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What is invention education?
Invention education is a student-centered and project-based approach to solving problems. The journey along the way is just as important as the final product!
New to invention?
PBS NewsHour Classroom has developed a series of introductory lessons to get your students started working through the invention process. Lessons in the series include problem identification, seeing yourself as an inventor, what an inventor does, pitching your invention and patenting your invention. You can also have students learn from NASA how to invent for any environment or how mimicking nature inspires new inventions. These introductory lessons can be used in conjunction with one or more of the lessons listed below.
Join our Invention Educator network and explore these lessons!
To learn more about NewsHour Classroom's Invention Teacher Fellowship and fun ways to take part in our Invention Ed Network, write Vic Pasquantonio at vpasquantonio@newshour.org.
Click below to discover dozens of invention education lessons to get students solving real-world problems.
Click the image above for invention lesson plans about the environment
Click the image above for invention lesson plans about health
Click the image above for invention lesson plans about social issues
Click the image above for invention lesson plans about sports
The invention process
Someone — likely a team of people — invented nearly all of the things we use on a daily basis: tablets and TVs, cars and stoplights, apps and video games, sneakers and sports equipment, etc. All of these products were part of the invention process.
Here's a brief look at how MIT-Lemelson InvenTeams break down the invention process:
- Concept phase : Identify a problem, conduct research and brainstorm solutions.
- Design phase : Create a plan, calculate costs, select the best solution and determine necessary resources.
- Build phase: Sketch, model or build a prototype.
- Review and redesign phase: Review the invention for strengths and weaknesses.
- Share phase : Present the invention to your class and share photos using #PBSInvention and @NewsHourExtra via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram! Email Vic at vpasquantonio@newshour.org with any questions. If you have a minute, fill out this lesson feedback form .
Additional sources
If you would like to give your students a fun glimpse of what invention is about, play these Kahoots on our "Power of Invention" page.
Write us with any questions, concerns or lesson ideas at education@newshour.org.
