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Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
1
INNOVATE AFRICA FOUNDATION
CHILDREN INNOVATION COURSE
STUDENT BOOKLET
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
2
About Innovate Africa Foundation
Innovate Africa Foundation is a Non Profit Organization registered in Uganda. At Innovate Africa, we
believe that African communities are surrounded by opportunities that can help them transform their
lives. We also acknowledge that joint effort is required for lifting these communities. We, therefore,
recommend these African communities to engage their input in the process of transforming themselves.
Innovate Africa considers this input from African communities to be the foundation for their sustainable
positive transformation; a good start that would make a half of the battle. Innovate Africa Foundation
wants to contribute the possible contribution it has. Innovate Africa Foundation is contented with only
one area of operation; promoting innovation in communities. Our first project was “Children Innovation
Course” that aims at teaching innovation to children in schools.
About Children Innovation Course
Innovate Africa Foundation started delivering the course of innovation to children since January 2019. To
now, 423 students from two primary schools (Bbunga Hill Primary School and Konge Parents Primary
School) are benefiting the course. The course is delivered as extra curriculum activity and aims to address
the challenges of lack of African innovation identity, contribution of innovation in revolutionizing
African economy, practices of science subject in schools and challenging unemployment after school life.
Students who participated in the course have shown the ability of being real innovators.
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
3
General overview of the Course
As teachers, parents, and the community, we all influence children's participation and development and
can support or spoil their innovation. The way that teachers play a big role in promoting innovative
thinking in children is to organize their environment. They start by creating well-organized classrooms,
providing environments where children may take risks and feel socially and emotionally supported, and
where children have opportunities to explore and create with varied materials.
Innovation contributes to inventiveness, innovation, social and cultural change as well as economic
progress. The innovator is a creator, a problem solver, an entrepreneur, a change agent. Innovative people
have rapid and effective responses that help them to achieve their life goals and allow them to enjoy the
journey. Innovation is both a skill set and a unique and individual personality structure that is developed
throughout childhood and fine tuned in adolescence and adulthood. It is no doubt true that education has a
key role to play in innovation development. Positive innovation inspiring experiences at every stage of the
educational journey are needed. This is especially true in both early childhood and the infant primary
classes. Educators who rise to the innovation challenge will be well rewarded in rich teaching experiences
and the joy of seeing children reach their innovative potential in supportive and integrated learning
systems.
Chapman (1978) writes that children develop thinking and sensory learning though engagement with
innovative activities and that it is essential that they are offered an opportunity to engage with their
innovation in the early stages of their education. Arnold (2003) and Bruce (2004) agree with this line of
thought, stating that it is engagement with innovative activities that promotes children‟s developing
abilities to think of new ideas, express them, identify issues and problem solve.
Donahoe and Gaynor (2007) believe that activities that enhance innovation and imagination are what
lead to children embracing divergent forms of thinking that in turn leads them to innovation through the
processing of unique ideas and experiences.
Ken Robinson (2001) argues that we don‟t grow into innovation, it is present in early childhood and we
are educated out of it. From all of these viewpoints, it is evident that engaging innovation in children is
essentially an important milestone in the development of innovative thinkers and innovators in adult life.
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
4
Marzollo and Lloyd (1972) believe that if innovation is not engaged with during the naturally innovative
childhood years that it is not something that can then be developed in later life.
Bamford (2005) and Burke (2005) both write that the pleasure factor in innovation or children‟s
enjoyment of the innovative experience is a key component in their learning and in the nurturing of their
innate innovative abilities with their desire to engage more and more with innovation and thus become
more and more innovative.
Innovation is developed in the early years but also through the wider spectrum of play. These essential
characteristics of valuable early play are first and foremost that it is fun and enjoyable, chosen by the
children or invented by the children. It is also essential that it is integrating in nature involving the minds,
bodies, spirits and senses of the children involved (Wood, 2009). The abilities to take risks and exercise
judgment have their roots in early risky play (Ball 2002, Sandseter 2007). Even knowledge acquisition
skills are laid down through a love of learning developed in early childhood through an internalisation of
the fun that learning can bring and a lifelong sense of joy through learning by association (Montessori,
1996). Reflection, the essence of critical and analytical skills can only come through experience of self
initiated experimental learning. Although this only appears as the faculty of judgment nearer to secondary
school age, the younger this occurs the deeper ingrained the integrated reflective abilities (Steiner, 1981).
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
5
Course Objectives
Creating the Africa own innovational identity
Raising a new generation of young innovators that will revolutionize African economy,
Providing practical innovation skills to young students complementary to theoretical knowledge
they learn from scientific subjects,
Preparing a class of young professional innovators that can challenge unemployment.
