“THE WHAT” of IMAGINATION, CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION.

Unless we have had our head under a rock for the last 5 years, all teachers, principals and education system leaders are acutely aware of the current movement to transform schools from 19^th century to 21^st century hothouses of innovation. Yes, I know, we are already 1/8^th into it!

The ‘school transformation movement’ requires students to use their imagination and creativity to become more and more innovative. But, if “teachers make the difference”, I have some questions????

• Do teachers know what imagination is?
• Do schools, systems have a shared understanding of what creativity is?
• Are education systems open to the concept of innovation?

Through the glorious Twitter network, I was introduced to a website which contained a fantastic 8 minute video featuring Sir Ken Robinson exploring each of these terms. It can be found at…. http://www.wobi.com/wbftv/ken-robinson-creativity-and-imagination

In short….

IMAGINATION is….

• The “Well Spring” in all of us.
• the extraordinary power, to bring to mind things that are not yet created or developed.
• Possibilities for the future.

Sir Ken warns, “You can imagine all day but if you don’t DO anything with it, it (imagination) is useless.”

 CREATIVITY is….

• Putting your imagination to work.
• Informally… it is “applied imagination”
• Formally, “It is the process of having original ideas that have value.”
• Creativity can occur anywhere; work, home, family and of, course, subjects/learning at school.

 INNOVATION is….

• Simply “putting good ideas into practise.
• “To innovate, you have to have a process of creativity and to have that you have to foster and encourage imagination.”
• But, “You can’t go straight to it.”

Sir Ken also states, “A lot of companies are interested in innovation, and they are right to be because the world’s is changing so quickly.” Essentially, this is why innovation in schools is so important. Firstly, the companies, businesses and organisations that our students/your children will join tomorrow, will need to be innovative or they won’t be around. Secondly, “the world is changing so quickly.”

In summary, if schools can foster the process of imagination leading to creativity which results in innovation, then schools are making the transformation required to properly prepare students for the world which awaits them. BUT HOW????? That is a blog post of the future.