Tag Archives: Learning (B)Logs

The Innovators Mindset⤴

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Innovation

I came across this post from September 2014 by George Couros (@gcouros) on the Innovators Mindset and it got me thinking that it could be a nice little model to use with students and staff at school.

In his post Couros lists eight characteristics that seem common in developing students (and teachers?) as innovators:

1. Empathetic – To create new and better ways of doing things, we need to first understand who we are creating them for. 

2. Problem Finders – All innovation starts from a question not an answer.

3. Risk-Takers – Many would argue that “best-practice” is the enemy of innovation.  To be truly innovative, you sometimes have to go off the beaten path. 

4. Networked – Innovation does not happen in isolation, as it is often ideas that are being shared amongst many that lead to new and better ideas being developed. 

5. Observant – A practice normal amongst those that would be considered “innovative” is that they constantly look around their world and create connections.

6. Creators – Innovation is a combination of ideas and hard work. 

7. Resilient – To simply try something and give up as soon as it fails never leads to innovation only a definitive end. 

8. Reflective – If we started again, what would we do differently?  What can we build upon? 

You can read the full narrative behind his thinking in the original post.

On Frank Crawfords (@frankcrawford) previous advice I think I would change ‘risk taking’ to ‘adventurous’ as I think people find it a more acceptable term – but then perhaps I’m just being picky? 

George up-dated is post in March 2015 with this great image by @SylviaDuckworth.

8-Characteristics-of-the-Innovators-Mindset

 

Food for thought…