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Invention Education, a Transformational Approach to Preparing Students for an Ever-Changing Workforce, Debuts at SXSW EDU 2019

Three interactive sessions explore how to future-proof youth for the innovation economy by focusing on real-world problem solving

Invention Education, a Transformational Approach to Preparing Students for an Ever-Changing Workforce, Debuts at SXSW EDU 2019

Three interactive sessions explore how to future-proof youth for the innovation economy by focusing on real-world problem solving

Published 03-05-19

Submitted by The Lemelson Foundation

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In recognition of the growing momentum behind Invention Education, The Lemelson Foundation, a leading funder dedicated to advancing invention in service of social and economic change, will join with partners to discuss this new educational paradigm for the first time at SXSW EDU 2019, March 4-7, in Austin, TX. The programming, consisting of three interactive sessions, will be open to the more than 15,000 expected attendees of SXSW EDU.   

“Invention Education is about fostering the skillsets and mindsets that will help future-proof our students so they thrive in school and throughout their careers,” notes David Coronado, Program Officer for the K-12 Initiative at The Lemelson Foundation. “With more than 40 organizations now adopting curricula for in-school and out-of-school programming, we’re excited to bring Invention Education to the SXSW EDU community.” 

In today’s rapidly changing world, inventive thinking and inventing new solutions are economic and social imperatives. The education community, policy makers, and corporate leaders all cite the need to increase the innovation and innovator capacity in the U.S. in order to advance social and economic opportunity domestically and abroad. 

Invention Education represents a new education paradigm that draws upon Human-Centered Engineering Design and the Scientific Method, among other disciplines. Hands-on, self-directed learning coupled with practical application of design and STEM principles are essential for building invention skills.

Invention Education encourages problem identification, experimentation, collaboration, critical thinking, and hands-on engagement to create new solutions with social purpose. The goal is to enable students to lead creative and inventive lives, with the confidence to make informed choices and take action to solve the problems they encounter to improve not only their lives, but also the lives of others. Students are also encouraged to integrate entrepreneurship thinking in order to learn how to translate their ideas into businesses with economic impact.

The Lemelson Foundation is part of a growing coalition that supports the promise of Invention Education, including partner organizations at MIT, the Smithsonian, The Henry Ford STEMIE Coalition, the Society for Science & the Public, Maker Ed, and many others.

At SXSW EDU 2019, The Lemelson Foundation and partners will host three interactive sessions over the course of two days, March 4thand 5th: 

●      Inventiveness is a Building Block for Resiliency - Students’ futures require systems that cultivate personal agency and inventive spirit. Experts will discuss the need to transform our educational approach to focus on students as problem-solvers. [March 4, 11 AM CST, Hilton, Salon E] 

●      A New Paradigm for Tomorrow’s Workforce - Attendees will learn how Invention Education is helping to cultivate a new generation of inventive youth by redesigning the student experience to focus on real-world problem solving. [March 5, 11 AM CST, Hilton, Salon G]

●      Delivering the Invention Education Experience - This hands-on workshop will bring together educators to demonstrate methodologies for delivering Invention Education for in- and out-of-class settings. [March 5, 1:30 PM CST, Conference Center, 9C]

“Invention Education empowers students to take ownership of problems and solutions, learning the importance of persistence to succeed and a willingness to fail,” notes Kristin Moon, K-12 Science/STEAM Teacher on Special Assignment with Portland Public Schools. “It strengthens creativity, problem-solving skills, and confidence, regardless of whether students become inventors or not.”

Learn more about the transformational power of Invention Education by visiting http://www.inventioneducation.org.

About The Lemelson Foundation

Based in Portland, The Lemelson Foundation uses the power of invention to improve lives. Inspired by the belief that invention can solve many of the biggest economic and social challenges of our time, the Foundation helps the next generation of inventors and invention-based businesses to flourish. The Lemelson Foundation was established in the early 1990s by prolific inventor Jerome Lemelson and his wife Dorothy, and continues to be led by the Lemelson family. To date, the Foundation has made grants totaling more than $210 million in support of its mission. For more information, visit www.lemelson.org.  

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The Lemelson Foundation logo

The Lemelson Foundation

The Lemelson Foundation

The Lemelson Foundation uses the power of invention to improve lives. Inspired by the belief that invention can solve many of the biggest economic and social challenges of our time, the Foundation helps the next generation of inventors and invention-based businesses to flourish. The Lemelson Foundation was established in 1992 by prolific inventor Jerome Lemelson and his wife Dorothy. To date the Foundation has made grants totaling more than $190 million in support of its mission. For more information, visit http://lemelson.org.

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