Spark Your Student's Imagination: How a New Show Can Inspire Their Next Big Invention

In the 1980s and 1990s, the East Providence (Rhode Island) School Department witnessed a revolutionary shift in gifted education when elementary school teacher Linda Jane Maaia, in collaboration with Joe Renzulli, integrated the Renzulli Enrichment Triad Model into the district’s first gifted education program. Emphasizing the development of students' strengths, creativity, and dedication to tasks, laid the groundwork for educational practices that would focus on student-centric learning for the decades to come.

Growing up surrounded by an enriched educational environment, Linda's son Levi embarked on an academic and professional path that mirrored the core values of the Renzulli model. Twenty-five years later, Levi's pursuit of a PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara focused on maker education and resulted in a curriculum that harmonizes with Renzulli’s emphasis on student engagement and creativity.

Transitioning from academia to media, Levi directed "Pathways to Invention,” an award-winning documentary film premiering this month on PBS that highlights the effectiveness of a strength-based learning model. The film delves into the personal and professional spaces of diverse inventors, showing that the seeds of invention can flourish in anyone. In alignment with the Renzulli model, it is a celebration of the transformative power of fostering creativity and practical problem solving in students, empowering them to become practitioners in their respective fields.

Levi’s journey from a childhood surrounded by discussions of educational innovation to becoming a filmmaker reflects the powerful impact Joe Renzulli has had on shaping future innovators and thinkers.

Audiences are invited to explore this impactful documentary to see how learning models can ignite an innovative spirit across generations.

Visit pathwaystoinvention.org for details and a streaming link.