!
!
Galileo'and'the'Innovation'Education'Movement'|'January,'2015!
!
When!you!joined!Galileo!Learning,!you!became!a!leader!in!the!Innovation!Education!Movement.!This!is!different!
from!“Education!Innovation,”!which!is!a!catchall!phrase!describing!the!need!to!reform!education!more!generally.!
The!Innovation!Education!Movement!specifically!seeks!to!alter!the!education!landscape,!including!parenting,!to!
prioritize!the!development!of!innovators!who!envision!and!create!a!better!world.!Our!dream!is!that!children!will!
grow!up!to!be!makers!of!change!rather!than!mere!recipients!of!what!the!world!gives!them.!And!that!requires!
something!different!from!the!compliance,!knowledge!deliveryHfocused!system!that!most!kids!find!themselves!in.!
!
The!U.S.!public!education!system!was!developed!to!give!people!the!basic!knowledge!they!needed!to!be!
informed!citizens.!It!grew!into!maturity!during!the!industrial!revolution,!and!schools!were!modeled!after!
factories!and!sought!to!prepare!workers!to!be!successful!in!that!setting.!Things!have!continued!much!in!this!
manner!for!the!past!120!years.!!
!
Along!the!way,!various!reform!voices!have!gained!audiences.!John!Dewey,!Constructivism,!The!Montessori!
Method,!and!the!Reggio!Emilia!Approach!all!called!for!more!childHdirected,!hands!on!learning!that!led!to!greater!
engagement!and!creativity.!And!in!the!1970s!more!progressive!approaches!were!embraced.!!
!
But!these!took!a!backseat!in!1983!when!a!commission!appointed!by!the!Secretary!of!Education!released!a!report!
entitled!“A!Nation!at!Risk.”!This!document!warned!that!the!U.S.!was!falling!behind!other!countries!in!terms!of!
test!scores!in!math!and!language!arts,!and!prescribed!more!rigorous!focus!on!core!academic!subject!areas.!As!
someone!who!was!in!high!school!at!that!time,!I!can!tell!you!that!this!report!was!a!big!deal.!At!that!time!
Americans!still!thought!of!themselves!as!the!best!educated!in!the!world,!and!this!news!was!shocking.!
Interestingly,!the!report!does!not!focus!at!all!on!the!work!force’s!ability!to!innovate.!!
!
Educational!policy!and!school!system!focus!continued!in!this!direction!until!2001,!and!then!doubled!down!on!
test!scores!when!President!George!W.!Bush’s!bipartisan!No!Child!Left!Behind!legislation!passed.!This!law!tied!
federal!education!funding!to!the!implementation!of!standardized!tests!and!the!achievement!of!yearly!progress!
goals.!Superintendents!and!principals!had!to!prioritize!increasing!achievement!in!math!and!reading!at!the!
expense!of!the!arts,!science,!and!what!little!bit!of!projectHbased!learning!that!had!been!present!in!the!first!place.!!
!
It!is!in!this!context!that!the!Innovation!Education!Movement!began!with!the!San!Francisco!Bay!Area!as!its!
epicenter.!Even!as!policy!and!the!traditional!school!system!focused!increasingly!on!testing,!many!were!seeing!
the!importance!of!creativity!and!innovation!play!out!in!the!high!tech!entrepreneurship!revolution!happening!in!
Silicon!Valley.!Simultaneously,!the!concept!of!the!“social!entrepreneur”!was!emerging!in!graduate!schools!based!
on!case!studies!of!scaling!socialHpurpose!organizations!like!City!Year,!Score!Educational!Centers,!and!Teach!For!
America.!Creativity!and!innovation!called!for!a!new!way!of!educating.!And!a!wave!of!innovation!education!has!
been!unfolding!ever!since.!
!
!!
Innovation!Education!Advances!
• The!Tech!Museum!of!Innovation!codified!its!pedagogy,!called!the!“Design!
Challenge!Approach,”!in!which!an!engineering!challenge!is!posed!to!
2000!
students!who!then!prototype,!test,!and!revise!a!solution.!!!
• Techbridge!is!launched!to!expand!opportunities!for!girls!to!pursue!STEM.!
!
2001!
st
• The!Partnership!for!21 !Century!Skills!is!created.!They!define!the!“4!Cs”!
2002!
kids!need!to!succeed!in!the!future:!Critical!Thinking,!Communication,!
Collaboration,!and!Creativity.!
!
2003!
• Stanford!Design!School!founded!by!IDEO!founder!David!Kelley.!Design!
thinking!starts!to!spread.!!!
• Make!Magazine!is!launched!in!Sebastapol,!CA.!
2005! • Dan!Pink!publishes!bestHselling!!A"Whole"New"Mind,!claiming!that!the!
future!belongs!to!creative!minds.!!
• The!first!Maker!Faire!is!held!in!San!Mateo,!CA.!
• Sir!Ken!Robinson!gives!the!TED!Talk!that!will!be!watched!more!times!than!
2006!
any!other!TED!Talk!(29!million!views!as!of!11/2014):!How!Schools!Kill!
Creativity.!
2007! !
