Be a Little Inventor

Overview

Through cross-disciplinary (English, Science and Technology) collaboration, students will have a deeper and broader understanding of the topic of Invention. They will apply their creativity and use what they have learnt to present their ideas concretely and put them into practice, helping to solve real-life problems for people in need.

Students are able to:
1. understand the qualities of becoming a great inventor;
2. determine the standards of judging the usefulness of an invention;
3. learn from the child inventors and their inventions, and reflect on whether students can invent things that are helpful to the world and life;
4. use their creativity to apply SCAMPER and recycled materials to invent new things; and
5. strengthening their empathy through understanding others’ needs.

This teaching plan shared by the speaker in this seminar has achieved remarkable results in multi-dimensional thinking, innovative design, and values education. Students have recognised the value of innovation and the impact of inventions from different perspectives.

The speaker’s teaching design has introduced various thinking tools, such as ‘Take a Stand’. Through discussing some more controversial inventions, students are encouraged to express their opinions and respect diverse viewpoints. Students also use SCAMPER to spark new ideas.

Students have also learnt the steps of the Invention Cycle from their reading, understanding the process from concept to realisation, and have started to put their own ideas into practice. Finally, it is gratifying to see that students can observe the needs of different community groups and create small inventions to improve their lives, demonstrating empathy.　

Participants of this seminar will understand:
1. integrating creativity, cross-disciplinary elements, and values education in the ESL Classroom; and
2. teaching methods of creativity and critical thinking.