Mrs. Isabel Machinandiarena IB MYP Coordinator It seems that innovation requires huge investments from firms which want to create technological innovative products and put them on the market. However, it is well known that many innovations are the result of need, sometimes of poverty, and lack of resources. So, can we teach innovation or can we only set the scene for it? Jeffrey Phillips, a tech and marketing guru, mentions that innovation is strange, unusual work different from everyday work. It requires working against resistance and customer expectations. He believes that it is not possible to teach “innovation” but you can educate in developing tools, expectations, perceptions, and beliefs. It seems that we can only train students to use tools and develop appropriate techniques. IB, through the holistic approach to teaching and learning of its programs, encourages children to be creators and innovators. At Wheatley School, we have been committed to creating a culture of creativity and innovation. Teachers encourage students to develop as critical and creative thinkers and set tasks challenging them to become problem-solvers in order to effect positive social and community change. Effective collaboration entails cooperative learning while enhancing self-management and affective skills, learning to persevere and developing resilience skills. The opportunity to transfer learned knowledge and skills to new and unfamiliar situations will pave the way to be better-equipped individuals to resolve the challenges of our 21st-century globalized society. Lots of fun on the horizon!
Wheatley School Montessori and International Baccalaureate school