This summer, The Lemelson Foundation provided a grant for groups of administrators and teachers from two counties in North Carolina — Gates County Schools and Public Schools of Robeson County — to see invention education in action. They traveled to Lemelson-MIT Program’s EurekaFest at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to talk to high school InvenTeams and their mentors who were showcasing the invention projects they had spent the past year developing inside and outside of the classroom.
Here are some of the takeaways that we heard from these visiting educators:
“I’m really impressed by the fact that these inventions address ‘pain problems’ — something that’s happened in life that has inspired these students. Invention education requires us to stop teaching in silos and integrate subjects in a way that allows students to figure out solutions to real problems.”
“We see this as an opportunity to think about how we can reach out and take on some of the challenges we have in our own small rural community. It’s an opportunity for us to really get outside the box and seek community stakeholders who want to partner with us.”
“As a teacher, a lot of times you get the whole, ‘Why do we have to learn this?’ — and seeing these students so engaged, it becomes personal for them, something that they actually care about and want to learn about.”
“What I’ve seen with these students that I would love to replicate is the opportunity to sit and struggle and fail and learn…that not only helps grow them academically, but socially and emotionally. It runs the gamut of what we want our students to learn as they leave us so that they are building a better community and a better world.”
We’re excited that as more educators see invention education, they are inspired by the power and opportunity to engage their students — and their communities — in truly transformational learning experiences.
Learn more about the invention education movement, and how to get involved, at InventEd Network: https://inventioneducation.org/