Revised Definition

 

Learning

Revised Definition: Learning is an active, ongoing process of exploring, questioning and making connections between new ideas and prior knowledge. It goes beyond memorization, requiring curiosity, reflection, and application. Learning becomes meaningful when it inspires problem-solving, creativity, and personal growth, supporting students in becoming adaptable lifelong learners.

Reflection

My original definition of learning emphasized curiosity, reflection, and real-world application rather than memorization. Through this course, learning is not only about building knowledge but also about fostering adaptability and growth. The feedback I received highlighted the importance og how students interact with knowledge, not just how they acquire it, which reminded me og Gardner’s idea that learning is an interaction between minds, culture and lived experiences.

In my classroom, I try to foster this relational learning through curiosity-based practices like “I'm curious” charts. These allow students to bring their questions into lessons,  making learning feel relevant and meaningful. This aligns with the Centre for Inquiry's emphasis on metacognitive strategies such as focused attention and reflection, which encourage deeper connections rather than surface-level memorization.

I revised my definition to emphasize the relational and connective nature of learning. I also included the idea of adaptability, as lifelong learners must continuously evolve with new challenges. Incorporating classroom practices like curiosity charts and reflection has shown me how valuable it is when students see learning as ongoing, not as a task with a fixed endpoint.

The comments I received also pushed me to reflect on how authentic learning can empower students to see education as more than memorizing facts. I now better understand that my role is not only to guide students to knowledge but also to model curiosity, adaptability, and joy in discovery. Learning becomes lifelong when it is grounded in curiosity and connections.

Andersen, E. (2016, March). Learning to learn. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2016/03/learning-to-learn Harvard Business Review

Tupper, H., & Ellis, S. (2021, November 4). Make learning a part of your daily routine. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2021/11/make-learning-a-part-of-your-daily-routine Harvard Business Review

Center for Inquiry. (n.d.). Strategies for better learning: Tips for everyone. Retrieved July 2025, from https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/strategies-for-better-learning-tips-for-everyone/ cfi.richland2.org

Teaching

Revised Definition: Teaching is the international practice of guiding, supporting, and inspiring learners to think critically, explore meaning, and connect knowledge to lived experiences. It is relational, empathic and flexible, fostering curiosity and emotional safety while empowering students to become independent and lifelong learners.

My original definition emphasizes relationships, curiosity, and meaning-making. Through this course, I see teaching even more as a human-centred practice that balances knowledge transmissions with care, culture, and empowerment. As Martin (1996) argues, in an age of educational scarcity, teaching should not be reduced to “essential” knowledge, but instead preserve and share cultural wealth. This resonates with my belief that teaching must give students opportunities to explore identity, culture and voice.

I refined my definition to highlight inclusivity, safety and empowerment because teaching is not just about what we teach but how we make students feel.  Feedback also reminded me that effective teaching equips students to think, not simply absorb. That shift in focus helped me revise the definition to be more action-oriented: guiding, inspiring and supporting rather than just delivering. Including ideas of trust and empowerment acknowledges that students learn best when they feel seen and valued.

Martin, J. R. (1996). There’s too much to teach: Cultural wealth in an age of scarcity. Educational Researcher, 25(2), 4–16. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X025002004

Creativity

Revised Definition: Creativity is the ability to generate original and valuable ideas by reimaging existing knowledge in new and meaningful ways. It is a flexible mindset, not limited to the arts, that thrives on curiosity, risk-taking and openness to experimentation and failure.

Refelction

My original definition highlighted creativity as seeing things differently and thinking outside the box. After reflection and peer feedback, I see creativity more as a mindset than a product, nore that it is open, experimental, and valuable in all disciplines. Hennessy and Amabile (2010) explain that creativity must be both “new and valuable,” which helped refine my definition toward meaningfulness, not just novelty.

I connected my revised definition with the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s ideas that creativity is more about how we think than how we perform, and it is not just about grades. (2020). This shift has encouraged me to see creativity as something everyone can practice, even those who do not view themselves as “artistic”. The blog Curiosity 2 Create (2023) also reinforced that creativity is not about perfection, but about being open to new perspectives. Rereading these articles after reflecting gives new perspectives.

I also refined my definition to connect creativity directly to problem-solving, not just personal expression. For students, this means seeing creativity in designing solutions, approaching tasks differently or reframing challenges. For educators, it means creating space where students are safe to take risks and think differently.

This process has expanded my view of creativity as a mindset that belongs everywhere, in classrooms, the workplace, and daily life. Encouraging creativity is about teaching students to value process over perfection and to discover the possibilities that come from thinking beyond the expected.

Curiosity 2 Create. (2023, February 15). Don’t think you are creative? Think again: A different look at the meaning of creativity. https://www.curiosity2create.org/post/don-t-think-you-are-creative-think-again-a-different-look-at-the-meaning-of-creativity

Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2020, June 22). Understanding creativity. Usable Knowledge. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/20/06/understanding-creativity

Hennessey, B. A., & Amabile, T. M. (2010). Creativity. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 569–598. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100416

Innovation

Revised Definition: Innovation is the intentional act of turning new or reimagined ideas into actions that lead to meaningful change or improvement. It may be new to the world or simply new to the learner. Innovation requires creativity, consistency, and reflection to create impact in authentic contexts.

Reflection 

Initially, I defined innovation as applying creative ideas in purposeful ways. My peers ' feedback helped me refine this by emphasizing that innovation can be both personal (new to the learner) and collective (new to society). This distinction matters, especially in education, when innovation often comes from students experiencing new ways of thinking and solving problems, even if those ideas are not “globally new.”

McKinsey and Company defines innovation as “the ability to conceive, develop, deliver and scale new products, services, processes or business models for profit and impact” (De Jong et al., 2022).  While this business-focused definition highlights scale and impact, I learned to adapt it to education, where innovation can be smaller yet equally powerful, like rethinking a lesson design or giving students freedom to pursue inquiry-based projects. 

I have also reflected on how innovation is both student-centred and teacher-centred. As Thompson (2023) explains, educational innovation uses new pedagogies and technologies to enhance learning experiences, which aligns with my goals of making lessons engaging and impactful. The TED Talk “What is Innovation?” reminded me that innovation means “rethinking how we do things” to achieve better results.

Ultimately, I now see innovation as accessible to everyone. It is not reserved for groundbreaking discoveries but is present in anything someone reimagines and acts to improve the world.  As educators, we need to instill in our students that they are innovators. The reframing feels empowering, showing that innovation can start small but have a lasting impact when it encourages reflection, creativity and meaningful change.

De Jong, M., Furstenthal, L., & Roth, E. (2022, August 17). What is innovation? McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-innovation

TEDxSacredHeartCHS. (2016, June 3). What Is Innovation? | Tina Zita | TEDxSacredHeartCHS YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_O-yJHrFx8

Thompson, S. (2023, November). What is innovation in education and why it’s important? Kaltura. https://corp.kaltura.com/blog/what-is-innovation-in-education/ teachingchannel.com+8corp.kaltura.com+8collegesidekick.com+8