Session Information
09 SES 12 C, Assessing Students' Competencies and Attitudes
Paper Session
Contribution
Innovation is a buzzword all around the world and people pursue innovation which is seen as a precondition for general success and well-being. In business and management especially, but also in everyday life, people try to discover innovative ideas that can be used to produce innovative solutions (Sawyer 2007). There are new innovation centers in every country, and governments have published innovation strategies to promote innovations. It is not merely a question of material well-being, but mostly a question of the relationship between people and nature. Without e.g. changes in energy and consumption of raw materials people will not cope on the earth for long.
Ideas and the solutions are considered innovative if they are practical answers to certain needs (Lindfors 2010). To enable the use of new ideas and to invent better solutions people should be encouraged and supported to invent creative ways of doing things instead of taking routines and traditions for granted (Redström 2006). The task of education is to encourage pupils and students to develop themselves as future citizens who are willing and able to promote the well-being of the society.
The goals of this study include clarifying the concepts of innovation and innovation education in the pedagogical context and studying the Finnish national basic education outcome assessment data from innovation education point of view. The research question of this study is: How does basic education promote innovations? In the Finnish National Core Curriculum for basic education (2004) creativity is mentioned as a goal and content of in subject Crafts. It is the subject that highlights creativity and ideas are always implemented into practice by doing, making and creating. Design and technology are evident parts of the creative learning processes of Crafts. Crafts of the Finnish basic education refers mostly to craft, design and technology education in the Anglo-American countries, and e.g. innovation education in Iceland, and/or sloyd education in the other Nordic countries.
From its part innovation is a combination of implementing creative ideas, problem solving, expertise, knowledge and practical solutions made e.g. in material spaces, digital spaces, social spaces (Lindfors 2010). Creativity is a combination of a person’s cognitive processes, personal capacity and features as well as the influence of the environment (Csikszentmihályi, 1996; Sternberg & Lubart, 1999.) A theory of problem solving and heuristic models (Newell & Simon, 1972) explain the different phases and steps of a problem-based activity. Different types of knowledge and their application in the form of expert knowledge and novice knowledge (Boden, 1992) explain the ways in which people try to create a solution for some purpose. A need to alter the praxis will come to light, when people are not satisfied with a specific situation or when there is a will to do something in different manner than before, e. g. more simply, or with smaller resources. Ideas are absolutely necessary but alone not a sufficient condition for the birth of an innovation. Ideas must be developed further into practical solutions that will alter the practice (Lindfors 2010).
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Boden, M. A. 2004. The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms. London: Routledge. Core Curriculum 2004. National core curricula for basic education 2004. Finland. Retrieved 1 February 2013 from http://www.oph.fi/ops/english/POPS_net_new_4.pdf. Csikszentmihalyi, M. 1996. Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. New York: Harper Collins. Hilmola, A. 2011. Käsityö. [Crafts] In s. Laitinen, A. Hilmola & M.-L. Juntunen (eds.) Perusopetuksen musiikin, kuvataiteen ja käsityön oppimistulosten arviointi 9. vuosiluokalla. [National Learning Outcome Assessment in Arts and Crafts Complemented in 9th grade of the Finnish Basic Education] Opetushallitus [The Finnish National Board of Education]. Koulutuksen seurantaraportit [Reports] 2011:1, 158-237. Lepistö, J. 2011. Tyttöjen ja poikien käsityötaito - totta vai tarua [Girls’ and Boys’ Craft – Fact or Myth] In S. Laitinen & A. Hilmola (eds.) Taito- ja taideaineiden oppimistulokset. - asiantuntijoiden arviointia [Learning Outcomes in Arts and Crafts – Expert Evaluations]. Opetushallitus [The Finnish National Board of Education]. Raportit ja selvitykset [Reports] 2011:11. Lindfors, E. 2010. Innovation and user−centred design in the pedagogical context. In J. Sjøvoll & K. Skogen (Eds.) Creativity and Innovation. Preconditions for entrepreneurial education. Trondheim:Tapir Akademisk Forlag, 53–63. Newell, A. & Simon H. A. 1972. Human problem solving. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. Redström, J. 2006. Towards user design? On the shift from object to user - the subject of design. Design Studies 27, 123–139. Sawyer, K. 2007. Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration. New York: Basic books. Sternberg, R. & Lubart , T. 1999. The Concept of Creativity. Prospects and Paradigms. In Sternberg, R. (eds.) Handbook of Creativity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 3-15.
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