Disney Imagination Campus Blog

2023 is the start of a new year, and the beginning of a fresh start to find new ways to make a difference in your student’s lives. What better way to start the new year off right than by bringing positivity, empowerment, and imagination to your curriculum? Here are a few ideas for your lesson planning:

1. Positivity

Be a positive motivation in your students’ lives.

Encourage them to believe that the world is at their fingertips – and that their dreams are the only limits to the possibilities in store.

With such positive and inspirational tenets leading your curriculum, you are sure to inspire students who take chances, dream big and have a confident, integrity-driven work ethic.

2. Empower your students

You have the power and the privilege to encourage your students to dream and consider any possibility. Empower your students to think creatively outside of the box to consider new and innovative ways to address problems in their community.

Hear your students as they voice solutions and prompt them in ways to bring these solutions to fruition. In all ways, your students should feel as if they are active participants in their learning journey. 

3. Incorporate diversity

Bringing people from diverse backgrounds together leads to a diversity of thought. And seeing the world from the perspective of others is paramount to improving each students’ experiences and successes.

Brainstorm ways that you can bring this to life in your classroom through projects that celebrate all students’ cultures. For example, bring students of different backgrounds together to come up with a solution to a classroom problem. Read literature across diverse cultures. Welcome guest speakers from a variety of backgrounds. View videos of different perspectives on the same historical event.

You can stimulate a broader understanding of the world by bringing many voices into your classroom conversation.   

4. Get to know your students

Your students should feel heard and valued in your classroom – not just by you, but by their fellow classmates as well.

Explore activities that allow you to get to know your students beyond their classroom work. Encourage them to share their interests and dreams for the future.

Your classroom can become a safe space where students feel comfortable to take risks and experiment in their learning journey.

5. Encourage imaginative thinking

You may be surprised by the creative ideas that your students bring to your classroom.

Try experimenting with new ways to gauge student learning goals and meet district requirements. Perhaps encourage students to devise their own way to demonstrate their academic achievements.

Consider new ways to test your students by challenging them to dream up solutions that benefit your classroom, school and community. With only their imaginations as the limit, you can really gauge how well your students have learned skills that translate across many disciplines.

6. Show students their potential

Your students are the next generation of scientists, CEOs, doctors, teachers and engineers.

Try bringing Guest Speakers to your classroom to show students potential career opportunities should they pursue a degree in your subject area.

These speakers can open a wealth of possibilities to students who might not realize the many ways that subject matter expertise can translate to real world application. Hearing from experts who work in a myriad of disciplines can make these careers accessible to your students who will become motivated to reach for their dreams.

7. Plan field experiences that take your students outside the classroom

Bring learning to life in a living laboratory – AKA, the real world.

Find places you can bring your students that can demonstrate learning goals in a real and tangible way.

Students can actually experience learning in action and realize the significance of the lessons they learn in the classroom.

Plus, your students will have a BLAST!

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Ready to learn more? Check out our workshops in Arts & Humanities, Science & Technology, Leadership & Innovation and Performing Arts at our East Campus in Walt Disney World and our West Campus in Disneyland Resort for a discovery of real-world application of these concepts in our popular Parks and Resorts. Sign up for our e-newsletter to stay up to date on all things Disney Imagination Campus and explore all our academic workshops to see how we inspire imagination-powered learning.