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Invention Education: Positioning Youth as Agents of Change

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Conference

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Publication Date

August 23, 2022

Start Date

June 26, 2022

End Date

June 29, 2022

Conference Session

Thinking Outside the STEM Box: Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education Division Technical Session 1

Page Count

25

DOI

10.18260/1-2--41774

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/41774

Download Count

318

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Paper Authors

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Adam Talamantes

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Susan Rowe Rowe

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Emily Nicholson

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Renee O'Neill Oregon State University

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Renee O'Neill is the Curriculum and Evaluation Specialist with Oregon State University Pre-College Programs. She co-developed and ran the pilot program "Youth As Inventors" which targeted high school students and focused on the the coastal economy. Her passion is in connecting youth to the amazing world of science, particularly those with the least access.

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Abstract

Inventors solve problems with particular constraints in creative ways to help others. By positioning youth as inventors, Invention Educators can engage them in the dynamic process of innovation, surrounding and anchoring them in an authentic user-centered experience that focuses on empathy building. In invention-based programs, youth create products applying STEM knowledge and skills to enhance the quality of life of a particular user. What educators expect youth to do as inventors is different at every grade level (elementary, middle, and high school). Nonetheless, when educators position youth to invent they co-create a hybrid space that favors youth to become agents of change themselves. In these learning spaces, youth enact their agency by identifying a problem, researching the problem from many points of view, and identifying novel and unique ways to solve the problem. The resulting invention is designed for a particular user but is also pertinent to a particular community and multiple users. Reciprocally, the inventor gains practical knowledge and social skills within the opportunity to invent. This paper aims to clarify and define elements of Invention Education that strongly resonate with the NGSS and STEM education policy, culturally responsive teaching practices, and community-based partnerships. The paper will provide detailed examples of invention education programs to address systemic STEM education needs, such as access to high-quality open-ended STEM education opportunities with skilled mentors. We argue that by leveraging synergies between invention education, community-engaged practices, and culturally responsive STEM teaching and learning, Invention educators can readily enact pedagogical strategies that benefit all youth.

Keywords: Invention Education, Agency, Community-Based Partnerships, Systems

Talamantes, A., & Rowe, S. R., & Nicholson, E., & O'Neill, R. (2022, August), Invention Education: Positioning Youth as Agents of Change Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41774

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