Innovation Expo
April 25th May 11th, 2023
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Learnwell's 1st Annual Innovation Expo
is just around the corner!
Here's what you need to know:
WHAT: Learnwell's 1st Annual Innovation Expo
WHO: Learnwell students - K-8th grade (local & navigator)
WHEN: Thursday, May 11th - Time TBD but no earlier than 1pm, and ending at 2:30pm
WHERE: Learnwell Collective's Elementary Cafeteria (Navigator teams to present via video recording)
WHY: To encourage collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication among Learnwell Students as they investigate potential solutions to real world problems.
HOW:
STEP 1: Students gather their team.
STEP 2: Students choose a real-world problem to explore and impact. (Not sure what kind of problem to choose? Check out our list in the FAQs below!)
STEP 3: One member from the team registers their team for participation in the Innovation Expo using THIS FORM. All registrations must be in no later than Sunday, April 16th.
STEP 4: Become problem solvers! Watch THIS VIDEO to find the key to solving any problem.
STEP 5: Study your problem & find out what others are already doing.
STEP 6: Brainstorm! Make a list of all the ideas your team comes up with and imagine each one to see if it's possible and effective.
STEP 7: Find some experts to ask for their opinion and choose your best idea.
STEP 8: Put together your presentation. If your solution involved creating/building something, consider if you should try to make and test a prototype. Assign roles to your team so everyone has a part to play in the presentation.
STEP 9: Time to present! Show up to school with your materials and supplies on May 11th.
STEP 10: Listen to the feedback from the panel of judges, potentially win a prize, and consider how you can bring your project to life over a celebratory treat!
How is the Innovation Expo different from the Science Fair?
How is the Innovation Expo different from the Science Fair?
There are a couple of key differences both in format and in function.
1) At the Science Fair students had the choice of whether their project would be judged, and formal presentations were not necessary. At this year's Innovation Expo all participants will be required to present their innovations and the process by which they were developed to a panel of guest judges and in front of students from our school.
2) Whereas the Science Fair was an afterschool event, the Innovation Expo will be taking place during school hours on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 25th.
3) Science Fairs encourage students to follow the Scientific Method to draw conclusions from testable hypotheses. The Innovation Expo serves as an opportunity for Learnwell students to address real life problems by presenting solutions that they've developed or invented.
Do I have to have a team or can I come up with something by myself?
Do I have to have a team or can I come up with something by myself?
You can be a team of 1 if you really want to, but more heads are better than one! We encourage you to team and collaborate with others if possible.
There are too many options! Can you share some ideas?
There are too many options! Can you share some ideas?
Of course! Here are some broad ideas of issues that impact kids today. As you look into categories that sound interesting, you may find more specific sub-categories that interest you. For example, when you look into biodiversity you may find that bees help with the biodiversity of our flowers and plants, but bee populations are on the decline. Instead of focusing on all of biodiversity, you might decide to come up with a plan to help the bee populations.
Ideas for Real-World Issues you can innovate:
Climate Change
Health Care
Food Insecurity
Violence
Homelessness
Waste
Biodiversity
Anything else you're passionate about!
You can learn more about some of these issues HERE and HERE.
Will I have time to work on my project in school?
Will I have time to work on my project in school?
This year's Innovation Expo is coinciding with our STEAM unit. Because innovations inevitably involve STEAM based learning and problem solving, as part of our STEAM unit we will be giving students an opportunity to work on solving a real-world problem that can be presented at our Innovation Expo. Students will have 5-6 science class periods in which to work on these STEAM related innovation projects at school. Projects that have already been started at home, or additional projects unrelated to innovations developed in class groups will not be able to be completed during class time.
Do I have to do a project for the Innovation Expo?
Do I have to do a project for the Innovation Expo?
Nope! Even though we will be giving everyone the opportunity to work on an Innovation Expo project during school, if you do not want to present a project for the Innovation Expo, you don't have to! You will have the opportunity to complete a separate, grade-specific, curriculum-related STEAM project instead.
Why was the date changed?
Why was the date changed?
Generally speaking, with our value of "intentional margin" we want to try to keep as many "extra" things out of May as possible. That said, with spring semester already feeling full for many of our families we wanted to give students an opportunity to still participate in the Innovation Expo and have in-school time to do it if needed. We are committed to continually evaluating and responding to the needs of our community as we plan extracurricular events!
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