A New Era of Classroom Design

On September 18, 2024, Inventionland Education unveiled its Bright Ideaz light panels, designed to bring a burst of creativity and functionality to any classroom. These innovative panels, which combine the versatility of dry-erase surfaces with the modern flair of LED lighting, offer a quick and affordable way to transform educational spaces. Available for individual purchase or as part of a full Innovation Labs® set up, these panels are designed to inspire both students and educators.

Why Classroom Design Matters

In today’s educational landscape, the physical environment of a classroom plays a crucial role in fostering an optimal learning experience. A dull and uninspiring classroom can hinder student engagement and creativity. In contrast, a vibrant and well-designed space can ignite curiosity and motivation. Recognizing this, Inventionland Education has developed the Bright Ideaz light panels to address the need for visually stimulating and interactive learning environments.

Flexible and Functional Design

The Bright Ideaz light panels come in a variety of sizes and styles, making them suitable for diverse classroom layouts. Whether mounted on walls, wrapped around pillars, or used as double-sided displays, these panels offer flexible solutions for any space. This adaptability ensures educators can enhance classrooms of all sizes and configurations, turning ordinary environments into extraordinary ones.

Easy Installation and Cost-Effectiveness

One of the standout features of the Bright Ideaz light panels is their ease of installation. Unlike traditional classroom renovations, which can be disruptive and time-consuming, these panels are designed for quick and straightforward setup. This means schools can enjoy immediate improvements with minimal interruption to their daily activities.

Another key benefit is affordability. Many schools face budget constraints that limit their ability to invest in aesthetic upgrades. Inventionland Education addresses this challenge by offering high-quality, visually appealing solutions at a cost-effective price. This commitment ensures that schools of all sizes can access and benefit from transformative classroom designs without breaking the bank.

Enhancing Student Engagement

The impact of an engaging classroom environment on student performance is well-documented. Research shows students are more focused, motivated, and active in creative and dynamic spaces. By incorporating Bright Ideaz light panels, educators can expect increased student engagement and participation. The revamped environment fosters a sense of excitement and belonging, enriching the overall educational experience.

A Game-Changing Solution

Inventionland Education’s Bright Ideaz light panels, along with their Innovation Labs, represent a revolutionary approach to classroom design. Their innovative blend of efficiency, versatility, and affordability makes them a valuable tool for schools looking to enhance their learning environments. By embracing this transformative solution, educational institutions can cultivate a culture of creativity and enthusiasm, setting the stage for a brighter future for their students.

Transform your classroom with Bright Ideaz and watch your educational space come to life!

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Nathan Field, Executive Director

Eliminate assigned seats. If two students who don’t get along have to sit next to each other, they might not be comfortable expressing themselves. Giving students a chance to sit next to students they get along with goes a long way in creating a comfortable classroom environment.

Next, keep in mind that a change of scenery is a good thing. Schools used to be under the impression that students need to look at the chalkboard and not daydream out the windows. But studies have proven that nature inspires creativity. By changing the front of the room to a space that lets them see nature, you are inspiring them. It’s also not a bad idea to have desks in a circle. Giving all students a chance to see each other when they’re talking not only improves public speaking skills, but also encourages discussions.

Finally, if you’re incorporating STEAM challenges, make sure students are applying what they’ve done to the world around them. Yes, these challenges are fun and a great way to have students interested in the learning process, but if they can’t see how building a tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows applies to their lives or to the content you need to teach, then you aren’t using your time wisely. Give students a chance to reflect and make sure you add time to teach students the importance of the lesson. 

Clay Carlino, Senior Director of New Innovations 

Open-ended discussions are a great tool in helping kids learn. Instead of just having students memorize facts, ask them how they feel about events or ideas. Students remember lessons that strike a chord with them. And the easiest way to strike a chord is to ask them how they’re feeling.

I also think it’s really important to give students challenges that they won’t get right the first time. We have to teach students that it’s okay to fail at something and to keep trying until they get it right. Being able to reflect on work and how to change it is an important part of the learning process. 

I also can’t put enough emphasis on the importance of teaching students how to present. Giving presentations is something we have to do throughout our lives and the more practice students can get, the better. This should be a skill taught in all classes. 

Jessie Tymoczko, Director of Client Services

Don’t be afraid of color! Bringing bright pops of color into a classroom stimulates the mind and helps students think creatively. A bland and uniform classroom doesn’t inspire and students are more likely to zone out. Use resources like Pinterest for inspiration on gallery style walls full of color and art, look to your local hardware stores for discount paint, or even see if your local hardware or box store will donate paint to your classroom.

