I just read a most interesting book titled Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World, by Tony Wagner. In reading the book, it confirmed to me that our homes and schools must be places where children have the freedom to explore, to make connections in ways not possible in a system focused on standardized testing, competition, and memorizing content. Easy access to information via the Internet, smartphones, tablets, etc, makes memorizing names of the planets or the elements in the periodic table much less valuable and almost obsolete.While some memorization can be a good exercise for the brain, the efficiency of the internet can get us any information we need within seconds.How many times do we use the phrase “Google it”in just one day?
Tony Wagner quotes in his book: “Today knowledge is ubiquitous,constantly changing, growing exponentially… Today knowledge is free. It’s like air, it’s like water. It’s become a commodity… There’s no competitive advantage today in knowing more than the person next to you. The world doesn’t care what you know. What the world cares about is what you can do with what you know.”
Our homes and schools must be places where children have the freedom to explore, and to make connections in ways not possible in a system focused on standardized testing, competition, and memorizing content.
We need to focus on teaching children how to think, solve problems, create solutions out of nothing…to innovate.Students who are able to synthesize information, to hybridize it, and turn it into something new will be the leaders of their generation.
So what are some things you can do at home to creative an innovative spirit in your children? Here are a few suggestions:
Encourage play with fewer toys, and toys that promote creativity such as LEGOs or K’NEX building sets, blocks, sand,
water, clay, and paint instead of the electronic bleeps and buzzes. Replace the remote controlled cars with a bag of mini marshmallows and a box of toothpicks, challenging them to build a bridge that will support 100 pennies. Make homemade clay and gak. Free resources for such activities on the internet are incredible. Search them out.
Give them unstructured time for play and discovery. Don’t make the mistake of over-programming your child’s day. As
one parent pointed out “A child has to get bored before he can figure out how to get himself out of boredom.”
Develop passion. Allow your children to take risks and try new ideas. Let them climb a tree, give them ropes, chains and sticks to play with, let them make mistakes. You know your child. Begin with low-risk activities and gradually allow more.
Increase the unplugged activities. While television, computers, and video games provide enriching educational activities, increase the unplugged family time, especially the hour before bedtime. You will be amazed at the creativity generated as well as a settled bedtime with a good night’s sleep for all.
Play, passion, and purpose. Let’s work to help create the innovators of the futurewho will change the world!