Inventing to Learn

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk- Thomas Edison

No where does it say that you need technology to be able to invent and create. Technology can enhance learning by providing opportunities to connect with the world, use gamification, and design amazing presentations but using your hands can also allow us to imagine, inspire, and innovate. It needs to be a balance between tactile and kinesthetic learning and digital awareness. Together these two encompass what it means to invent to learn.

Tinkering opens the mind to new possibilities. It brings together the artistic side of us with the mathematical, engineering side. We see the world in a new light when we are simply combining random objects into something new. Inventing new ways of doing things changes the way we think and learn. Discovering we have a creative mind leads us to a growth mindset. Leads us to seek new challenges. New paths to explore. New voices to hear and learn from.


Invent- create or design (something that has not existed before); be the originator of. -Webster's Dictionary

Invention does not mean physical. We invent new pathways for learning all the time. When we reflect and grow from our inventions then we grow as learners. When we take the time to tinker and design before we implement we are more successful. In a classroom it is the same thing. Activities need to be designed around this fact. They need to leave students open to problem-solve not simply conduct and explain. They need to be mindful and engaging not just fun. They need to be relevant not just accessible. But most importantly they need to spark imagination in order for students to invent their own truth, find their own passions, and hear their own voice.

Inventing to learn is natural when we as teachers step back and allow students to be leaders. We invent to learn every time we experience new things, share ideas, and collaborate towards common goals. Inventing is a part of who we are, now we just need the opportunities to recognize that all of us are inventors, tinkerers, designers, engineers, and ultimately educators.