Ditch the teacher’s desk, or at least, minimize the space it takes up in the classroom. Take a look at your desk from your students’ perspective.  Does it create a visual barrier, or is it an approachable space? Create a space that you can work in comfortably, but that also allows students to come up to you if they need to for a side conversation.

Do you have a green thumb? Bring it, and your plants, into the classroom! Living plants add color and a bit of nature to any space. You can give students the responsibility for watering them with a schedule, use them as part of lessons, or keep them as air purifying decoration.  My personal favorite easy-to-care-for house plants are Snake Plants (Sansevieria trifasciata), Peace Lilies (Spathiphyllum), Aloe Vera, and Spider Plants (Chlorophytum comosum).

The post Our Best Tips for Converting Classrooms into Creative Spaces appeared first on Inventionland Education.

DO add STEAM to any class

You may not see the correlation immediately, but it’s there. If your goal as a teacher is to help students apply what they’re learning to the world around them, then a STEAM-integrated lesson plan is a natural fit. If, for example, you’re an English teacher working on the sometimes-dreaded Shakespeare unit, let your students engineer a scaled version of the Globe Theatre or research how modern technology may have saved the doomed lovers’ lives if this happened today.

DON’T only consider high-tech advancements as a STEAM integration

Contrary to popular belief, STEAM isn’t just about advanced technology. It’s about integrating the arts and sciences into a lesson in a way that encourages creative and critical thinking. There are many ways you can do that that don’t involve rocket science (although if you’re comfortable teaching rocket science, go for it!). Whether building a propeller-powered car or making their own Mondrian or engineering innovative packaging, you don’t need the most advanced technology to teach STEAM-based classes.

DON’T use every letter of the STEAM acronym every time you integrate

Go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief…a STEAM lesson plan doesn’t have to be a “STEAM” lesson plan. It can be a “SAM” lesson or a “ME” lesson or even an “A” lesson. It’s okay (and even encouraged) to only focus on a few parts of the acronym at a time. Your goal, after all, is to have an overall classroom environment that regularly uses these areas over the course of the school year…not a 45-minute class period that crams it all in every once in a while.

DO look for STEAM supplies in unusual places

Making your classroom a STEAM classroom with top-of-the-line equipment might not be possible on a teacher’s salary. You can, however, ask for donations using sites like Craigslist or NextDoor (just always pick up in a public, well-lit location). Contact local universities or hospitals to see if they would donate anything. Send a letter home to parents…they may work in for a STEAM company that donates supplies to schools. The options are endless. Check out the graphic below for more ideas.

DO attend continuing ed workshops

Keep your eyes peeled for innovative workshops you can attend. You need them to keep your license up-to-date, and they’re a great way to let you learn first-hand about STEAM innovations you can bring to your classroom.  Inventionland® Education offers Day of Innovation workshops where teachers can learn hands-on how to add STEAM lessons to their units. Keep an eye on our website for an up-to-date calendar.

DO ask for help

Team teaching is a great way to integrate STEAM into your classroom. If you teach a specific subject, talk to other teachers to see what units they are introducing in the semester and see if you can work together to create a project. Find the overlap or create one yourself.  A math lesson that transfers into a history lesson (or science lesson or art lesson…) creates memorable learning moments and gives students a chance to see how content really does apply to their everyday lives.

If you are an elementary teacher, talk to other teachers in your grade level about collaborating on a grade-wide project. You can have a penny boat challenge that doubles as a fundraiser for your school. You can make models of famous landmarks and host an “Around the World” night. Bringing students together for a large product creates a sense of community, encourages teamwork, and gives students a chance to show off their work on a larger scale.

And remember…you don’t teach because you know everything there is to know about your content area (although that may be true). You teach because you are passionate about your job. Even if you don’t know how the latest and greatest technology works, you want to help students. Don’t be afraid to learn new technology right alongside them and don’t be afraid to let them know you don’t know everything. It’s your passion for teaching and learning that will help you successfully teach any part of your STEAM curriculum.

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And if you’re teaching in a STEAM classroom, you are also teaching students how to use new equipment and creating a hands-on environment that not only gives students a chance to create on their own…but is so because it’s carefully monitored. You’re teaching, exploring, creating, and troubleshooting one class period at a time.