Course strategies to achieve objectives
Compiling standardized course curriculums,
Providing sequential grading of innovation courses from 10 years old students to 18 years old
young students,
Establishing an innovation gallery for children innovation tourism where they come for short-
learning and buy children innovation products,
Setting up innovation projects shop that will provide innovation learning materials for schools,
Empowering and integrating successful learners into the real innovation career.
Study methodology
The exercise is a learning-by-doing course. This is an on-ground course, meaning to meet face-to-face for
discussions, formal presentations of key learning material, exercises, and application of key course
deliverables. Physical interactions of mentors and students offer different types of teaching methods -
lectures (30%), and special sessions in other formats, like workshops, panel discussions, team work
sessions, presentations (70%). Throughout the course participants make part of and work in teams. In
addition, there are individual after course assignments.
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
6
Equipment and materials
The required equipment for the course are; Kitbag, printed over cot, gloves, book, mathematical set,
student ID, booklet of course documents & student details.
Instructors
The pool of instructors and mentors is made up of qualified and experienced mentors of innovation
specialized personnel.
Didactic materials
Handouts for subject guide and explanation,
A copy of prototype of topic item for brainstorming ideas.
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
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Students contribution: Minimum financial contribution is UGX 39,000 per child per term, paid in
Equity Bank Uganda Ltd on account of Innovate Africa Foundation, account No. 1027201353800. This
contribution is not little but according to what are supposed to be covered, their cost seems to be higher
than that contribution. Innovate Africa Foundation will appreciate any donation advocacy, connectivity
and robbing towards a sponsorship of this Children Innovation Course.
Expected outcomes and benefits
The most important outcome for this training for young students is to know what it really feels, looks,
sounds, tastes and is like to be an innovator - with all the possible destinations in their future. With
everything that normally remains untold to them in the classrooms and with everything one cannot even
imagine before just trying it out.
The course will offer young students a safe but at the same time a genuine environment for testing
themselves as innovators and realizing if this is what they really want to become , and if they have what it
takes.
Equally, the course provides young students a very unique opportunity in a learning situation - to
understand what it takes and how it works to turn an idea into a real business. A chance to see up close
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
8
and personal how a variety of different competencies and activities need to be covered is a first time
experience for many. That a great idea isn‟t great until you proved it yourself. That a good application
alone is useless if it doesn‟t have a user friendly design. That even a perfectly designed solution is worth
nothing if there isn‟t illustration to put it into practice. The Innovation for Early Age is therefore a true
eye-opener for no matter which participant profile.
Course Assessment
The students are evaluated on the basis of their performance as follows:
Course attendance-30%
Team evaluation-30%
Individual evaluation-20%
Class evaluation-20%
Final Course Grades
Final course grades are earned according to the following table:
Point Range Assigned Grade Interpretation
98-100 Points A Pass with distinction
70-79 Points B Pass with credit
50-69 Points C Pass
0-49 Points D Failure
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
9
Course schedule in a whole term:
Day Session Activity
1 One Introduction of the course and distribution of equipment
2 Two Introduction of instructors and team building
3 Three Topic one: Theoretical briefing of the course
4 Four Topic two: Art and craft innovative ideas
5 Five Topic three: Plastic recycling innovative ideas
6 Six Topic four: Cardboard innovative ideas
7 Seven Topic five: Mechanism creative ideas
8 Eight Topic six: Engineering innovative ideas
9 Nine Topic seven: Dynamism innovative ideas
10 Ten Topic eight: ICT innovative ideas
11 Eleven Topic nine: Artificial intelligence creative ideas
12 Twelve Topic ten: Toy making innovative ideas
Innovation in young children
When considering young children, the criterion of uniqueness in relation to a domain is inappropriate. It is
important to consider each child‟s innovative abilities in relation to their personal stage of development.
For example, a young child‟s work may not be considered original when judged against larger norms, but
may be adaptive and original for that particular child and/or in relation to children in the peer group.
Meador quotes Amabile who argues that the main reference point for judging innovation in young
children should be the children themselves: „In order to be novel, the words or act must be unique “within
the child‟s repertoire of behavior.” The criterion of appropriateness is met if the action is “pleasing or
communicative or meaningful” to the child.‟ (Meador, 1992, p.164.) Malaguzzi also places the emphasis
on the views of children: „They are the best evaluators and most sensitive judges of the values and
usefulness of innovation.‟ (Malaguzzi, 1993, p.75.)
Another suggestion for adapting the notion of innovation to suit young children is made by Tegano et al.
