Download Classrooms for Innovative Thinkers

Classrooms for Innovative
Thinkers
Erin Costa
SECD 580 Fall 2011
12/8/2011
Abstract
This paper seeks to identify the correlation between the current educational theories on cultivating
intelligent thinkers and theories regarding creating a business climate conducive to Innovation. The
research surrounding each of these areas of study is presented and contrasted. A platform for offering
instruction that incorporates these themes is offered in the form of inquiry based learning.
Classrooms for Innovative Thinkers
The teaching profession is made up of many people who are committed to making a better future for
our world. Educators are focused every day on helping young minds to become productive citizens.
One hope is that some of these young people will go forth and become the innovators who shape our
lives with their inventions and ideas. One worry is that our society will become complacent and our
great civilizations will decline. How do we ensure that we grow and prosper instead of stagnating and
declining? We create innovative thinkers who are competent, creative, and possess the ability to
imagine and realize great things. There are many theories which point out various ways to go about
this.
One idea is the premise set forth by John Dewey in 1933: “How we think is often more important than
what we think” (Dewey 1933). There are many theories about improving how students think. Basic
themes which are repeated in the literature throughout education, business, science, psychology, and
popular culture include creativity, critical thinking, and innovation. Developing effective thinking skills in
our youth is an important goal of today’s educational system. Books and articles from around the world
compare strategies and theories about how to cultivate these skills in the educational setting.
Two kinds of thinking skills which are considered important to the current curriculum are critical
thinking and creative thinking. These two processes are part of the higher order thinking skills, and do
indeed help students learn to process information in intelligent ways. Critical thinking includes the
ability and inclination to make and assess conclusions based on evidence (Eggen & Kauchak 2010).
Critical thinking is also sometimes presented as a step by step method for interpreting information. The
steps are: Interpretation, Analysis, Evaluation, Inference, and Explanation. Each of these steps requires
some background knowledge and the outcomes of applying the steps will yield different results for each
individual student. If students are trained to look at information in this way they will be able to apply
critical thinking skills to a variety of situations. The ability to think critically and analyze new data is
increasingly important as we are bombarded with new information continuously in this digital age.
Creative thinking is often thought of as a natural ability, but creative thinking can be encouraged and
modeled by teachers . Creativity is often seen in young children, but is suppressed in older children and
adults (Sternberg & Williams 1996). According to Sternberg and Williams, there are three areas of
creativity that can be developed in the classroom. These include synthetic ability, the ability to generate
novel ideas; analytic ability, applying critical thinking skills to those novel ideas; and practical ability, the
ability to translate abstract ideas into practical accomplishments (Sternberg & Williams, 1996).
Sternberg and Williams also suggest that educators should encourage and develop creativity by teaching
students to find a balance among synthetic, analytic, and practical thinking. Suggestions for developing
creativity in students include: model creativity, build self-efficacy, question assumptions, encourage idea
generation, promote sensible risk taking, promote self regulation, imagine other viewpoints, seek
stimulating environments, and there are more on the website: Teaching for Creativity: Two Dozen Tips.
Creating a climate for innovation is a concept that has been studied as a business model in many
countries. Working in Sweden, Goran Ekvall learned that there were certain factors that helped
businesses succeed. He identified nine dimensions of the climate for innovation, which include:
challenge, freedom, idea time, idea support, trust & openness, playfulness & humor, conflicts, debates,
and risk taking. Researchers have found a correlation between the climate for innovation and business
success (Ekvall 1996). The research has also identified areas most in need of improvement. They are:
risk taking, idea time, idea support, and trust and openness. Just as students who do not perceive an
environment of trust will not be willing to share new ideas, adults who are in the corporate world will
have the same, if not stronger hesitations. Innovation means doing things differently, exploring new
territory, and taking risks (Wycoff 2002). In their 2002 work on InnovationNetwork, Hattari and Wycoff
identify specific elements of innovation. These include: leadership, core values, and culture. Companies
all over the world have been interested in creating an atmosphere that fosters innovation, because
innovative ideas and products help companies to become successful and stay ahead of their
competition. Success is important in the educational setting as well. It is the goal of education to
provide our citizenry with people who are capable of ensuring our future success as a nation and as a
world community. If we wish this success for our students and our future, we should go beyond
teaching thinking skills and offer those skills in an atmosphere that fosters innovative thinking.