• Exploratorium!museum!opens!“Tinkering!Lab.”!
2008!
2004!
• Nueva!School!opens!Innovation!Lab!and!begins!introducing!design!
thinking!in!all!its!classrooms.!
• White!House!launches!“Educate!to!Innovate”!campaign.!!Goes!on!to!host!
2009!
White!House!maker!faire.!
• The!George!Lucas!Educational!Foundation’s!website,!Edutopia.org,!gains!
traction!and!promotes!projectHbased!learning.!
2010! !
!
2011!
• Rhode!Island!School!of!Design!begins!advocating!for!“STEM!TO!STEAM”,!
adding!an!A!for!Art!
• The!Bay!Area!Discovery!Museum!founds!the!Center!for!Childhood!
Creativity!in!Sausalito!
2012!
• DIY.org!launches!online!community!for!kid!makers;!has!100,000!members!
within!one!year!
• Maker!Media!spins!out!Maker!Education!Initiative!to!create!more!
opportunities!for!making.!
• IDEO!and!Stanford!D!School!founder!David!Kelly!authors!Creative"
2013!
Confidence!and!it!becomes!a!best!seller.!
• MIT!begins!accepting!“maker!portfolios”!as!part!of!its!admissions!process.!
• No!Child!Left!Behind!takes!a!backseat!to!the!Common!Core.!
• New!Generation!Science!Standards!released,!emphasizing!engineering!
and!problem!solving!skills.!
2014! • East!Bay!Innovation!Academy!is!founded!in!Oakland.!
• By!2014,!public!school!districts!in!San!Carlos,!Tiburon,!Los!Altos,!and!
Menlo!Park!adopt!strategic!plans!calling!for!more!projectHbased!learning,!
design!thinking,!and!making.!
Galileo!Advances!
!
• Galileo!Learning!is!founded,!combining!
visual!arts,!engineering!design!thinking,!
and!creative!outdoor!play!to!encourage!
creativity!during!the!summer!months.!
• Galileo’s!first!camp!opens!in!Palo!Alto,!
enrolling!220.!!
• Galileo!opens!2!additional!Camp!Galileo’s,!
founds!the!Sally!Ride!Science!Camp!for!
Girls!at!Stanford!University,!and!begins!to!
operate!summer!camps!at!The!Tech!
Museum!of!Innovation;!enrollment!grows!
by!ten!times,!surpassing!2,500!
!
th
• Galileo!opens!10 !site!
• Galileo!enrollment!surpasses!10,000!for!
first!time.!
!
• Galieo!Launches!Galileo!Summer!Quest!
th th
for!5 H8 !graders;!total!sites!surpasses!20!
• Galileo!creates!“Creative!Action!
Framework,”!a!precursor!to!the!Galileo!
Innovation!Approach!
• Galileo!surpasses!20,000!enrollments!
!
• Galileo!creates!the!Galileo!Innovation!
Approach!
• Galileo!builds!internal!curriculum!team!
under!Pamela!Briskman!to!build!the!GIA!
into!Galileo!projects;!Galileo!surpasses!30!
sites!and!30,000!enrollments!
• Ten!innovation!education!organizations!
are!included!as!guests!at!Galileo’s!June!
staff!training!
• Stanford!School!of!Education!launches!
multiHyear!study!on!Galileo’s!impact!on!
student!mindset!
• Galileo!sites!total!42!with!39,000!
enrollments!
• Galileo!announces!plans!to!expand!to!
Southern!California!in!summer!2015!!
!
So!you!can!see!that!even!as!our!country!has!focused!more!on!standardized!tests,!there!has!been!a!growing!
group!of!thought!leaders!and!educators!who!have!put!a!spotlight!on!what!is!possible.!But!there!is!much!to!do.!
And!the!first!step!is!to!define!the!change!we!seek!as!a!movement.!Galileo’s!opinion!of!what!is!needed!is!as!
follows:!
!
We!want!parents!to!
• Want!their!children!to!grow!into!innovators!so!they!can!improve!the!world,!find!fulfillment,!and!find!
meaningful!employment!
• Believe!that!innovation!ability!is!developed!rather!than!innate!
• Clarify!their!values!as!they!relate!to!creativity!and!publish!those!values!in!their!house!(much!like!the!
Galileo!Innovator’s!Mindset!is!prominent!at!our!camps)!
• Place!their!children!in!schools!that!focus!on!developing!innovators.!And!if!they!are!already!in!a!school,!to!
advocate!innovationHoriented!change!in!that!school!
• Seek!out!after!school!and!summertime!activities!that!develop!innovators!
• Carve!out!unstructured!time!to!allow!their!children!to!direct!their!own!creativity!and!play!
• Have!meaningful!conversations!with!their!children!about!their!school!work!and!other!projects!that!
reinforce!the!innovator’s!mindset!rather!than!pass!judgment!on!the!work!or!the!child!
• Set!an!example!as!an!innovator!by!trying!new!things!and!otherwise!exemplifying!the!innovator’s!
mindset!
!
We!want!KH12!schools!to!
