The mission of every educational center should be to prepare its students for the environment they will have to face as adults.
But the playing field is changing at a rapid pace. And the skills we need today to carry out any daily activity have little to do with the ones our parents needed at our age.
Therefore, educational innovation must be applied both in schools and in university degrees in order to maintain coherence between traditional education and today’s society demands.
What is Educational Innovation?
Educational innovation involves seeking new pedagogical practices and strategies to adapt teaching to the current reality and improve the students’ learning process.
This innovation can be carried out from three different angles:
Content innovation
Transferring written content to more digestible formats that encourage interaction, such as images, videos, e-learning platforms, or simulations with specialized programs.
Methodology innovation
Searching new didactic strategies and tools that involve students to a greater extent and modify the roles we are accustomed to during the educational stage.
Technological innovations
Integrating new technologies in the classroom, and training both students and teachers in digital skills to promote their responsible use, as it happened with the arrival of AI in education.
Educational innovation is intended to encourage student participation and research skills through these three pillars. But also aims to reduce the digital divide and equip the students with skills more in tune with the reality they will encounter at the end of their studies.
The benefits of educational innovation
Implementing innovation in education has a wide range of benefits.
If we had to choose one, it would probably be the ability to take nothing for granted to ensure that our educational approach continues to meet our students’ needs.
But how about briefly reviewing a few more? Here are the most relevant benefits of educational innovation.
Educational innovation…
▶️ Helps to capture students’ attention.
▶️ Encourages interaction between teachers and pupils.
▶️ Broadens the range of possible answers to the same problem.
▶️ Encourages experimentation, motivation, and research.
▶️ It allows better adaptation to the environment’s needs.
And, as could not be otherwise, there are several ways to implement it.
Let’s take a look at them!
5 types of educational innovations
Actually, the way of implementing educational innovation in the classroom may vary according to trends, since it is something alive and moldable. But, broadly speaking, we could include these methodologies in the following groups:
1 – Gamification
This educational innovation technique consists of integrating games into the pedagogical strategy to promote learning through prizes, contests, or scores. It aims to offer the learner a funny and more motivating alternative to the traditional teaching model.
2 – Reverse pedagogy
Another key factor in educational innovation is changing the protagonist’s role. Until now, the teacher was the one who monopolized all the attention, whereas, if we apply reverse pedagogy, now it is the student who leads and actively participates in the learning process.
3 – Collaborative learning
Accepting that we all are different, not judging, and helping those who need it are some values worked with this educational innovation tool. In addition, by having to relate effectively among peers, it is also a good opportunity to develop the students’ language skills.
4 – Project-based learning
Working in a team within a project where each student assumes a specific responsibility is as close to the working world as a student can experience. This is the reason this educational innovation technique has already been implemented in most schools and universities.
5 – Emotional education
Emotions are a very important point for the students’ development, as they are capable of both empowering and limiting them. There is no point in being a good professional if you are not able to understand and manage your emotions or those of others. And that is why most educational innovation is focused on working on emotional intelligence and empathy.
How do we apply innovation at CIS University?
No one doubts that the American educational model is innovative in its philosophy and method. But, at CIS University, we wanted to go a step further, and we have implemented different education innovation techniques in our educational offerings.
So, if you browse our website you will find the possibility of signing up for our mentoring or Peer tutor programs (collaborative learning), using our coaching services (emotional education) or the support of our teachers outside class hours through support workshops (cross-disciplinary interaction).
In addition, at CIS University we promote innovation through different research groups, our student clubs, and the application of new technologies.
Would you like to live a different educational experience? We are here to help.