Creating an atmosphere where students are taught to think critically, encouraged to use creativity, and
supported to introduce ideas and take risks will foster the environment needed to create innovative
thinkers. Skillful thinking must be cultivated (Costa 2008). In his 2008 Educational Leadership article,
Art Costa introduces his ideas for a “thought –Filled Curriculum”. Dr. Costa suggests five themes which
are important to ensure that students learn to think skillfully. The first theme is Learning to Think. This
involves critical thinking skills such as comparing, analyzing, evaluating, and also employ habits of mind
such as persisting, managing impulsivity, thinking flexibly, and remaining open to continuous learning.
The second theme to shape a thought filled curriculum is thinking to Learn. This theme involves
students constructing knowledge through questioning, considering the viewpoints of others, and
assessing their learning. The third theme of the thought filled curriculum is thinking Together. This
theme involves listening to and understanding others, summarizing and paraphrasing, listening with
empathy, monitoring clarity, and reserving judgment. These are skills that students will need to work on
over time to master. The fourth theme in the thought filled curriculum is thinking about our own
thinking. This theme involves metacognition, an awareness of one’s own thought processes. One way to
get students to practice this type of mindful thinking is to be reflective and maintain an internal dialogue
to foster that reflection. The fifth theme in the Thought Filled Curriculum is thinking big. Dr. Costa
refers to thinking about global issues and the nature of humanity. Creating effective thinkers who can
use their skills to identify and tackle global problems is the pinnacle of offering a quality education.
Creating an atmosphere for learning which will foster critical thinking, support creativity, and nurture
innovation is a worthwhile goal. It is indeed an objective that all educators should be striving to meet.
Education professionals have long studied the factors that create a supportive educational environment.
In his 1988 work, Teaching for Intelligence, Art Costa outlines important conditions in which intelligent
behavior can be taught and learned. One important aspect is that teachers should have faith that all
students can think. Faith in the students is essential, because students can sense when adults do not
believe in them. If students are not viewed by the teacher as capable, they begin to view themselves as
incapable. This is a serious problem and can lead to reduced self-efficacy and even learned helplessness
if the student experiences perceived failure and inability in themselves. The next aspect of classroom
condition for student success and intelligent behavior is that students must realize thinking as a goal. If
students understand that these thinking skills will help them in what ever they endeavor to try, then
they may become intrinsically motivated to develop these skills. Dr. Costa goes on to say that problem
solving opportunities must be presented. Students will need to practice their thinking skills and problem
solving is the best way to do so. Solving problems not only helps students hone their skills, the exercise
also helps them to attain improved self efficacy. Creating a safe risk taking environment is next on Dr.
Costa’s list. Teachers can provide a safe environment for student sharing and risk taking by establishing
an atmosphere of mutual respect. Give it time is the next on the list. The thinking skills that are being
presented take time to master, it is an ongoing process which takes time to become proficient in.
Teachers must pay attention to learner’s developmental readiness and sequence. Modeling is an
important component of the classroom environment that best creates intelligent thinkers. Teachers
must model intelligent behaviors and let students know they are following the processes that they
expect their students to practice.
Many similarities exist between the educational theories of fostering creativity and critical thinking skills
and business models which cultivate an environment for innovation. Art Costa has outlined 16 specific
Habits of Mind which are indicative of intelligent behavior. His work is popular with school systems.
