Inspiring Innovation and Creativity in Young Learners

Transforming STEAM Education for Pre-K-Grade 3

Allison Bemiss

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000493764
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Inspiring Innovation and Creativity in Young Learners helps teachers and other educational stakeholders to promote innovative thinking in children in Pre-K through grade 3. This book shares six easy-to-understand, yet powerful, steps that teachers can take to transform the learning experience into one in which critical and creative thinking are encouraged.

CHAPTER 1
AN ENVIRONMENT FOR INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY

DOI: 10.4324/9781003235811-2

There are few things in an innovative and creative classroom that are more important than the environment in which learning occurs. The space for learning will set the stage to either inspire innovation or stifle creativity. In education, environment is a loaded word because it encompasses so much. This chapter will take a look at both the physical environment and the emotional environment of the classroom. The chapter will also explore important topics and describe how to do the following:

• ■ implement creative approaches to administering preassessment to determine interests and readiness levels,
• ■ talk with children to encourage thinking,
• ■ design a meaningful (and sometimes magical) environment, and
• ■ encourage ownership in the classroom.

Physical Environment

You may have a classroom with a ton of space, or you may be teaching in a repurposed closet (speaking from experience). Whatever your space, large or small, you can make it work for your students.

When designing the physical space, keep the following three ideas in mind.

Kids' Level, Not Adults' Level

All of the artwork, anchor charts, and materials—everything you can think of that is designed for the learners in your classroom—should be at their eye level. This is their space, and you want to be sure they have access to it.

Organization

Think about the grouping patterns you will use for students throughout the year. Likely, they will have times in their day when they are working independently, in small groups or pairs, or with the whole group. You want to be sure you have designated space for each of these patterns. Be creative with the seating options; desks and chairs are not the only options. There are many alternative seating options that work well for young learners. Figure 1 shares how teachers Stacy Garden (grades 2–3) and Renee Johnson (grade 2) have implemented alternative seating in their classroom environments.

If you are working with limited space, consider using beach towels, yoga mats, or rolled-up bath mats stored in a basket for moveable small-group or independent work areas. These mats can also be taken outside if you choose to do an outdoor lesson.

Also, think about the needs of the students in your classroom. Do you have a space in your room for them to find books? Do you have spaces in your room for them to explore writing, science, or math? Designated spaces with materials that support topics of interest are so important to encourage innovation. If you don’t have enough room to incorporate all of these areas, consider using suitcases to make portable exploration areas. The portable suitcase stations can be taken outside to encourage learning outdoors. For example, the portable innovation station pictured in Figure 2 includes two “flying toys” (see the STEAM exploration in Chapter 5), a pencil, and a student journal.

Another idea (from Alisha Sharp, a Head Start Teacher at Joe Harrison Carter Elementary, Monroe County, KY) is to keep all of your Makerspace materials in a rolling drawer system with task cards, pictured in Figure 3. This way you can pull the Makerspace in and out when children need access to these items. With a little creativity, any space can be transformed into an innovative learning environment.

Materials

Young learners need “things” in order to learn, explore, and share. They need access to magnifying glasses to take a look at the leaf they found on the playground, or paper and a clipboard to sketch that butterfly they want to tell you about. You want to be sure they have access to these commonly used items. Keeping the materials students often need—like clipboards, paper, pencils, scissors, glue, magnifying glasses, and safety goggles—in a place that students can access when they are investigating promotes independence. These items should be located in a container that is clearly labeled with words as well as photos for developing readers. Keeping materials organized in clearly defined and labeled spaces lets students know not only where to get materials, but also how to clean up after themselves.

Figure 1. Alternative seating options.

Figure 2. Portable suitcase.

Figure 3. STEAM Makerspace cart.

A Note From an Occupational Therapist

Hands-on learning not only facilitates motor skill development, but also enhances executive functioning skills, such as planning, sequencing, and problem solving.

