may be identified by one or more of the following:
– A personal need or desire.
– An observation of something that could be improved on, such as an existing product or process that is not meeting user expectations.
– A request from someone else in order to solve a particular problem they are facing.
One way to start the invention process in the classroom is by encouraging students to come up with problems they wish to solve. This could be done through brainstorming, where students are given a specific topic or challenge to think about inventions that could solve the problem. For example, if the class is studying transportation, students might brainstorm ways to improve public transportation. If students are interested in sports, they might brainstorm ways to improve sporting equipment. Or, if the class is studying energy, students might brainstorm ways to make energy more efficient.
Look Around
A pen; the whiteboard; our shoes; their backpacks — another way to introduce inventing is by conducting research on existing inventions. Students can survey or interview users about a familiar product or service, try it out for themselves, or even look at articles about different inventions.
Once they’ve done their research, have them discuss and mull over these questions:
– What do I like / dislike about this invention?
– What problem does this invention solve? How? Is it effective?
– How can I improve this invention?
Research really gets children into the process of understanding inventions, what inventions do, and how inventions have evolved to solve problems.
Once your students have gotten a taste of the invention process, it’s hard to stop! Looking for more guidance on how to bring invention education into your classroom? Check out our 3-day Professional Development Course!