The Habits of Mind are attributes of what humans do when they behave intelligently. The Habits of
Mind include persisting, managing impulsivity, listening with understanding and empathy, thinking
flexibly, thinking about our thinking, striving for accuracy and precision, questioning and posing
problems, applying past knowledge to new situations, thinking and communicating with clarity and
precision, gathering data through all senses, creating, imagining, and innovating, responding with
wonderment and awe, taking responsible risks, finding humor, thinking interdependently, and learning
continuously (Costa and Kallick 2000). Many theorists have postulated about how and why some
humans seem to reach higher levels of using their intelligence. If schools and teachers can use the
theories and evidence into practice by creating places where young minds can develop to their fullest
potential then we will be better able to count on these young people to deliver the best future possible
for us and themselves. Just as plants and animals need specific environmental conditions to thrive, so
does the human mind.
The table below offers a comparison of Innovation theorists and Educational Intelligence theorist
concepts. The concepts have similar matches in most dimensions. The one that differs from the
Innovation side to the Intelligent behavior side is Freedom. In business, employees must feel a sense of
freedom in order to be willing to synthesize and share ideas. Students will also benefit from a sense of
freedom to discover their own knowledge and share ideas.
Innovation (Wycoff, Hattori, Ekvall)
Challenge
Customer Focus
Creativity
Communication
Collaboration
Completion
Contemplation
Freedom
Idea Support
Trust-Openness
Dynamism-Liveliness
Playfulness-Humor
Conflicts-Debates
Risk Taking
Idea Time
Intelligent Thinking Skills (Costa, Kallick)
Persisting
Listening to others
Creating, imagining, and innovating
Communicating with clarity and precision
Thinking interdependently
Striving for accuracy and precision
Managing impulsivity
Learning continuously
Responding with wonderment and awe
Thinking flexibly
Finding humor
Questioning and posing problems
Taking responsible risks
Thinking about thinking
Ekvall concludes that the climate is in large extent in the hands of the manager (Ekvall 1996). The
teacher can be seen as the manager of the classroom ,and therefore should see to it that the social
climate of the classroom is beneficial not only to learning but also to generating effective thinkers who
possess the ability and belief in themselves needed to solve problems and innovate novel ideas and
solutions. In the classroom setting, the teacher has a lot to juggle to ensure that his or her students are
acquiring these skills. Putting these ideas into action is what matters most. Encouraging intelligent
thought and behavior is not enough. Many articles in the journals today provide activities and models
which incorporate these thinking strategies. One is Cultivating curious Minds: Teaching for Innovation
through Open-Inquiry Learning by J. S. Knodt, in Teacher Librarian, October 2009. Ms. Knodt offers a
model for inquiry learning based on a library lab. Students are given a challenge and work in teams and
meet the challenges through a series of steps that follows the inquiry process. The action plan includes
discussion circle, action planning, lab time, regroup, discussion, reflection, and student response. By
design, this strategy of open inquiry leads students to practice thinking skills that will benefit them for
life. These thinking skills mirror the important habits of mind that other researchers note are important
for intelligent thought. Children are naturally inquisitive and the inquiry lab appeals to that natural
ability. “Children’s innovative thinking sets sail when the natural inquisitiveness they bring to the table
is inspired, affirmed, and cultivated.” (Knodt 2009).
If we can foster these thought processes and provide the environment necessary in our schools for
creating innovative thinkers, our future is very bright.
Bibliography
Costa, A. (1988). Teaching For Intelligence: Recognizing and encouraging skillful thinking and behavior.
Transforming
Education,
Winter
1988,
p.
22.
Retrieved
from:
http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC18/Costa.htm
Costa, A. and Kallick, B. (2000). Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series, Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development
Costa, A. (2008) The Thought Filled Curriculum. Educational Leadership, February 2008, Volume 65,
Number 5, pp. 20-24
De Bono, E. (1995) Serious Creativity. The Journal for Quality and Participation, September 1995, pp. 1218
Eggen, P. & Kauchak, D. (2010). Educational Psychology. Pearson Education, London
Ekvall, G. (1996). Organizational Climate for Creativity and Innovation, European Journal of Work and
Organizational Psychology, 1996, 5 (1), pp 105-123
Knodt, J. S. (2009) Cultivating Curious Minds: Teaching for Innovation throughOpen-Inquiry Learning.
Teacher Librarian, October 2009, Vol 37 issue 1, pp. 15-22. Retrieved from [email protected]