Low Tech

It is vitally important for children to be exposed to and involved in the latest technologies that are a part of their current and future lives. However, at Innovative Pedagogy we believe that young people should also learn to use “fundamentals” such as handwriting, sketching, and coloring to express their thoughts and emotions.

Currently a student might tell the story of a child sailing a toy boat in the duck pond of a park by simply requesting that such a story be produced by Artificial Intelligence. That student might illustrate the story by selecting and printing a readymade drawing from the internet. But these actions require little effort and ingenuity from the student.

We believe there is intellectual and creative development that takes place within the youngster when they produce their own illustrated story using paper, pencils, crayons, markers, paints, etc.

Innovative Pedagogy promotes the growth of children’s minds and spirits by encouraging a traditional, arts-and-crafts, it’s-okay-to-get-your-hands-dirty, it’s-okay-if-your-creation-is-not-pretty approach to understanding the world.

Bite-sized Pieces

The Innovative Pedagogy approach adheres to the philosophy that a child can learn almost anything if the targeted knowledge or ability is “broken down” into bite-sized pieces that the learner can digest one at a time.

There is an art to viewing a body of knowledge and distilling “step 1” — the initial item the learner must master to set the stage for all else to follow. When pupils have mastered step 1, the art of successful instruction calls upon the teacher to isolate “step 2” and then teach it until it’s mastered.

Innovative Pedagogy seeks to present its instruction in clearly defined, understandable bits of knowledge that build upon each other.

The key is to NEVER move a student onto the next step until a current step is mastered. If a child requires extra help, the assistance should be provided before a subsequent step is attempted. Saying a youngster will “catch up” later on is illogical and the root of many unsuccessful educational careers.

The ultimate art of instruction is breaking down one’s lessons into pieces that are so succinct and easy to comprehend (and attractive!) that very few students struggle to master them.

Fun - Fun - Fun

To “grease the wheels” of instruction for all children, Innovative Pedagogy promotes comics (colorful, humorous pictures and tales) and simple, often homemade, games in the classroom or instructional setting. Children love comics and games, and it makes sense to harness them to promote learning.

Our company’s products are accompanied by hand-drawn, comical illustrations that engage the child — inviting them to chuckle AND perhaps to attempt to draw homespun pictures of their own.

We also encourage the use of games. Tell a student if they read a story and correctly answer its comprehension questions, they will get to shoot a small sponge basketball from six feet away towards the classroom trash can. If the basketball goes in, the student wins a prize (usually a small trinket from a dollar store). Watch the energy and enthusiasm the youngster will then exhibit towards the instructional endeavor!

It is important to note that such classroom fun also teaches the valuable lesson that enjoyment can spring from toys and games that come not from a store, but from imagination and ingenuity. Pictured with this writing is a homemade game entitled “Mouse House” where students attempt to roll a baseball, avoiding the Caution Barrier (a painted pasta jar), and into a painted cardboard box. What fun!