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Practices for Inspiring Inventiveness

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The most productive tool for generating good ideas remains a circle of humans at a table, talking shop.

Steven Johnson
WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM
Inventors use curiosity and empathy to discover meaningful problems and develop novel responses. Inventors use curiosity and empathy to discover meaningful problems and develop novel responses.

Inventors use curiosity and empathy to discover meaningful problems and develop novel responses.

Children will discover meaningful problems and create novel solutions using curiosity and empathy when adults… articulate and make their values visible through a Letter of…
Inventors embrace ambiguity and complexity by building theories, taking risks, and viewing setbacks as opportunities for learning. Inventors embrace ambiguity and complexity by building theories, taking risks, and viewing setbacks as opportunities for learning.

Inventors embrace ambiguity and complexity by building theories, taking risks, and viewing setbacks as opportunities for learning.

Children will learn to embrace ambiguity and complexity when adults… invite children to create, revisit, and reinvent rules and problem-solving strategies ask children to reflect on…
Inventors explore big questions that normalize uncertainty. Inventors explore big questions that normalize uncertainty.

Inventors explore big questions that normalize uncertainty.

Children will learn to engage with big questions that normalize uncertainty when adults… ask big questions that don’t have fixed or known answers celebrate big…
Inventors rely on the connections between emotional, aesthetic, and intellectual experiences. Inventors rely on the connections between emotional, aesthetic, and intellectual experiences.

Inventors rely on the connections between emotional, aesthetic, and intellectual experiences.

Children are immersed in the emotional, aesthetic, and intellectual dimensions of learning when adults… organize materials within a learning environment that are aesthetically pleasing and…
Inventors develop ideas through collaboration, feedback, and exchange in diverse communities. Inventors develop ideas through collaboration, feedback, and exchange in diverse communities.

Inventors develop ideas through collaboration, feedback, and exchange in diverse communities.

Children participate in and contribute to learning with others when adults… invite children to develop a shared language of collaboration foster children’s ability to give…
Inventors use play as a strategy for learning within a conflict-rich environment. Inventors use play as a strategy for learning within a conflict-rich environment.

Inventors use play as a strategy for learning within a conflict-rich environment.

Children learn to negotiate conflict through play when adults… are comfortable facilitating conflict and see the value of this practice design daily experiences for children…
Inventors use imagination to challenge the status quo and envision new possibilities. Inventors use imagination to challenge the status quo and envision new possibilities.

Inventors use imagination to challenge the status quo and envision new possibilities.

Children use their imagination to envision new possibilities when adults… deliberately invite children to dream, imagine, and create metaphors or mental images are intentional about…
Inventors work with materials to prototype, share, research, iterate, and refine ideas. Inventors work with materials to prototype, share, research, iterate, and refine ideas.

Inventors work with materials to prototype, share, research, iterate, and refine ideas.

Children use materials to develop and share ideas when adults… provide a range of materials with different sensory features and qualities allow children time to…
Inventors create and use cognitive strategies and tools to stay open, disrupt patterns, and find gaps. Inventors create and use cognitive strategies and tools to stay open, disrupt patterns, and find gaps.

Inventors create and use cognitive strategies and tools to stay open, disrupt patterns, and find gaps.

Children’ inventive thinking is supported when adults… introduce and make visible concepts and strategies from different disciplines to support critical and creative thinking invite children…
Inventors reflect on their thinking and actions in order to make connections they might otherwise miss. Inventors reflect on their thinking and actions in order to make connections they might otherwise miss.

Inventors reflect on their thinking and actions in order to make connections they might otherwise miss.

Children reflect on their thinking and actions when adults… ask children questions like, “What made you say that?” “Where did that idea come from?” “How…
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These Practices are guided by Principles