“Our education system encourages children to ‘think boldly, do boldly, and make mistakes’.” Sander Reed, project manager at the Swedish Innovation Agency, said. Many people have always found it incredible that Sweden, a small Nordic country, can be the "origin" of countless inventions (such as matches, zippers, vacuum cleaners, and pacemakers) and inventors (such as the chemist Mr. Nobel). What Olefsson and Sandrid said may help you clear up your confusion.
In Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, people are not born with a strong interest in exploring nature. Of course, they are not "born with an 'inventor's' brain", but rather "cultivate an innovative spirit from an early age." Social atmosphere and educational awareness have made Swedes often think about it in their "baby stage" - what kind of innovation can I do?
When a little girl named Anna was in junior high school, she discovered that the upward spraying faucet in the public drinking pool made it difficult for the water recipient to accurately fill the water into his or her own kettle. So, she made a hole in the middle of the ordinary kettle and installed a lid. In this way, people could easily drink water from shallow pools, and the problem that had been faced for many years was suddenly solved. It is such a seemingly ordinary little invention that won the grand prize in the Swedish "Finn upp" junior high school student invention competition. Now, the kettle has been successfully patented and has become a "big hit" in Swedish sporting goods stores.
In order to stimulate and encourage children's creativity and initiative, some schools in Sweden organize an "egg throwing" competition every year to determine the best egg thrower from a height of 25 meters without breaking it. method. The original organizer of the competition, inventor and entrepreneur Anders Rosen, wanted to use this unusual form of play to inspire children to find their own solutions to problems.
There are many innovation competitions like this in Sweden, and they are aimed at different age groups - there are "Light of Genius" for children, "Little Entrepreneurs" for primary school students, and There is a "Finn up invention competition" for junior high school students, and a "greenhouse" activity for college students. As long as you are willing to innovate, even if you are still very immature, you can easily find a suitable stage for you to "show off your talents".
In Sweden, an innovative education system that “starts at the age of 6 and runs throughout the entire school age” has been gradually established. "Inspirational education" supported by government funding is part of it.
This kind of education is aimed at children aged 6 to 12 years old, encouraging them to bring waste products from home into the classroom, dismantle them and reassemble them into new things, and encourage them to think about "what else can be made that has not been done before" something". This not only allows children to use their hands and minds, but also stimulates their potential to "break the rules". So far, there are more than 1,700 teachers in Sweden with "Inspiration Education" qualifications, covering more than 800 schools across the country.
The three-year "Finn upp" invention competition for junior high school students is a highlight of Swedish innovative education that cannot but be mentioned. It's called "Finn upp" because the Swedish verb for "invent" is "uppfinna".
This competition encourages students in grades 6 to 9 (i.e. 12 to 15 years old) to pay attention to the needs around them and work hard to turn their ideas into reality. The "Anna Kettle" mentioned just now stood out in this competition. In addition, other award-winning works in recent years include: a "convex" shaped car deicer, which has an extra handle compared to traditional deicers, making it easier for the user to exert force; a detachable compartment used in supermarket shopping trolleys, which is convenient Classified placement of food and chemical cleaning products...
Sofia Bjorkoviy, the organizer of this year’s competition, said that all these innovations did not involve advanced technology, but they made the children really I have clearly seen the miraculous changes that "good ideas" bring to life.
At Toviko Secondary School in Stockholm, "Who can invent a new musical instrument that has never been done before?" when 15-year-old Jacob, a student participating in this year's Finn upp, heard teacher Carl Evger When Lun said this sentence in class, he made up his mind, "I must come up with something new." So, he fixed a spring of different lengths on the empty biscuit barrel to form his "birthday cake drum."
Sager and Irene’s “Pot Catcher” is a complete “invention in the kitchen.”
Sage has two older brothers, and Yilin has a younger brother and a younger sister. However, these two 9th-grade girls are not squeamish at all and can cook for the whole family when needed. They were not skilled in cooking and found that when cooking porridge, the pot would often overflow due to excessive heat. This not only wasted food, but also made it difficult to clean the stove ring. After many attempts and continuous improvements, the two finally invented the "overflow catcher" that is placed around the pot to catch the porridge.
“Finn upp not only makes children more interested in technology and science, but also makes them feel the fun of invention and creation.” said Ivgren, the instructor who was an engineer. The survey showed that among Finn upp contestants, 77% of students felt that "science learning is more fun" and 62% of students said that "they want to learn more."
Although the "Birthday Cake Drum" and the "Overflow Catcher" are still in the embryonic theoretical stage, who dares to say that they will not become "daily necessities" in our lives in the future?
(Excerpted from "China Youth Daily")