Promoting Creativity and Innovation through Lifelong Learning

1
Promoting Creativity and Innovation through
Lifelong Learning Reijo Aholainen, European
Commission, DG Education and Culture
2
About Creativity and Innovation

• Imagination is more important than knowledge
• Albert Einstein
• Innovations never happen as planned.
• Gifford Pinchot
• Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The
  arrogance of success is to think that what you
  did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.
• William Pollard

3
Social and economic background

• Economic challenge
• Innovation is the key for long-term growth in a
  knowledge economy.
• Global challenge
• Climate change, energy, pollution, water, health,
  safety
• Need for new sustainable responses and soon!
• Demographic and social challenges
• Ageing population and increasing immigration
• Innovative developments for social services.
• Technological change
• Cumulative growth of knowledge and information
• Information and Communication Technologies
• Creative Industries

4
2) Creativity is the infinite source of
innovation

• Creativity is about thinking and behaviour
• Imaginative, original and purposeful work with
  value
• Combined with knowledge, skills and attitudes
• Creativity concerns all fields
• Arts, Culture, Design, Science, Technology,
  Business...
• Requires open environment
• All people have creative capacities
• Creativity can be encouraged, supported and
  improved, but not imposed

5
3) Innovation is putting ideas to practice, to
the market

• Human competences - knowledge, skills and
  creativity - are the major source of innovation
• All fields are concerned
• High tech and Non-tech
• Private and public
• Open innovation is complementing RD
• Growing role of cities and regions
• Economic growth and competitiveness
• Human and social capital
• Talent, Technology and Tolerance

6
EU and OECD joint definition

• INNOVATION
• A new or significantly improved product (good or
  service), or process, a new marketing method, or
  a new organizational method, business practice,
  workplace organization or external relations
• (Oslo Manual, OECD 2006)

7
A Broad-based Innovation Strategy for the EU
(2006)

• Covers innovation in all sectors, private and
  public
• Innovation-friendly environment
• Education as a pre-condition
• Potential of the Internal Market
• Consumer confidence with protective regulation
• Cooperation between stakeholders
• Financial boost to research and innovation
• Innovation-driven lead-markets
• Better European governance for innovation

8
Human Capital and Innovation Skills

• Learning and knowledge-creation skills crucial
• Skills needs change and vary
• Soft skills important for all innovation
• Learning to learn, problem solving,
  decision-taking, critical thinking
• Communication skills, social skills, cultural
  competences
• Entrepreneurial skills, sense of initiative, risk
  assessment,
• Absorptive capacity, a key to performance
• Recognizing the value of new information,
  assimilating and to applying
• Digital competence
• Key to employment, social services and active
  citizenship

9
The Knowledge Triangle Innovation, Education
and Research
Innovation
Knowledge triangle
Education
Research
10
4) Education and training for promoting
creativity and innovation

• Education provides knowledge, skills and
  competences for innovation
• Education and research produce new knowledge
• Education and training can foster creativity
  which is the ultimate source of innovation
• Partnerships and networks support innovation in
  education and training

11
All levels of education can promote creativity
and innovation

• Cultivation of all forms of intellect quality
• Linguistic, mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic,
  interpersonal
• Soft skills support creativity and innovation
• Learner-centred approaches respect different
  learners equity
• Exploitation of ICT for learning
• Supportive learning environment
• Partnerships and Networks

12
One qualification rarely provides all innovation
skills needed in working life

• Type of Innovation Core Skills
• Product and Technological Innovation Scientific
  and technological
• Engineering
• Design and Packaging
• Market and User Research
• Process Innovation Technical
• Project Management
• Organisational and Workflow Design
• Interaction and Relationship Management
• Organisational Innovation Opportunity
  Recognition
• Systems Design
• Leadership
• Communication
• Marketing, Delivery and Interface Innovation
  ICT Systems Development
• Web Design and Content
• Data Analysis
• Language and Communication

13
Higher Education for creativity and innovation

• Excellence in education and research
• Scientific knowledge and research skills
• Encouragement of creative thinking
• Partnerships and global cooperation
• Co-operation, mobility and networking
• Knowledge brokerage, transmission of research
  results
• Entrepreneurial university
• Triple Helix model of innovation

14
EU Recommendation on Key Competencies for
Lifelong Learning

• Communication in the mother tongue
• Communication in foreign languages
• Mathematical competence and basic competences in
  science and technology
• Digital competence
• Learning to learn
• Social and civic competences
• Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship and
• Cultural awareness and expression.
• Recommendation of the European Parliament and of
  the Council on Key competences for lifelong
  learning, 18 December 2006

15
4) Innovation and creativity for improving
lifelong learning

• Learning requires motivation and confidence
• Learning as a cognitive process
• motivating curiosity
• utilising various learning approaches and methods
• learning is social
• Modern learning uses the ICT potential
• Partnerships and networks as learning tools
• Encouraging learning environment

16
Re-think schools and education

• Curricula clear objectives and flexible
  implementation
• Supportive student assessment and feedback
• Teacher cooperation
• Supportive learning culture and environment
• School as a learning organisation
• Wider school autonomy with accountability

17
Full use of ICT as a learning tool

• ICT can make a positive impact on learning
• Both on quality and on equity, but the digital
  divide risk has to be addressed!
• Learning habits (of the young) are changing
• ICT and social software grow rapidly with Web 2.0
• Internet, Google, Wikipedias, YouTube, Delicious,
  etc.
• Innovative learning with new technologies
• New contents, methods, tools and spaces
• Collaborative learning and learning communities
• User-centred learning and online services enhance
  eLearning as a teaching approach

18
5) European Year of Creativity and Innovation
2009

• The overall objective is to promote creativity
  and innovation in society and economy
• in particular in and through learning
• Awareness raising
• events, information and initiatives
• Promote policy debate
• At European, national, regional and local levels

19
European Year of Creativity and Innovation

• Covers all creative and innovative sectors of
  society
• Including arts and culture, design, fashion,
  science, business, enterprise, regions,
  industries, services, technologies, etc.
• Decentralized structure and networking
• At European, national, regional and local level
• Invites all interested to participate, organize
  and act
• Networking and partnerships
• Excellent opportunities to associate with
• No specific funding
• But there are resources when there is will

20
Happy New Year 2009 !