Here is the opening to the project were projects are just amazing! So much creativity, so much excitement in class!

Teacher Overview: Why, how, and what of Innovative Arts Class

Why teach this unit: The goal of this Innovative Arts unit is to shift student mindsets with authentic creative experiences. Projects (like this) are created to foster self-direction, develop persistence, and enhancing the creative confidence in our students. Overall, students learn about themselves as unique creators and explore the intersection of their interests and the infinite possible opportunities ahead of them.

How do students learn autonomy? Innovative Arts students have units that teach them “How to think like a _____” in the following creator types: Engineer, Designer, Digital Creator, Entrepreneur, Wordsmith, and Coder. By giving students the basic of tools, they can choose their own path moving forward, dive into more advanced projects, and start to learn the tools of professionals of that field. 

What do students do in class? We learn by doing projects! The process, successes, failures, mistakes, and overall growth in ability are how we learn some really important lessons! Making is the best way to teach students how to own their learning.

Teacher Overview: Getting students to “Think like an Engineer”

All resources for Innovative Arts are available for free at www.puzzleshiftcreate.com. 

First we are going to make a cardboard critter with a moving mouth! (Practice Project #1)

Then making a popsicle stick engineering example. (Practice Project #2)

Finally, we can make our custom creations! (Final Project!)