I know you are in this profession for the kids.
I know you entered teaching with the desire to be a role model for the young generation, to shape their minds and help them become the best they can be.
And when you stand there in the room with your students, you can make it happen. In a way, you have superpowers greater than you might imagine.
But it is a challenging journey. In fact, being a teacher is one of the most demanding jobs. Therefore, I support and empower you to fulfil your desire to impact the young generation positively. However, before I get into that, I need to take a step back and share my recent experience at a GIFT event.
Last month, I facilitated a “Design Thinking – the Future of Education” session as part of a GIFT event. In case you are not familiar with GIFT, here is a summary -
Inspiring world-learning, the Global Innovation Field Trip (GIFT) is the quarterly, online, 24-hour, multi-country collaboration, celebrating young innovators and those who educate, inspire, and promote innovation. Promising to fill you with inspiration, hope and reassurance that our future is in good hands, these K-12 innovators share their short stories of innovation with the world.
At the time of writing this document, 1,161 innovators from 56 countries gave 763 presentations on a wide variety of creative, new, and innovative topics and projects.
The Global Innovation Field Trip is the GIFT you can give your students. It is the GIFT that celebrates your student’s innovative thinking on a big scale.
If you missed my session and would like to learn about Design Thinking and what it means for you and your students, you can watch the recording here.
I also had the opportunity to be a co-host at this GIFT event and listened to children sharing their creative journeys.
I heard from Isobel how using the design process helped her change her mindset and look at failure as a stepping stone to success.
This 12-year-old girl amazed me with her maturity and ability to reflect, analyse her journey and see what it means for her. Isobel shared how following the design process changed her as a person, and how it helped her develop a growth mindset.
Towards the end of our discussion, she said-
“I feel like the biggest thing that I have learned by designing and building things was to try new things even if you don’t feel like you are going to succussed, like especially if you don’t feel like you are going to succeed. Because if you feel like you are not going to do it right, you will never get the opportunity to try it out. And you never know what my end up being a passion.”
This young girl just blew me away. I felt she is wise beyond her years. And again, as I have seen with other children before, it strengthened my belief that using Design Thinking as a teaching and learning framework provides children with the skills, tools, and mindset they need to thrive in our world.
We bring you and your students the GIFT of Innovation
I am happy to share that Glittering Minds and GIFT are bringing you “The GIFT of Innovation”.
“The GIFT of Innovation” provides you with what you need to turn your classroom into an innovative environment where students develop their creative thinking, collaboration, critical thinking, resilience, problem-solving skills, communication, empathy and more.
Moreover, you will create a learning experience where your students are empowered to drive change within their communities and environment. You will help your students become change agents.
“The GIFT of Innovation” is a comprehensive pack that enables you to facilitate a project-based learning experience using Design Thinking as your teaching framework. You don’t need to have prior knowledge of Design Thinking as this pack includes explanations on it and how to use it in your classroom.
“The GIFT of Innovation 2023” project question is –
How might we design a more sustainable school?
Through this project, your students will research sustainability, explore it in your classroom and design a more environmentally friendly school. The intention is for your students to implement some of their ideas at your school to create a more sustainable environment.
Then, your students can present their Design Thinking journey at one of the GIFT events and share it with the world.
Here is why you should get your students involved with GIFT
GIFT is an excellent platform for students to enhance and grow their abilities. GIFT provides your students with the opportunity to-
✅ Practice their presentation skills (They will present their projects globally)
✅ Develop their communication skills
✅ Boost their confidence
✅ Share their innovations with the world
✅ Receive positive feedback on their work
✅ Become a role model to other children
✅ Meet people from other countries
✅ Celebrate the journey they have done so far
On top of all the above, it is also a lot of fun, and students enjoy the experience of being famous, especially to a global audience. By being part of this international event, students show schools, teachers and parents that they are truly growing educationally.
Who is it for
This project is designed for teachers who want to help their students –
✅ Develop their 21st century skills
✅ Become excellent problem-solvers
✅ Have a voice and agency over their learning
✅ Become global citizens
✅ Drive positive change within their communities
✅ Experience world learning
✅ Learn about sustainability
✅ Design a more sustainable school
✅ Present their journey on a global platform
If the above sounds like you, this project is exactly what you are looking for!
You can learn more about “The GIFT of Innovation” here.
Buy the pack for teachers of grades k-2 here.
The packs for grades 7-9 and 10-12 will be ready soon.
Let’s help the young generation believe in themselves and drive change.
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#thefutureofeducation #howtoinspireyourstudents #becomeagreatteacher #teachingtips #education #teaching
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