Sustainable Innovation in Education

The latest cutting edge in business is sustainability driven innovation. Although there is no precise definition for the term "sustainable innovation," it basically embodies the idea that businesses are responsible for creating new products and services that are driven by social, environmental, and sustainability issues that are present in today's world.

Many schools and education professionals are looking for ways to embrace this idea in their teaching, whether at the elementary school level or at college prep boarding schools across the country. As this idea changes the way teachers are teaching, the hope is that students are more prepared to solve the real-world issues they are facing.

When you hear words like sustainable innovation, you often think of college level courses in design or engineering. However, this kind of teaching really begins in elementary school. There is currently a push around the country to embrace these ideas, and begin teaching students to think like this at a very early age. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education can be implemented with preschool-age children all the way up to college prep boarding schools. Teaching students to solve real-world problems in innovative ways is one way education is embracing sustainable innovation. 

Some schools are also embracing other options to encourage sustainable innovation. For example, some programs are being built from the ground up, focusing on student needs. These schools change schedules to allow students more time to participate in engineering or science activities. They also ensure teachers have time for planning and collaboration to incorporate real-world problems into their language, math, science and social studies lessons. Personalizing learning for each student and giving students meaningful projects that relate to real-world problems is another new approach many schools are taking. From college prep boarding schools all the way to public kindergarten programs, these ideas are revolutionizing education.

Why is sustainable innovation in education important? When you think about the global problems that the world is now facing and how those problems will be compounded in the future, it is easy to see that we need people who will think outside the box. Teaching students how to solve real-world problems and apply what they are learning to create new sustainable technologies will create responsible citizen leaders who are ready to attack these problems. 

Teaching these higher-level thinking skills is important for all students, whether they are at college prep boarding schools or just beginning their education in preschool. 

Ryan Muir is an academic writer for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Wasatch Academy. Follow on Twitter.