Just Try Something! Small Steps to Innovate in Your Classroom

Innovation + Creativity

Innovation is really very simple. All teachers are already innovating because innovating is just taking something and making it better. It's tweaking it or trying to save time or energy to make it more effective. It is not quite invention. We think of invention as creating something brand new, whereas innovation is taking something and enhancing it, and enhancing it, and enhancing it. So for most teachers, if you are teaching well, then you're already innovating. There are ways, then, we can push our innovative muscles a bit.

Bearing God’s Image

God is a maker, in fact he is the first maker. And one of the best and most beautiful ways we can bear his image is to create innovation. He gave us tools and materials to create. If you read about the building of the temple in the Old Testament, the spirit of the Lord came upon the artist who was overseeing all of that, and it's a really beautiful thing.

So when you make something, you are bearing the image of God. And that means he gave you the capacity to think creatively. So you can make connections between things and see beauty and opportunity in a lot of places. And even if it doesn't seem like it has kingdom effects right in front of us, it really does. So the better we become at creating, the more we're stewarding the gifts, places, and resources that the Lord has given us in our classrooms.

Think about it. A classroom is a place that is just ripe with opportunity to innovate. Why should we innovate? Does innovation or creativity have anything to do with loving our neighbor? It does. And as we think about Jesus and how he spoke to people, Jesus talked to different people in different ways. He was creative in the way that he responded to different people. So we're always going to need to innovate because people are all different. Culture is always shifting. There are new problems, new troubles, and new confusions every day. So we have to be able to respond to those things using the creativity the Lord's given us. So we lean on the word of God, and try to creatively connect people to his kingdom.

Joy in innovating your classroom

Innovation is also just a fun thing to do. It can add joy and playfulness to your classroom. Enjoying the world in a way that honors God also brings him glory. So for your classroom to be a place of joy is a means to embody the goodness of the Lord. And enjoying something makes it easier to do. So if teaching is fun and learning is fun, that is a win-win. 

Also keep in mind that what is innovative for you might end up being the same thing someone else has done before. But if you haven’t done it before, then it was a good innovation. Comparison will crush your creative spirit. You don’t need to be doing the newest, never-before-seen lessons and assignments. Other teachers can be inspiring and give you new ideas, but your classroom will look like your classroom, not someone else's. There is a kid out there that needs your classroom, not someone else's. Simply focus on creating and innovating at your own pace. God will honor that work.

Where to Begin Innovating Your Classroom

Educational resources are everywhere, and those can be very inspiring. But sometimes, we can get stuck in a rut of the same kind of thinking. Instead of staying stuck, the best strategy to use is to look for inspiration and ideas outside of your lane of education. That can be a high school teacher looking at an elementary school classroom, or a science teacher reading scientific journals at higher levels, or even looking beyond one subject area and learning from how other disciplines operate. Additionally, the arts are a great place to get us thinking differently about a subject. The sciences can influence the humanities, and the humanities can influence math. 

An Example

As an illustration, think about an English teacher. That teacher has to have students write essays—it is an important skill, and in most standards, it is required. But how can she innovate the essay? One way is to think across disciplines. How might a persuasive essay draw upon what students are learning about in science or statistics? Can it be informed by art, music, or social studies? How can you incorporate thinking approaches from other disciplines during the ideation phase? What if students run an experiment with ideas, or think about their other classes when looking for topics?

Basically, these are simple ways to take what you are already doing and leverage what your students might be doing in other classes or other parts of your class. 

Starting Small to Innovate in Your Classroom

Firstly, staying a student of your subject is really important. For example, an English teacher could keep up with the writing world. What are people doing in writing classrooms? What are writers doing in the writing world? You don’t have to keep up with everything, but look into those worlds and see what is new and what might be a good thing to bring into your classroom. Find other educators who are writing about your topics or sharing about these topics, like English Teacher Weekly, a newsletter focused for English teachers. 

Secondly, stay a student of your students. Pay attention to culture, and even to counseling resources. Understand what students are facing and how their brains are responding to things. In light of those, see if there are trauma-informed resources or theological resources that can help you innovate different aspects of your classroom. 

Thirdly, draw from your own interests. Sometimes your hobbies can connect in unexpected ways with your curriculum. If you love a topic—it could be a sport, artwork, music, etc.—your excitement will create curiosity and interest among your students. Imagine ways you could connect an assignment to something you love outside of school.

Lastly, look for specific parts of your class that might need freshened up. What is not working? What is maybe a little boring? Is there something you don’t like about your class? Those areas are ripe for innovating. Use the above strategies to refresh your class.

Inviting God In

If you feel stuck, or overwhelmed, then pray for inspiration. The Lord loves to see us create, and he will help us in any of our good endeavors for his kingdom. Innovating can be one of those endeavors! In light of that, invite the Lord to show you his glory in innovating even the smallest aspect of your class.