Weekly Reflection #10 – Innovation Hour
We had the privilege of visiting a local school and hosting “Innovation Hour” with the whole school! What a cool opportunity, not just to introduce fun high and low tech gadgets with students but for us, as future teachers, to begin to develop interpersonal skills with students. We spent time with a LOT of very unique students today and it was really enjoyable and meaningful.
Button Making Station
I spent the first 1.5 hour session at the BUTTON MAKING station. Button-making was an engaging and accessible station during the school’s Innovation Hour, giving students a fun, hands-on way to express creativity, personalize their work, and experience a simple design-to-production process. The activity is highly motivating and works well for mixed-ability groups because students can succeed with minimal instruction. However, there are some drawbacks to consider: button-making supplies can be costly, especially when purchasing metal backs, plastic covers, and printed inserts, and there is the potential for wasted materials when students misalign their designs or rush through the steps. The machines themselves are generally easy to use but can jam or miss-press if handled incorrectly, which may lead to frustration or require adult intervention. Even with these challenges, the button-making station offers a high-interest, fast-paced activity that fit well within our innovation-style station rotation and I think it added a sense of accomplishment that students genuinely enjoyed.
I enjoyed this station so much that I returned for the final rotation with the Kindergarten, Grade 1 & 2 group. By this time of the day, we really needed to replenish the circle paper pieces and even the mylar cover pieces. I spent quite a bit of time making circles, over and over! This younger group took a little more attention, they needed more help with the machines and they were bored easily. I was able to read a couple of the groups a story about TEK, the cave boy. They really enjoyed the book and I really love reading to kids… it was a perfect match!
Go Cube Station
After our first station completed, we all gathered in the middle of the gym, had a little treat and debriefed about the first session. The station that seemed to have the most issues was the GoCube Station. When we were asked to pick a new station I thought, “I’m up for a challenge!” and proceeded to go offer my help at the Go Cube station. Thankfully Shae stayed at the station as she knew the ins and outs about it. I thought it went really smoothly. We made sure that the cubes went “out” solved and got handed “in” solved too. That made it so much easier. I was the time watcher, so I gave the kids lots of warnings and made sure they had 3 or 4 minutes to solve the cubes before the stations rotated. I didn’t have much time to play with a cube, but from what I witnessed there were some learning curves for the kids. You had to hold the cube in a certain orientation for it to work properly with the app. You had to keep the green square pointing towards you and the white logo pointing to the sky. Some kids struggled with this. We asked the kids to each mix it up and solve it once before they played games. There were about 8 different games / activities they could play on the app. I didn’t have time to explore these very much, but from what I saw, the kids were enjoying them.
The GoCube offers a fun and interactive way for students to build 3D spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, and perseverance through its app-supported approach to solving a Rubik’s Cube, but it also comes with several considerations that are important in a critical reflection. While the digital feedback and step-by-step guidance can boost student confidence and make the cube more accessible, it may also reduce the productive struggle that comes from figuring out patterns independently. The cost of the GoCube is significantly higher than that of a traditional cube. In terms of age appropriateness, younger students may enjoy the tactile play but may struggle to follow the app’s instructions without support, making it more suitable for upper elementary students and older. I was not at the station when the K/1/2 kids were there so I’m not sure how they made out with the app and the cube. The required app raises potential privacy concerns because it may collect user data or require login credentials, so teachers must ensure it aligns with BC privacy requirements before using it in the classroom. Equity is another important issue, as not all schools—or families—can afford a collection of GoCubes, which could unintentionally widen the gap in access to enriched STEM learning experiences. Thankfully, our Design Lab has a dozen or so cubes and all our students have access to the equipment though field trips to the lab or by booking a time when Ryan can visit their classrooms and bring some fun gadgets with him to share with the class.
Summary Reflection
Running the five-station Innovation Hour Day with the entire elementary school was an energetic, eye-opening experience that really highlighted the value of hands-on, technology-based learning. Moving between the GoCube station, button making, micro-bits, the chomp saw activity, and the no-tech station required constant teamwork, quick problem-solving, and the ability to pivot our plans as we adapted to different groups and unexpected challenges. It was amazing to see how students from Kindergarten to Grade 6, each with unique strengths, needs, and comfort levels, could all participate meaningfully in their own way, whether they were solving, creating, building, or exploring without technology. The variety of stations tapped into different skill sets and learning styles, encouraging creativity, collaboration, and perseverance. As facilitators, we also had to be flexible, responsive, and supportive, adjusting our explanations and expectations depending on the age group and the moment. Overall, the experience showed how powerful multi-station, experiential learning can be for students and how it pushes us as teachers to stay adaptable, resourceful, and deeply aware of the diverse needs of students and the variety of situations that can arise within a school community.
Photo by Timo Müller on Unsplash
