Learning for innovation/creativity

Generally, it is considered that Innovation and creativity can not be taught in the classroom. However, it is a misconcept similar to the more popular misconcept that, “Innovation and creativity are something innate and cannot be learned”. Classrooms can provide an environment that challenges students to be creative and innovative. A diverse classroom with cultural, economic, spatial and temporal diversity is an ideal place for ideation, due to wide variety of views to look to any challenge.

Design thinking which one of the more popular process of creativity and innovation is widely taught in universities and organizations as an academic course/ training course. This has proved to be very useful in raising innovation/ creative quotients of participants.

(Design Thinking Diagram: Pictures Reference1)

Learning to enhance Creativity/ Innovation requires following ingredients:

Project / Problem based learning
Diversity of students/ participants
Define problem with user’s perspective (Associating / Questioning/ Observing Phase)
All possible ideas must be considered at the time of ideation. (Ideation Phase)
Better ideas, which addresses most of user concern should be converted to prototype by small team of students. These prototypes may be in forms of Games, Mindmaps, illustrations or visual/ Aural stories. (Experimentation Phase)
These protype implementation of good ideas must be tested in association with target user group. (Testing Phase)
At every moment of this process comprehensive feedback from all concerned is a must. (Networking Phase)

Gamification of learning itself leads to high amount of creativity and leads to innovation in several cases. The Active learning process boost creativity of students, especially if we involve them in formulation of syllabus, setting up few question of end semester question papers and organization of activities like “Ideathon”.

It needs to redesign curriculum with stress on creating diverse project teams, exposing students to different cultures especially foreign cultures, built on different ethos and thought process. Students must be taught to be ready for failure and use it as a tool in the process of creativity and innovation.

A case Study: Scamper technique for creativity and Innovation

Scamper technique is one of the easiest techniques to promote creativity, which can be taught in classroom. It is one of the most direct methods. The SCAMPER technique is based simply on the fact that what is new is actually a modification of existing old things around us. This gradual process of innovation leads to high amount of creativity after few iterations. This method has been successfully deployed in classroom to improve creativity of students.

References:

Pictures (Web Links):

1. Lego Serious Play in education (Source: Flickr–based on Some Rights Reserved copyrights)

Research Papers and Online Contents:
1. Reimers-Hild & King (2009). Six questions for entrepreneurial leadership and innovations in distance education. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. Extracted from http://www.westga.edu/~

2. Ryshke, R. (2012) What schools can do to encourage innovation. Extracted from http://rryshke.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/what-schools-can-do-to-encourage-innovation/

3. Simmons, E. (2012) Rewarding Teaching Innovations. Extracted from http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2012/04/18/essay-how-colleges-can-encourage-professors-innovate-teaching

4. The Innovator’s DNA,” Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen (https://hbr.org/2009/12/the-innovators-dna)

5. 10 Tips to Achieve Creativity and Innovation in Education (https://www.designorate.com/creativity-innovation-in-education/)

6. A guide to the Scamper Technique for creative thinking (https://www.designorate.com/a-guide-to-the-scamper-technique-for-creative-thinking/)