FRAN SCOTT:OK, when I say the word inventor, what sort of image comes into your mind?
EMILY CUMMINGS:When I think young people think about inventors or what is an inventor I think that they think of old, maybe, men in their garden sheds with their crazy hair.
ROB SMITH:I think probably people think of some sort of mad scientist with big hair and lab coat.
FIONA FAIRHURST:People with glasses, grey hair…
MARK CHAMPKINS:Wallace, from Wallace and Gromit - and contraptions.
DAN WATSON:I think people have this idea that you get people in like a garden shed sort of they're in there like with hammers and nails and screws.
MARK WEMYSS-HOLDEN:When people talk about inventors it's, something pops into my head which is this picture here, which is a guy called Doc Brown.
YUSUF MUHAMMAD:I even think about Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang. And I think of the guy living in a windmill with his invention that makes his breakfast for him in the morning.
MARK CHAMPKINS:Maybe a man, a bald man, bit like me. Maybe with a spinning bow tie but someone quite eccentric.
MONIQUE ANDERSON:People normally think of a crazy man. Sometimes. Like maybe in a science lab, working on some crazy project.
MONIQUE ANDERSON:But in reality is completely different, I think.
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘inventor’?
An old crazy man in a lab coat?
Wallace and Gromit?
Doc Brown from 'Back to the Future'?
Fran and the inventors she meets describe what they think of when they hear the word 'inventor'.
This clip is from the series You Too Can Be an Absolute Genius.
Teacher Notes
This could be used as part of a creative session to write down as many collective thoughts and descriptions of what an inventor is.
This clip could be used standalone or in conjunction with the next clip to show the young Houghton inventor boys.
The main learning outcome would be to differentiate the term inventor from other creative terms like painter and sculptor for example.
Curriculum Notes
This clip is suitable for teaching Design & Technology at KS2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2nd level in Scotland.
More from You Too Can Be an Absolute Genius:
Developing ideas for inventions. video
Fran interviews inventors about the importance of producing prototypes and developing their designs.
Inspiration for inventions. video
Fran meets the young inventors of two products that have helped solved common everyday problems.
Testing inventions. video
Fran meets inventor Yusuf Muhammad who discusses the importance of a trial with real people to find any flaws in the prototype.
The importance of persistence when inventing. video
Fran meets inventor Dan Watson and looks at the importance being persistent with your invention and not giving up.
What is an invention? video
Fran Scott speaks to young inventors of a teacup-style bathroom plug and a shark-skin swimsuit about how they developed their ideas.
What makes a good inventor? video
Fran looks at what makes a good inventor. She meets Sam and Benjamin, who show her one of their inventions.
