A circle of learning through Invention Convention

Abstract

Technology and Invention in Elementary Schools (TIES) engaged participants in a learning experience that would subsequently be translated into instructional practice in elementary school classrooms. The goals of TIES included teachers’ engagement in an inventive thinking process called “Invention Convention.” In this article project directors answer the following questions: “How did the TIES training affect science classroom instruction?” “What lessons did the teachers learn from their implementation of an Invention Convention in their own classrooms?” and “What did the TIES teachers’ students teach their teachers about science teaching?” The TIES project provided teachers with the research-supported professional development training that the standards (NRC, 1996) suggest is necessary to effect change in the science education classroom. The positive impact of the Invention Convention process on inventive and creative thinking in the classroom is evidenced and supported in the words of teachers and the lessons learned from their students. Teachers clearly learned lessons about the power of design technology and invention from their students as well. In such a reciprocal learning environment the teachers’ understanding and application of TIES’ themes were supported and strengthened. The work described in this article was supported by National Science Foundation Grant ESI-955650. Opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed or implied here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.