Educators-in-Residence Experience Innovation at The Henry Ford

Touring Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation

From July 11-13, 2023, we welcomed 14 educators from Michigan, Maine, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Iowa, and Indiana on-site at The Henry Ford for three days to kick off our Educators-in-Residence Program. This educator engagement program is a hybrid professional development opportunity for PreK-12 teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators looking to connect with a cohort of like-minded educators and cultivate a culture of innovation and creativity in their classrooms, schools, and districts. During their time on-site, educators were introduced to inHub while uncovering our Model i Innovation Learning Framework, curriculum, and digital learning resources. They also explored Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village through guided tours and participated in workshop sessions led by the Learning & Engagement team.

Discovering inHub Resources

By the end of their three days on-site, educators had determined a need or problem that they wanted to address in their classroom or school during the 2023-24 school year and began identifying their action steps through conversations with each other and Learning & Engagement staff. They then identified their next steps, which ranged from becoming more familiar with inHub curricula to building opportunities for students to innovate to creating a new classroom culture.

Planning for Classroom Innovation

Although not a requirement of the program, many educators plan to use the Model i Framework to help teachers and students think about and practice habits and actions of innovation on a regular basis. The educators also defined what success will look like for them.

Building a Community of Practice

This cohort will meet twice virtually in fall 2023 to update the group on their progress and to ask for support where needed, furthering the rapport and community of practice that they built during the onsite portion of the program. By the end of the school year, participants will submit a reflection on their experiences to Learning & Engagement staff along with samples of student and educator work. We hope to one day share their journeys with the larger inHub community.

Educators-in-Residence learned about inHub and its many resources available to educators. They also participated in our “Custard Spill” activity to see a lesson plan in action (right).

Positive Response to Valuable Experience

We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the educators – and many requests for future engagement! When asked what they will take back to their school from this program, one educator wrote, “I am so excited to help inspire my students to see the world through the lens of problem solvers and innovators.” We’re excited for this too. We are looking forward to connecting with this group of educators throughout the school year and learning about their experiences.

2023-24 Educators-in-Residence cohort.