Learning to contribute: questioning the knowledge-first model

Kalle Juuti

Chapter 15 in Handbook of Teaching and Learning in Social Innovation, 2026, pp 234-247 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Young people worry about their future in a challenging world. Policy documents emphasize innovation and change-making, but current curricula often lack opportunities for students to address local and global issues. This chapter reflects on two teaching modules where pupils created social innovations to address everyday challenges and influence sustainability behavior. Through the “Everyday Challenges” and “Influencing Sustainability Behavior” modules, it is argued that diverse contemporary schools can provide students with opportunities to contribute to overcoming societal challenges while learning disciplinary knowledge. These modules demonstrate that integrating social innovation into education is feasible, allowing students to gain practical experience and make meaningful contributions to their communities. By engaging in these activities, students not only address real-world problems but also have opportunities to learn disciplinary knowledge.

Keywords: Invention; Knowledge; Design; Innovation; Primary School (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035318292
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035318308.00027 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:22637_15

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().