Creative Thinking and Innovation in Business Education. One teacher’s frustration Or how to get rid of those freakin’ cookies on market day

What is Creative Thinking? The nominations are in.  The ability to think of an idea which creates value.  The ability to think differently  Lateral Thinking  Entrepreneurial Thinking  Innovative Thinking  Out of the box thinking

And the Winner is……….  I do not know but I am going to find out

A challenge to year 7 and Year 8  Faced with growing demand after the opening, Starbucks decided that they needed to open a new coffee shop in the same city.  Their solution was unique and risky and had not been tried before and has not been used since.  Where did they open the new store?

Answer  Across the Road from each other

From my early research  Creative thinking involves challenging existing ideas.  Ask good questions. (Why is it done this way?) Inquiry?  Risk-Taking within agreed limits  No fear of Failure and to learn from it  Everyone can be creative it is not just artists or musicians

But First The problem wonderfully articulated and represented

Observations  The current educational paradigm is not appropriate for learning in 21 st century  We are educating kids out of their creativity as they pass through school  National Achievement Standards only exacerbate the problem of encouraging creativity in Business Education

Current Practice: The Market Day

And there is more

And yet more……

Where is the creativity?  Learners tend to take ages to decide on their product  Over ambitious?  On Selling is popular from the two dollar shop!  Food Glorious Food. That Freakin’ Cookie  Creativity is not part of the standard!

Forced Creativity on Market Day  No Food  No On selling of products from two dollar shop  No selling on the Market day. Taking orders  No posters or point of sale. All promotion activity online using Facebook and Twitter

Result  Students can’t think of anything!  NZ Apprentice. Woeful lack of creativity shown in a number of the tasks. Tourist Bus example  Creativity around Price – usually race to the bottom - Not sustainable (Unlike Apple and Cirque du Soleil)

How do companies do this?  Pixar  Starbucks  Apple

Pixar Allow employees to play pool

Pixar  Shared Lunch or Shared Hunch  Cars  Wall-e  Ratatouille  Monsters Inc

Starbucks: Break Out Rooms

Apple  Risk-Taking  IPOD. Idiots Price Our devices  IPAD. What is it for? (No Flash!)  The ability to anticipate future trends and deliver on them  TIME to discuss and generate new ideas

What do our classrooms look like?

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So what does a Creative Classroom look like?  From the T and L Guidelines 2010  The Physical environment should be experiential and co-operative through flexible use of space.  The classroom should assist in the transition to the workplace  Learn take risks, reflect and move forward

How do you do that on limited budget in a state school? Group Work? Moving furniture? More experiential learning? Use of Business Mentors?

Current ideas  Creativity is not spontaneous.  The Slow Hunch  Creativity happens in groups  Technology in the classroom can assist in creativity but only if the appropriate challenging tasks are set  Do not be afraid to challenge existing ideas

So what do we do?

Or  The Solution? The Solution?

Greater Use of Technology?  Mobile Phones to allow greater collaboration- searching and sharing?  Google Docs?  Wiki’s?  Face book?  Use of Laptop’s in class

Lets try to find a solution   Royal Society Fellowship for 2011