• Create!a!culture!that!reinforces!creativity!and!innovation!throughout!the!entire!school.!This!includes!
clarifying!the!school’s!values!and!creating!rituals!and!practices!that!reinforce!those!values!throughout!
the!school!and!in!the!classroom!
• Utilize!projectHbased!learning!that!simultaneously!teaches!the!process,!mindset,!and!content!knowledge!
that!innovators!need!
• Create!opportunities!for!collaborative!projects!outside!the!traditional!classroom,!like!theatre,!journalism!
and!robotics!
• Assess!student!progress!in!mindset!and!process!skills!as!well!as!in!knowledge!acquisition!
!
We!want!colleges!to!
!
• Shift!admissions!criteria!to!embrace!creativity,!making,!and!innovation!
• Allow!for!more!interdisciplinary,!group!projects!the!prepare!students!to!innovate!after!graduation!
!
While!many!organizations!will!play!a!role!in!this!movement,!Galileo!is!poised!to!make!unique!and!important!
contributions.!!With!tens!of!thousands!of!families!and!thousands!of!educators!participating!directly!in!our!
programs,!and!with!many!others!looking!on,!we!have!the!ability!to!share!and!advocate!on!a!large!scale!through!
writing,!speaking,!training,!and!convening.!In!addition!to!advocating!for!the!change!we!seek!described!above,!we!
offer!the!following!to!the!world:!!
• “Big!Tent!Movement!Leadership”:!We!believe!in!a!broad!definition!of!the!movement,!rather!than!on!one!
limited!to!“making,”!“STEM,”!“Design!Thinking,”!or!“ProjectHBased!Learning.”!Since!we!embrace!all!these!
approaches!we!enlarge!the!tent!as!we!lead!
• Practitioner!Perspective:!!Policy!makers,!professors,!and!thought!leaders!have!done!an!excellent!job!
making!the!case!for!more!innovation!education.!Our!perspective!is!rooted!in!the!handsHon!world!of!
operating!programs!for!thousands!of!kids.!We!understand!what!it!means!to!create!culture,!design!
curriculum,!hire!and!train!staff,!and!support!programs!at!scale.!!
• The!Galileo!Innovation!Approach:!The!GIA!uniquely!combines!the!mindset,!process,!and!knowledge!that!
the!innovator!needs.!By!building!the!GIA!into!our!culture,!curriculum,!and!instruction!we!have!a!
framework!that!has!farHreaching!consequences.!The!Stanford!University!School!of!Education!is!currently!
sponsoring!a!research!project!studying!Galileo’s!impact!on!student!mindset.!!
!
•
Innovative!Girls:!!Galileo!has!achieved!what!few!STEMHoriented!programs!have!–!50%!of!our!attendees!
are!girls.!We!have!achieved!this!through!intentional!program!design!and!topic!selection.!Our!success!in!
this!area!is!unmatched,!and!we!have!a!story!to!tell.!
!
Resources:!
• Innovate!to!Educate!–!White!House:!!http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/kH12/educateH
innovate!
• Ken!Robinson’s!“How!Schools!Kill!Creativity”!TED!Talk:!
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en!
• Dale!Dougherty,!Founder!of!Make!Magazine,!Maker!Faire,!and!Make!Education!Initiative,!“We!Are!
Makers”!Ted!Talk:!http://www.ted.com/talks/dale_dougherty_we_are_makers?language=en!!!
• Gever!Tulley,!Founder!of!Tinkering!School,!“Life!Lessons!Through!Tinkering”!TED!Talk:!
http://www.ted.com/talks/gever_tulley_s_tinkering_school_in_action?language=en#tH12622!
• Oprah!Winfrey’s!interview!of!Dan!Pink!on!A!Whole!New!Mind:!go!to!this!page:!
http://www.danpink.com/video/?tubepress_page=1,!then!scroll!down!to!find!the!Oprah!video!
• Tina!Selig!video!on!summarizing!her!Crash!Course!on!Creativity:!http://99u.com/videos/20745/tinaH
seeligHtheH6HcharacteristicsHofHtrulyHcreativeHpeople!
• Tina!Seelig’s!actual!free!Crash!Course!on!Creativity!(taken!by!44,000!people!now):!
http://online.stanford.edu/creativityHfa12!
• Caine’s!Arcade!
• Websites!to!explore:!
o DIY.org!
o Buck!Institute:!BIE.org!(especially!“Why!Project!Based!Learning”:!http://bie.org/about/why_pbl)!
o Edutopia.org!
o Dschool.stanford.edu!(especially!the!“Virtual!Crash!Course!in!Design!Thinking”!at!
http://dschool.stanford.edu/dgift/)!
o IDEO.org!
o http://stemtosteam.org/!
o 21st!Century!website:!http://www.p21.org!
o http://www.thetech.org/educatorHresources/designHchallengeHlearning!
o Glen!Tripp’s!blogs!on!Innovator’s!Mindset:!http://www.galileoH
camps.com/blog/category/brightHideas!
• Books!to!read!
o A"Whole"New"Mind!by!Dan!Pink!
o Creating"Innovators!by!Tony!Wagner!
o In"Genius!by!Tina!Seelig!
o Creative"Confidence!by!David!Kelley!