But eventually….you’re going to need to take a day off and that means you’re going to need a sub. While many teachers try to leave subs instructions with an “easy” lesson of showing a video or giving students a test, it’s actually these hands-off lessons that cause the most problems. And if you’re teaching in a STEAM classroom, chances are you’re on a tight schedule to get a project completed. Students may have to sign up in advance to use different equipment, and if they can’t use it because you’re gone, it may throw the entire semester off.  That’s a lot of pressure.  

So how do you prepare for a sub when you’re in a STEAM environment?

Have a little faith in your sub

For many school districts across the country, substitute teachers need to not only have a bachelor’s degree but also have a teaching license in order to work. That being said, if you know you are going to have a sub who is a trained professional, give them a little credit and an opportunity to use their teaching chops. If there is a handbook for using equipment, leave it out for them. If there is no handbook, consider working with your school to create one that explains how to use the equipment easily; it could even be a good class project. Substitute teachers don’t just want to sit back and play solitaire for eight hours. They want to teach. Let them. 

Overplan your lessons

If you normally teach in 45-minute blocks, give subs enough activities for a 90-minute class. This way, if the class breezes through each mini-lesson, subs don’t have that awkward 20 minutes of letting students “talk quietly as long as they stay in their seats” (This is just asking for trouble!).

Develop relationships

Find your go-to sub. Seriously. The most jarring part of having a substitute teacher is that it messes with a student’s idea of routine. If students enter your classroom and see a substitute teacher that they’ve had before, it helps with that transition. New subs take a while to warm up to students. But subs that have been working in your school district awhile are worth holding on to. Also, if you teach a specific content area or age, look for subs that specialize in that area as well. If you are teaching in a STEAM classroom, find a teacher with a background in education technology. 

Revise your emergency lesson plans

Yes, they’re usually due before the first day of school, but it’s always a good idea to revise them once you know your students. Maybe a worksheet and video were what you started with, but as you get to know your students, you learn that they enjoy creative writing or scavenger hunts. You already know that one-size-fits-all lessons don’t exist, and that applies to your emergency lesson plans, too. Once you know students feel comfortable with the technology they are using in the classroom, make sure to incorporate that as well.

Tell your co-teachers

Whether your co-teachers are by grade or by department, let at least two of them know you are going to be out. They can check on the sub to see how it’s going and also make sure students are staying on-task. At the very least, let the teachers who teach next to you know you are out.  Also, if you have teachers use the same technology in their classroom that you do, see if they can help the sub out when needed.  If a 3D printer suddenly isn’t working, then make sure your sub knows who to call. 

Have a backup plan

Any lesson involving technology needs a backup plan.  Whether students are using high-tech equipment or conducting research on the internet, you need to have a backup plan. 

Talk to students about expectations

Let them know what behaviors are allowed and what the consequences are for not following classroom rules.  Also, if students are going to work in groups, go over expectations with students for group work BEFORE you have a sub. The first time students work in groups should never be when you’re not present. If you’re in a STEAM classroom, students should feel comfortable using all of the equipment on their own. In the same vein, never let the first time someone uses a piece of equipment be when you’re not there to help. You can also check to see which students excel with different pieces of technology and assign them as “helpers.” They may know how to troubleshoot tech better than adults do. By giving students responsibilities in your classroom, you are helping to build their self-esteem and creating leaders.

Welcome subs to your class

Leave a note with expectations as well as a teacher’s name they can contact if they have any problems. It can be scary to walk into a classroom as a substitute teacher. It can be even scarier to walk into a STEAM classroom filled with technology they’ve never seen before. But if you set them up for success and let students know your expectations, you can set the bar higher for your subs and your students. Then, when you finally DO have to be away from the classroom, you won’t have to spend the day worrying about what’s going on in your absence. After all, every teacher hopes to come back to a positive note from their sub accentuated by smiley faces, not an all-caps account that was written in frantically-illegible handwriting of how the day went.

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Today, if a teacher turns on the television (most likely already in the class and mounted somewhere near the ceiling in a corner of the room),  the students take that as a cue to tune out. Video clips aren’t innovative. A hands-on approach to learning, especially if it gets students out of their seats, is what works. While many teachers employ the Discovery Learning Method approach, there are also several other innovations that teachers can make to their teaching style to shake things up. Below are three ways that teachers can be more innovative in the classroom.

