The Educator's Innovative and Growth Mindset

I have been revisiting and thinking about Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros and The Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck.  In order for us to embrace innovation in our schools and classrooms, teachers must have the growth mindset and embrace being an innovator first.  Only then can we create schools that embody this mindset as a “culture”.

“Belief that abilities, intelligence, and talents are developed leading to the creation of new and better ideas.”  Carol Dweck

To develop a culture and “innovators” mindset, we must embody it ourselves.  To borrow George’s work and research on characteristics and themes in the area of innovation, listed below are the 8 Characteristics of an Innovator’s Mindset and why they are important for us as educators:

1.    Empathetic – To create new and better ways of doing things, we need to first understand who we are creating them for.  As educators, we should start with the question: “What is best for this particular child?”  For us to create something better for our students, we have to understand their experiences.  This way we can understand what works and what does not work from the perspective of a learner, not a teacher.  We need to put ourselves in our student’s shoes before we can create better opportunities for them in our classrooms.

2.    Problem Finders – All innovation starts from a question, a problem, or frustration - not an answer.  Many capstone projects created by students in their classrooms start with first finding, and then solving problems both locally and globally.  How often do we as educators immerse ourselves in a similar process?  If want to be innovative, we need to look at questions first.  The questions could be as simple as, “What features does Gmail offer me?” Then, we need to go find the answers or create a solution.

3.    Risk-Takers – Many would agree that “we have always done it this way”, “it’s tradition” or “best-practice” can be the enemy of innovation.  To be truly innovative, you sometimes have to go off the beaten path.  For some students, the “tried-and-true” methods will still work, but others, you will need to try something different.  If students are totally checking out of school, is “best practice”, “tradition” or “status quo” truly “best”, or just most comfortable for the teacher?

4.    Networked – Innovation does not happen in isolation, as it is often ideas that are being shared amongst a group that lead to new and better ideas being developed.  The best educators have always created networks to learn from others and create new and powerful ideas.  Now through the use of social media, we have the opportunity to take networks to a whole different level.  We can create “idea banks” globally.  If isolation is the enemy of innovation, then networks are crucial if we are going to develop the “Innovator’s Mindset”.

5.    Observant – Individuals that are “innovative” are constantly looking around their world to create connections or make an idea their own.  In education, we often look to solutions to come from “educational institutions”, but when organizations around the world share their practices and ideas, we have to tap into their diverse expertise and learn from them as well.  Watch what others are doing.  Use their new ideas as a catalyst to inspire your own!

6.    Creators – Many people have great ideas, yet they never come to fruition.  Innovation is a combination of ideas and hard work.  What you create as a result of what you have learned is imperative in this process of an innovator.

7.    Resilient – Things do not always work on the first try you them.  An innovator learns from failure and makes adjustments to their plan to lead to success.  This is something great teachers model daily in their teaching, they modify and adjust as needed while they turn good ideas into great ones.

8.    Reflective – What worked for you and your students? What didn’t?  What could we do better next time?  What would we do differently?  It is important that we sit down and reflect on our learning as students, teachers, leaders, and innovation.  In a time of pacing guides and preparing for the test we often over look this step, yet reflection is probably the most important part of education as the connections we make on our own is where the deepest learning happens.

As teachers and leaders, it is critical that we create a culture where the 8 characteristics are not only accepted but celebrated and encouraged.  Being “innovative” should no longer be a buzzword, it should be an expectation that we embody the “Innovator’s Mindset” at all levels to meet the learning needs of each student that passes through our doors, and help them toward a successful future in a global society.