(1991). They argue that when judging the innovation of young children, it is appropriate to place more
emphasis on the innovative process than on the product: „Because young children do not always have the
skills to make a innovative product.‟ A similar point is made by Malaguzzi who says: „Innovation
becomes more visible when adults try to be more attentive to the cognitive processes of children than to
the results they achieve in various fields of doing and understanding.‟ (Malaguzzi, 1993, p.77.) This is an
interesting comment coming from the driving force behind the Reggio Emilia approach, which has
impressed so many people with the quality of innovative „products‟ generated by young children.
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
10
Creating a culture of innovation in schools
In order to consider the way in which innovation may be fostered in educational settings, it may be
helpful to identify some of the components of innovation in young children.
We are all born with an innovative instinct and all people have innovative potential. Young children
naturally engage in play – a state when the imagination is used to „try out‟ situations and possibilities. A
cardboard box becomes a car, grass becomes food, a toy comes alive. As children mature and move
through their school career, innovation can be stifled as an unintended consequence of other pressures.
Like any habit, innovation can be encouraged or discouraged. Having a learning rather than a
performance orientation, it helps to create an environment where innovation is encouraged. Schools that
are successful at stimulating innovative learning have the following in common:
Value and celebrate learners‟ innovative and innovative contributions
Do not overcrowd the curriculum. They focus on depth as well as breadth. They manage time
effectively, providing opportunities for pupils to explore, concentrate for extended periods of
time, reflect, discuss and review. Students are expected to reflect deeply on the material that they
are learning and to make connections between subjects and topics
Encourage a broad and balanced curriculum so that students experience a range of subjects and
activities, including the innovation
Encourage students not studying the arts as qualifications to pursue innovative activities in the co-
curricular programme
Develop codes of behaviour and classroom procedures that value and promote innovation.
Creating a climate in the school by providing an environment that supports innovation can be very
powerful factor of inspiring children future orientation and professional journey.
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
11
Monitoring and evaluation
From the first session, tracking the progress of the course delivery implementation is done using a theory
of change. This implementation progress information for monitoring and evaluation is recorded using a
results framework as an explicit articulation of a matrix summary of different levels, or chains, of results
expected from our course delivery and its implementation strategies. The specified results on course
delivery status comprise the longer-term objectives for the course delivery in the coming days (often
referred to as “outcomes” or “impact”) and the intermediate outcomes and outputs that precede and lead
to those desired longer-term objectives. A Theory of Change is periodically updated upon availability of
monitoring and evaluation data from the course delivery reports and suggestions from partnered schools.
This is done during evaluations, reflecting what has worked or not in order to understand the past and
plan for the future of this Children Innovation Course delivery.
COURSE EVALUATION REPORT CARD
Student No :
Student names :
School :
Grade/year :
Team/Group :
Year :
Term :
Date Topic Materials& equipment Class time Individual
performance Team
performance Class
performance
Total scores
Grading
School approval :……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Parent comment :………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Kabowa Zone, Lubaga Division, Kampala. PO Box 32427 Kampala. Tel. +256775048575/+256705338959
Email: [email protected] Website: https://sites.google.com/site/innovateafricafoundation/
12
Importance of Innovation for Child’s Development
Encouraging children to try out new things and ideas is a crucial factor in their intellectual, physical and
emotional growth.
• Physical development
Various arts and crafts are ways for children to encourage movement, develop fine motor skills, control
and coordination. When children manipulate tools and explore constructing and assembling, they are
unconsciously involved in physical interaction with the world. They use senses to learn about the
environment and connect with things they already know. For example, while painting or paper coloring,
kids get to know how to hold and control a paintbrush and define their preferences to use the right (or the
left) hand.
• Emotional development
Younger kids can use various arts and tools to express their thoughts they are not yet able to share
verbally. In this way, innovative arts can help children release their feeling by putting them on a specific
piece of artwork. Such activities also let children feel proud of their achievements and get mastery of the
environment, when they craft something. On top of that, kids gain confidence in their capacities and raise
self-esteem.
• Intellectual development
At a basic level, they develop concentration and the abilities to measure and sort things. To make sense of
the world around them, kids ask themselves some basic questions and get engaged in activities that foster
understanding of some basic concepts. As children grow older, they learn to develop critical thinking and
problem solving. In this respect, the innovative curriculum for preschool teaches young learners to
consider alternatives, analyze them and decide how to apply them in the appropriate context.
• Social development
Being together in an innovative environment, children learn to share and interact with each other. These
are basic aspects of social learning. Singing, dancing and drama acting imply development of
indispensable social skills, such as communication, sympathy and respect.