Technology

Keeping up with technology trends is the best way for teachers to be innovative. Granted, this can be expensive as new technology trends are never cheap, but even just taking cell phones into consideration is a small step that teachers can take to be more innovative. Many schools no longer have a zero tolerance policy with cell phones because teachers realize what a valuable source of information students have literally at their fingertips. If a student stumps the teacher, the class can find the answer together. Giving students a chance to use their cell phones for research–and teaching them the difference between a good source and a bad source–sets them up to be lifelong learners.

Additionally, while it’s not likely that schools will be able to afford a classroom set of top-of-the-line virtual reality glasses, they may be able to afford a classroom set of Google Cardboard.  With the help of a myriad of apps, students can go on virtual field trips around the world to explore famous buildings (Google Expeditions App), walk down streets in other countries (Google Street View app), look inside a human brain (InCell and InMind), and even use the Cardboard Design Lab app to learn the basics of how to create their own virtual reality experience.  Whether you have an entire classroom set or just a few pairs that students take turns using, Google cardboard gives students a chance to visit places they may never see in person. 

In the same vein, many school districts also provide tablets to their students. According to an infographic by PracTutor, 81% of teachers think tablets can enhance classroom learning and 64% of high school seniors said they help them study more efficiently.  You can use tablets for note taking, completing and turning in assignments, and to help with organization and communication. Gone are the days of lugging around 5-subject notebooks and 3-inch binders for every class. As long as a student remembers to bring their tablet to and from school every day (not to mention keep it charged), students lose less work, have more opportunities to be creative with movie-making and songwriting software, and parents can always check in to see what is going on.

Teachers can also utilize Skype in the classroom to bring in guest speakers that may not normally be able to make a classroom visit. This can include lawmakers, scientists, other classes, and celebrities. If you’re reading a book in class and the author is alive, all it takes is reaching out to see if they’d be interested in making a guest appearance in your class. It may not be for more than a quick hello, but just having the opportunity for students to connect with the work they are studying in a personal way is huge. If you are teaching persuasion, students can draft letters to people to meet virtually in their classroom. There is even a program called “Skype A Scientist” that connects classrooms with scientists for lively discussions. Teachers request a scientist from one of 20 different categories and are matched with someone in the field you are looking for. This is meant to be a discussion and not a lecture, so teachers will have to spend time with students developing questions to ask.

Of course, using technology for the sake of using technology doesn’t necessarily innovate a classroom. While 74% of teachers surveyed by PBS Learning Media agree that educational technology is a student motivator, there are caveats.  If a student is doing a math worksheet on a computer that is the same math worksheet they’d be working on with pencil and paper, there’s no innovation. If, on the other hand, students are completing a math assignment that, with every correct answer, they are coding and bringing an animation to life, then that is innovative. Teachers have to be very aware of understanding why they are choosing to use technology in the classroom and how it elevates a child’s thinking.  Steve Jobs famously said, “Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them.” While it’s great to have technology in the classroom, if you aren’t using it with good intentions, it’s a waste.

Self-Directed Learning

Self-directed learning gives students an opportunity to focus on something that interests them. Many teachers have attempted this by giving students a list of topics from which to choose for a research project, but what if a teacher gave students free reign to learn whatever they wanted? Is that even possible?

Google once used a concept called “20% Time” at its headquarters and a lot of companies have adopted the idea of allowing 20% of a person’s day to be spent working on anything as long as the work somehow benefited the company.  Believe it or not, “20% Time” led to major breakthroughs in Gmail, AdWords, Google Talk, and Google News.

Teachers can do this in their classrooms. If a classroom is 50 minutes long, the idea is to give students 10 minutes to work on any project they want, as long as there is learning involved.  It doesn’t have to be related to the specific content they are currently studying (although it can if the student is passionate about it), nor does it even have to be related to the broad subject of the class. Results have been anything from learning new languages to planning and running fundraisers to engineering robots, conducting science experiments, and filming documentaries. Students find what they’re passionate about and explore how to make it possible. Teachers help by providing tools needed to perform research or experiments and by having discussions with students about their projects. But all in all, students are given time to explore their passions. It’s a far cry from students being told they have to learn something and it keeps the fire ignited in students that makes them want to learn more.

