Sparking Innovation in Children Through STEM Exploration
A K-8 Teacher's Guide to Inspiring Future Problem Solvers
- Richard Cox Jr. - Atrium Health
- Brandy Howard - Bullitt Kentucky Schools
Foreword by Sarah B. Bush and Kristin L. Cook
Mathematics & Numeracy | STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) | Science
Today, educators face an imperative: prepare learners for an unpredictable future. Sparking Innovation in Children Through STEM Exploration: A K-8 Teacher's Guide to Inspiring Future Problem Solvers is here to help meet that challenge by offering the tools to transform classrooms into ecosystems of creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. This groundbreaking book goes beyond traditional STEM education and offers a comprehensive framework that helps educators cultivate the next generation of innovative thinkers and problem-solvers.
Authors Richard Cox, Jr. and Brandy Howard introduce the Innov8 Framework, a dynamic and flexible roadmap designed to foster curiosity, spark imagination, and build critical thinking within classrooms and beyond. Rooted in justice, empathy, and inquiry-based learning, this approach ensures every learner is empowered to contribute their unique perspective to real-world challenges.
With hands-on strategies to ensure access for everyone, this book
- Offers practical, step-by-step guidance through The Innov8 Framework, which introduces the eight phases of innovation—from sparking curiosity to sustaining impact
- Provides adaptable tools and resources such as editable lesson plans, interest surveys, reflection prompts for both educators and learners, and learner feedback tools designed to seamlessly integrate with existing standards
- Includes engaging real-world case studies of thriving innovation ecosystems and personal profiles of educators driving innovation, showcasing actionable steps to replicate their success
Sparking Innovation in Children Through STEM Exploration provides educators with the tools to ignite curiosity, foster collaboration, and empower young learners to become confident, creative problem-solvers. Prepare your classrooms to shape the future. Your learners will thrive, and so will you.
Everyone tells teachers to innovate, but Richard Cox Jr. and Brandy Howard invite them into a strengths-based, interactive journey. This book is a sandbox of provocations, stories, and reflection tools where teachers can explore, experiment, and make meaning of innovation on their own terms. It’s a space to understand yourself more deeply while learning from the practices of other educators and the structures of innovative workplaces.
Cox and Howard’s guide bridges the gap between boardroom vision and classroom reality for transformative change. More than a book, it’s an essential resource providing tools empowering educators to cultivate innovation, creativity, and problem-solving skills our future workforce demands. A must-read for anyone serious about preparing students for tomorrow’s challenges.
This book is the key to a reimagined education that connects students to humanizing and mutually beneficial outcomes. The authors chart a clear
and integrated pathway to educational ecosystems that did not previously (before this!) systematically exist. Through individualized reflective
opportunities, profiles of successful educational innovators, and a plethora of classroom examples, this book empowers K–8 teachers to create accessible, future-forward innovation opportunities for all learners.
While many recognize the urgent need to reimagine school for today’s learners, what’s often missing is the how. In Sparking Innovation in Children Through STEM Exploration, highly respected educators and leaders Richard Cox Jr. and Brandy Howard deliver exactly that—practical, inspiring, and deeply grounded guidance. This book is a must-read for educators ready to move from intention to action, creating learning ecosystems where curiosity, creativity, and authentic learning are the norm.
This book is a force for good. It is an inspiring and empowering platform for educators to create an ecosystem that centralizes creativity, curiosity, and collaboration among our young learners. This text humanizes innovation and reminds us that it flourishes in a community’s embrace. Transforming classrooms into innovation districts is and must be the ‘spark’ we educators use to uplift our next generation of changemakers.
This book is an outstanding resource for educators seeking to create innovative and engaging classrooms. It is thoughtfully organized, with a clear structure that introduces the ‘why,’ provides actionable steps for implementation, and concludes with a practical action plan.
This book is a thought-provoking guide for educators looking to ignite curiosity, cultivate creativity, and lead innovation in their classrooms and
beyond. With a blend of actionable strategies, compelling stories, and reflective moments, the authors inspire educators to reimagine learning in
ways that are both practical and transformative. A must-read for teachers, school leaders, and anyone committed to creating engaging, future-ready
learning experiences for all learners.
Sample Materials & Chapters
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