—Nicole Martin, Occupational Therapist, Warren County Public Schools

Lab safety and investigation guidelines are also critical components of the classroom environment. You want to make safety as clear and easy to understand as possible for young learners. Post the following guidelines in the classroom and review them prior to each lesson to help students play and explore safely (Bemiss, 2018):

L: Learn by exploring!

(Trying and failing is learning; failing to try is not.)

A: Always keep materials away from your eyes, nose, mouth, and hands.

(As needed, wear safety goggles and gloves to keep your body safe.)

B: Be aware.

(Notice what’s happening around you.) (p. 2)

A Note From an Early Childhood Coach

When the physical learning environment is filled with a variety of learning tools and open-ended materials, the young child’s mind is activated with an intuitive curiosity for wondering and inferencing.

—Jamie Spugnardi, Director of Instructional Services, Green River Regional Educational Cooperative

Emotional Environment

If the physical environment is what students see, then the emotional environment is what students feel. The emotional environment is extremely important in the innovative and creative classroom. Innovation in its simplest form means trying new ideas that haven’t yet been tested. Anytime students are trying something new, failure, mistakes, and vulnerability should be expected. Ed Catmull, a computer scientist and president of Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios, discussed the importance of candor (i.e., open, honest, and frank discussions) in the creative process in Creativity, Inc. (Catmull & Wallace, 2014). If our goal is creative and innovative thinking, then it makes sense that we can learn from our students about how to best engage and challenge them to move forward as creative thinkers. We want to ensure that our students have these opportunities as they explore and learn together. Mistakes, failure, can-dor—these experiences aren’t easy for adults, and they certainly aren’t easy for children. In order to develop critical and creative thinking, children must know that they work in an environment that is safe—both physically and emotionally.

Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs is a great place to look when thinking about what children need in their emotional environment. They need to feel safe, a sense of belonging, and a sense of accomplishment in order to reach their full potential.

A Note From a First-Grade Teacher

In this photo, students were asked to dissect a seed in groups of two. One student pictured has Cerebral palsy and has limited mobility on his right side. His partner allowed him to do hand-over-hand so he could participate in the activity in its entirety. Creating a community where students feel safe and trust their teachers and peers is imperative for academic success. From day one, it is important to focus and celebrate abilities of every student. Your students will begin to do the same and believe not only in themselves, but in their peers as well. They will strive to help one another when they see the opportunity. Everyone wins, and learning happens in so many incredible ways.

—Jessica Riedel, First-Grade Teacher, Briarwood Elementary, Warren County Public Schools

Ritual and Ceremonies

A classroom should feel like a family. A dear friend and mentor of mine, Nancy Huston, taught me early in my career that without a family atmosphere in my class, classroom management would be a struggle and many students wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing ideas. In Life in a Crowded Place, Peterson (1992) discussed how families celebrate birthdays, accomplishments, and holidays. Each family has its own norms and experiences that make it unique. You can bring these ideas to the classroom.

Bead ceremony. In my classroom, we enjoyed a bead ceremony at the beginning and ending of each year. We sat in a circle, and each threaded a bead onto a necklace, discussing how each person’s bead was unique just like we were all unique. As children threaded the necklace, they would share a wish or goal for the year. We hung this necklace on the board where it was visible throughout the entire year, and we reflected on it. When one student moved out of our class, she looked at me with tears and asked if I was going to take away her bead. We had an emergency family meeting (see p. 17) to discuss this situation. Of course, the students all decided that there was no way we could take away this student’s bead; once you were in the classroom family, you were always in the family. One child suggested that we make wishes for the student’s new school on a new necklace, and just like that, a new classroom ritual was born. This student had her wish necklace to wear on the first day at her new school.

Singing/mottos/chants. In our class we sang—a lot. Singing builds phonological awareness and introduces concepts like rhyming, beat, rhythm, and poetry. It is also a great transition activity. Filling space or clean-up time with this literacy activity brings joy ...