Self-directed learning, believe it or not, gets schools, teachers and parents and the community involved. Students are excited to share what they’re working on. Teachers, however, need to spend time helping students develop the skills they need to be self-directed learners.  If a student is given the opportunity to learn what they want to learn in a way they want to learn it, it might be a little intimidating. They may not know where to start, but once they do, they will be unstoppable.  Even Einstein agreed, “Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”

Place-Based Learning

Yes, students spend eight hours each day in the classroom. But a lot of learning happens outside of school. Place-based learning recognizes this. Obviously field trips are a great example of place-based learning  Teachers can take their students on field trips to local planetariums or museums. Students can tour a Community Theatre performing Shakespeare.  But place-based learning can go above and beyond afternoon field trips and truly immerse a student in his or her community. The Environmental Charter School in Pittsburgh, for example, often takes students to a 500-acre park that is right next door to the school.

While there are many distinct categories of place-based learning, three common types are project learning, service learning, and work-based learning.  Project learning gives students a chance to focus on something they consider a problem and work towards finding a solution for it. This is a great method for schools to use because it develops a student’s critical thinking skills as they brainstorm ideas and then teaches them to take action to solve a problem.

Service learning is very common. Many school districts have community service requirements in which students have to volunteer a certain number of hours per year.  According to the National Youth Leadership Council, service learning is “an approach to teaching and learning in which students use academic knowledge and skills to address genuine community needs….Successful service-learning projects are tied to specific learning objectives, and many of the best are tied to numerous areas of study…These connections not only deepened the impact projects had on learning, but also provided the young people with a broader understanding of how different subjects are interrelated.”

Work-based learning gives students an opportunity to explore a job field they are interested in pursuing. It provides students a chance to learn technical, academic and other work-related skills by working in a real work environment. This is different from part-time after school jobs because employers, students, and teachers decide at the start of the opportunity what the goals are for the student, how success will be measured, and what the learning outcome will be. Similar to an internship, it gives students a chance to see a certain industry first hand and start to decide whether it is where they see themselves working.

The best part about place-based learning? It can happen anywhere. Whether you teach in a large city or a rural area, the goal of place-based learning is to connect students with their immediate surroundings. When they can learn about things at the local level, then they can apply it to a bigger picture.

Scholar Gregory Smith explains place-based learning as follows: “Place-based education is nothing new…its focus on the incorporation of local knowledge, skills, and issues into the curriculum, involves an effort to restore learning experiences that were once the basis of children’s acculturation and socialization…In this way, communities could ensure their own sustainability as generations passed on their expertise to young people drawn to continue this work.”

Conclusion

There is a myriad of ways to make a classroom innovative. As a teacher, you have to keep in mind your students, their interests, the community, and how to make them excited about learning.  It doesn’t matter if you are using the latest and greatest in technology or taking your students to a nearby gallery, innovation is about finding ways to reach your students that you’ve never used before. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel to teach geometry. But you do have to re-evaluate whether your students are simply learning content or if they are seeing topics first hand and how they relate to the world around them.

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People may be born with creativity, but innovation is a craft which must be taught. Here at Inventionland, we believe anyone has the potential to be a great innovator, if given the proper tools to succeed. To that end, we’ve developed the Inventionland® Education Innovation Course, designed to unlock a student’s potential by engaging them in activities that enhance observation skills, problem-solving, communication and so much more.

This curriculum has been implemented by dozens of schools and, now, you and your colleagues can experience the course for free at our Day of Innovation. If you’re in the Pittsburgh area, or would like to make the trip, you can participate in our demonstration which includes STEM challenges, an in-depth discussion of innovation in the classroom, a demonstration of the curriculum and the opportunity to network with your colleagues.

There’s also an optional tour of the Inventionland®facilities, our theme park styled office space designed to unlock your inner creativity. You’ll see a castle, tree house, pirate ship- you name it. And who could say no to pizza?

Please join us for a Day of Innovation at Inventionland.

When: Tuesday, March 20, 2018 from 10am-3:30pm
Cost: Free
Location: Inventionland®585 Alpha Drive Pittsburgh, Pa, 15238
Registration Deadline: March 13, 2018 (or until capacity of the location has been reached)

Tentative Agenda:
9:00-10:00 (Optional Tour)
10:00 -10:30 Coffee, Donuts, and Introductions
10:30 -12:00 Innovation Team Challenges that can be implemented in the classroom
12:00 -1:00 Lunch (Pizza and salad will be provided)
1:00 -1:45 Inventionland®Curriculum Overview
1:45- 2:45 Round table discussions about Innovation in the Classroom
2:45 -3:00 Steps Toward Success and Closing Remarks
3:00-4:00 (Optional Tour)

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