Which Quadrant am I?

It’s not to say that our innate preference aligns to only one way of thinking and behaving. It’s meant to imply that we tend to have a preference to lean towards one way of thinking over another. For example, most of the time, I like making everyday things, which makes my way of thinking more aligned to the Engineering way of thinking. But occasionally, I realize that I like turning new things into tools, which fits into the Technological way of thinking. We can also think of this framework as more of a spectrum or continuum, as opposed to a box with hard lines, where scientific can overlap and co-exist with technological, which in turn can overlap and co-exist with engineering, and so on. You get the point.

STEM vs ESTE™

You may be familiar with STEM, traditionally defined as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The ESTE™ framework shares the common disciplines of Science, Technology, and Engineering, but introduces the new discipline of Entrepreneurial or Entrepreneurialism. Entrepreneurial/entrepreneurialism is often equated with the term innovation.

Innovation with ESTE™

So where does Innovation come in and what does it mean? And more importantly, how do we teach innovation in the context of Science, Technology, and Engineering?

Rump and colleagues introduced a schematic overview and definition of key terms, which included creativity, design, innovation, and entrepreneurship – terms often used interchangeably. And although published several years ago, their proposed definitions continue to offer clarity and distinction. According to their definition, innovation means ‘to implement something new which works, and which has a value for someone’ and entrepreneurship means ‘to transform an innovation to an economic value’. So, the connection between innovation and entrepreneurship appears to be a direct one. 

But how does one think innovatively or teach innovation when in the Scientific, Technological or Engineering realms? Going back to the example used above, “I like making everyday things”. I can take this one step further by thinking innovatively about how to make everyday things different than the things already in existence, ie. how do I make my new thing more efficient, more current, more broadly applicable? And how could an educator teach innovation in the context of my Engineering way of thinking? In thinking about how innovative thinking is a highly valued skill in today’s workforce, it is also important to teach children associated skills related to innovative thinking, such as working collaboratively with partners/teams, diligence through the iterative process, and patience with oneself and others.

Innovation + Play

What better way to accomplish this than to teach through innovation and play.

Here’s an example:

1. Assemble teams of children into groups, given each group multiple items of everyday household items (straws, rubber bands, tape, etc. and an egg).

2. Ask them to work together to use any or all the items with the egg such that when dropped, the egg doesn’t break.

Introducing the concept of innovative thinking, within a group setting, and in the context of play early on in a child’s education will help ensure a foundation that will carry forward through their ultimate adult careers.

ESTE® Leverage - founded in the belief that Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, and Engineering are innate in each of us - grounded in the science of learning & assessment – dedicated to the realized potential in every individual.

[Rump CO, Nielsen JA, Andersson PH, et al. A framework for teaching educators to teach innovation. 41st SFI Conference, September 16-20, 2013]