Reinventing Back-to-School Learning With Invention Project

As educators and administrators alike prepare for the upcoming academic year, additional funding resources can pose their own set of challenges, and it can be difficult to spend them appropriately and effectively.

A report published earlier this year by the Center on Reinventing Public Education summarizes what many schools across the country continue to face, including:

• Many students are falling behind academically and are in need of just-in-time supports as opposed to traditional remediation techniques.
   
• Staffing shortages, challenging student behaviors and the politicization of health, safety and education are combining to create an unsustainable learning environment.
   
• Concerns that schools alone will not be able to do enough to help students recover amid the challenges noted above and the pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The researchers conclude that the problems schools are facing today are multifaceted and that the “consequences of disrupted learning during the pandemic will require ongoing work and adaptation from school districts now and into the future.”

Introducing Invention Project!

This past summer, the Escondido Union School District, located in the city of Escondido California, partnered with the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® (NIHF) to implement a customized learning program that included activities from our brand-new Invention Project^®, the most flexible education program we have ever developed.

In an interview with NIHF, Shannon Fralish, coordinator of expanded learning for Escondido Union, expressed her appreciation for how easy her district’s customized program was to implement and the opportunity to provide engaging invention education to her students.

“As we’re in this unprecedented time in education with the [additional] expanded learning opportunities program funding, the National Inventors Hall of Fame gives us the perfect opportunity to bring invention education into our expanded learning programs,” Fralish said. “I think that when students are so engaged with the learning, it really does help them forget that it might be intervention or something that they need to learn, but that they are really just having a great time and they begin to love coming to school.”

With 25 PreK-8 modules, Invention Project offers developmentally appropriate instruction that can adapt to fit individual learning styles. This program meets national and state education standards, applies a hands-on pedagogy, offers opportunities to collaborate and seamlessly integrates essential 21st-century skills to develop an Innovation Mindset^™.

What Can Educators Expect From Invention Project?

Equitable PreK-8 Experiences

• Engaging modules with developmentally appropriate instruction
   
• Capability to adapt to individual student needs and learning styles
   
• Supportive student resources including materials, interactive booklets and an online learning platform
   

Stress-Free Implementation

• Step-by-step curriculum guide and online resources that reduce prep time
   
• Individually packaged materials
   
• Dedicated NIHF support
   

Flexible, Immersive Curriculum

• Twenty-five unique modules with six hours per module
   
• Instructor-led or asynchronous learning options for in-school, afterschool or summer learning
   
• Pre- and post-tests for students in grades K-8 to track their progress

Authentic Social-Emotional Learning

• Engaging, hands-on activities that promote relationship skills
   
• Experiences that build competency in decision making, self-management and social awareness
   
• Opportunities to practice empathy and relationship skills

Bring Transformative Invention Education to Your District Today

To learn more about how Invention Project can reinvent your back-to-school learning strategies, we invite you to visit our website.