During this preliminary process of thinking forward within my Imagine-It project, I realize that curriculum and assessment would be a great start for troubleshooting dilemmas. I chose curriculum because I have attempted many times to build a maker mindset in my students, because they are not pushing themselves to be creative or innovative. Using scaffolded questions to push their thinking and frame their mindset would be a habit of mind I would hope students grasp and use as they become innovative thinkers. Some possible solutions would be to join larger movements like the cardboard challenge so they could see other students being successful being innovative.
Identifying how to fairly assess students growth within the process of becoming more innovative is another dilemma. Using a rubric to identify components within a final product is simple. However the challenge is getting students to understand that growth and patience is an imperative habit that most innovative designers posses. Sometimes your prototype will be redesigned over several class periods or semesters. Properly documenting the progression of the changes is a potential solution. This could be done using a website or blog. Opening up the audience for students I believe would motivate them to embrace the process.
These two dilemmas were topics of discussion with my math and art colleagues. We discussed several solutions but identified ones that included students assisting in the process. As we move forward I will keep these solutions on the forefront.
