Analysis Of A Child As Innovative In The Classroom

Children are unique because they are not yet aware of the limitations and restrictions of the world. Therefore, they are more willing to take risks and question everything around them. Through our presentation, we hoped to emphasize how crucial it is to foster an innovative growth mindset in the classroom to ensure that as students mature, they remain passionate, curious, and fearless learners. Our idea of presenting the image of the child as “innovative” emerged from several reflective discussions that brought up our experiences of learning through play outside of the classroom. Throughout our conversations we realized that there was a common theme amongst the majority of the games we played at recess and lunch time. Most of the games we played,

My goal is to create a warm classroom environment that encourages discovery, hands-on learning, critical thinking, and collaboration. I intend on giving my students independence which entails allowing them to make their own choices. For example, I will refrain from forcing students to use certain materials or mediums while engaging in creative processes. For instance, instead of asking my grade 4 students to do a presentation using a bristol board, I would give them the option of creating a podcast, video or Powerpoint. In doing this, I will be supporting multiple intelligences in the classroom because by giving my students options, I am encouraging them to utilize their varying intelligences. I also hope to promote diversity and autonomy in my classroom by incorporating makerspaces into the classroom environment. Makerspaces encourage students to investigate, take risks, and utilize different materials so that they teach themselves through play and experimentation. Furthermore, I will be participating in an active role as an advocate for play in school. I will be doing so by fostering curiosity and playfulness in my classroom, which will motivate the children to seek new understandings and skills which they will then practice and use creatively (Wood, 2014). Thinking of the child as “innovative” has made me recognize the role that they play in their learning. While examining how the Reggio Emilia approach fosters innovative thinking in the classroom, the emphasis put on the process of learning resonated with me deeply. As mentioned by Baggett, the process in which students learn is even more important than what they learn (Baggett,