Six Tips for Encouraging Innovative Thinking Among The Students
Life as we know it is becoming progressively more manageable and faster compared to what it was a few decades ago if we compare the living standards in general. This is the result of technology that is rapidly evolving and advancing. Technological advancement is rarely a result of conventional thinking.
All the significant strides humanity has ever made in technology result from exemplary human beings breaking the boundaries set by conventional thinking. If it were not for innovative thinking from scientists like Louis Pasteur, we would not have antibiotics now. If it weren’t for the creative thinking of a group of eminent scientists, mankind might not have survived the Covid 19 pandemic so far.
Why is Innovative Thinking Important?
There are a host of internal as well as external factors that affect how a person can use innovative thinking to their benefit. The way a person thinks and behaves is shaped by factors closely tied with their personality and influences from their upbringing.
1) Internal Factors
These are closely tied to the personality of a human being:
a) Creativity: Creating something new is closely linked to innovative thinking. A person who can create something new can think beyond the constructs of convention and understanding. This is both the cause and effect of creative thinking. Creating something new requires knowledge and multi-perspective views about why something is needed and how it will make life easier, or how it will add value to life.
b) Self-Confidence: Innovative thinking is also a means to express what someone truly feels or thinks about a particular thing. For a person to express these thoughts to an audience, they must have confidence in themselves and the viability and relevance of their beliefs. With confidence like that, they can handle criticism and feedback without dropping their chain of thought and see it through to fruition.
c) Desire: Thought becomes innovative when it stems from a conscious desire to achieve something or know something original. The deliberate desire to solve the energy crisis is the factor that encouraged people to start thinking about unconventional energy sources, resulting in the strides we have made in the field of renewable energy.
2) External Factors
The external factors which affect a person’s ability to think innovatively are as follows.
a) Experiences: Experiences significantly impact how a person forms thoughts and expresses them. The understanding of something comes from experience. A person who has had a negative experience while trying to understand something unknown will never forget that experience. All thoughts they form to continue understanding it will be influenced by the negative experience.
b) Atmosphere and environment: The atmosphere and environment influence other factors that affect how a person thinks. What surrounds a person has an impact on their desires. A person living in a place with abundant water reserves will not naturally desire to think about innovative ways to save water. Alternatively, a person living in an area constantly affected by diseases will have a natural urge to find innovative ways to improve the standard of living and eradicate diseases from their surroundings. Also, a person living in a place that does not support free-thinking will either have no desire to know new things or will have the desire to find new ways to connect with a crowd that supports innovative thinking.
c)Space and Time: The space and time of a person affect the technology, resources, and knowledge upon which their thoughts are formed. A person living in 16th Century France would have been thinking about ways to sterilize food and water to protect themselves from diseases, while a person living in 21st Century France might be thinking about sustainable fuel.
Ways to Encourage Innovative Thinking Among Students
Educational institutions have a significant impact on creativity and innovative thinking. Innovative thinking cannot be taught. It can only be nurtured and developed. The seeds of creativity in each student's mind are meant to be nurtured by educators so that their students have the confidence to pursue and express their creativity. Information from textbooks will not help develop their creativity. To foster creativity, students require practical training and a safe environment to satisfy their curiosity.
a) Encourage Curiosity
A person’s curiosity is directly linked to their creativity. Curiosity is a person’s desire to know something. It is this desire to know things that fuels creativity. Traditionally, curious minds have been discouraged by many teachers due to their limited knowledge or regressive thoughts. This needs to be changed, and students should relate their classroom to a safe space to explore their curiosity healthily. Students should be encouraged to think differently, have doubts, ask questions and interact freely with their teachers. Satisfied curiosity leads to innovative thoughts and solutions.
b) Hands-On Learning
Creating a 3D model using SelfCAD software
Theoretical learning is limited in terms of experience and insights. Hands-on learning will help look at a concept from a realistic point of view. This will also give them the necessary expertise to make quick decisions. Modern technology like 3D design and printing can help educators scale down or scale up activities to a scale that can be viewed and experienced in a classroom. Software like SelfCAD allows teachers and students to create intricate 3D models of objects or concepts in subatomic or levels or those in significant levels to comprehend using user-friendly, intuitive tools and interactive tutorials. The basic features of SelfCAD are free. Advanced features such as the conversion of 2D images to 3D are available for subscribed users who avail of the SelfCAD Pro license, which costs $14.99 per month or $11.99 if billed annually. For lifetime access to advanced features, users can purchase the SelfCAD Perpetual license for a one-time payment of $599.00
c) Establishing Creative Environments
Traditional classrooms seldom inspire students to be creative. Educators can convert classrooms into creative environments by filling them with models, supplies, or tools that excite students and prompt them to think about them.
d) Problem-Based Learning
Problem-based learning involves students learning by associating and familiarising themselves with a real-world problem connected to their curriculum. Students should then independently learn by involving themselves in projects related to this problem and engaging in group discussions. Teachers should take the role of a facilitator who monitors the process and offers students the right kind of help, and points them in the right direction. Independent learning would require them to explore their thoughts to find innovative solutions to achieve their learning outcomes. They also develop soft skills like self-confidence, critical thinking, decision-making, and communication skills.
e) Introduce Inspiring Innovators
Sometimes, teachers might not have the right expertise to inspire or nurture creativity. Instead, they could introduce their students to inspiring personalities who have successfully pursued their creative thoughts to fruition. Direct or indirect interaction could offer new insights or ideas that students could work on. This could be as simple as playing a TED talk video occasionally.
f) Support Learning by Collaboration
Communication, teamwork, and sharing of ideas are essential traits of innovators. These skills can be developed by collaborating to share knowledge and co-create new knowledge. Sharing ideas between multiple individuals helps them get new insights into the problem at hand. This will consequently help them in creating innovative solutions.
Conclusion
Innovative thinking prepares students for an uncertain future by helping them create solutions and products that will help them stay relevant in their chosen fields. For this, students must be trained in schools to be curious and learn from hands-on experiences by working on real-world problems or working with real-world tools. Students would also have to broaden their perspective by learning from people who have real-world experiences and from other students through collaboration.
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