Being Ready For Partnerships

On our journey to bring a more innovative environment to our high school, we sought out advice from our local university.  We chose this school because they already had a program that embodied many of the ideas we had in mind for our program.  The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs created a Bachelor of Innovation™ degree 7 years ago that morphed traditional degrees with business ideals and entrepreneurial skills giving students a unique innovative experience in college.  When we approached them, we merely thought to ask their advice about whether our idea was something that would work at the high school level, and to see whether they had any research we could utilize to support this new direction.  We expected assistance and advice, and instead we experienced a team of directors who were not only passionate about their program, but saw immense value in ours.  This led to one of the most surprising meetings we have ever had.  Not only was the department willing to give us advice, they desired a partnership with us to help make our idea a reality.

This meeting opened our eyes to possibilities we had not even dreamed about.  It also showed us very quickly how out of our depth we were in moving into a much larger scope than just a classroom.  I still chuckle when I think back to our March meeting when the Director of Strategic Alliances asked us "what would a partnership with UCCS look like in a perfect world?".  We sat there and looked at each other but had no answer.  We had never entertained the idea of a partnership, and did not know what one would look like in an ideal world or otherwise.  Luckily the directors had a pretty good idea that while we were confident in our classrooms, we were very inexperienced in the business world, so they took us under their wings and helped us determine our goals and how we could work together to meet them.  We also hope to partner with companies for specific niches we will create on our quest for innovation.  To be more prepared, we have determined that we need to address the following:

Step 1 - Identify areas that lend themselves to a partnership.  Universities can offer insight into current events in many disciplines, as well as potentially allow high school students to work with equipment that would be impossible to purchase otherwise.  I know locally we have a college that allows high school students to come in and work in the cadaver lab, an experience that could not occur without them.  In return, students become familiar with the school which can lead to increased enrollment.  Our Forensics class has partnered with a local hardware store, and for the small cost of verbal advertising has donated tool boxes, windows and doors for break-in scenarios, and tool experts to help teach imprints and markings.  There are so many groups available, and too often these partnerships go unused.

Step 2 - In business, a partnership is at least two people working to pool skills and resources and sharing profits.  In education, a partnership between a university and a high school can be created to improve the quality of education in an area, increasing the preparation of students for higher learning.  In both of these situations it is imperative that the goals and expectations of all parties are clear and well- articulated so there are no misunderstandings.  Having a clear idea about what this partnership will mean for both will make the discussion much easier.

Step 3 - Continued monitoring of needs and expectations will help ensure that the partnership continues to thrive.  It should never feel as though one party is benefiting alone, but should have benefits that satisfy each.  In some cases it is as easy as communicating the wonderful support being received, but in other situations a return on investment is expected.  Being clear about these expectations and ensuring that needs do not change without adapting expectations which can create ill feelings.

We were fortunate with our first partnership.  Despite our lack of knowledge our new partners were willing to help us see where we could go.  Now that we understand, developing future partners will be a much more directed process.  Partnerships between education and the real-world are definitely there.  It takes time to determine how to use them and then make contact with the appropriate person, but the benefits to our students can be huge.  Let's get out there and connect our schools to relevancy!

Innovation As A Way Of Life, Not a Unit

This past year, Kristi, Niki and I spent time in a grant group called Creating Innovators.  This group was based on the book by the same title by Dr. Tony Wagner, and was created to help us see the importance of innovation and begin the process of including opportunities to innovate in our classrooms.  We started out looking at small ideas within our current classes as a project or activity within a unit.  This small view continued until we actually began our book study, at which point our eyes were opened to a much bigger picture!  Instead of looking at innovation as a unit within a class, what about a class where innovation was the entire purpose?  This led to a lot of enthusiastic dialogue between us.

Our thoughts were that we could base an entire class on real-world problems that they could work on in teams to create potential solutions.  We thought about having students present their ideas to others, and knew we needed a way to bring even more to the course.  We are fortunate to not only have a university in our town, but one with a degree called a Bachelor of Innovation™ that has offered us the opportunity for a partnership.  With the help of the BI department, we have decided that we need to include business principles as well as opportunities in science.  Project and Problem Based Learning has been gaining attention and favor in the educational world as a way to make education more relevant.  We believe the addition of entrepreneurial practices to the PBL process turns ideas into impact.