CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION LEARNING: EXPERIENCES AND METHODS

Innovation is a social need and therefore a key learning objective for all educational levels. This idea is widely recognised. At a political level, 2009 is the year of Creativity and Innovation as it has been approved by the European Parliament.
The characteristics of the innovation process are mainly considered as regards the development of strategies and methods for training and learning. Creativity is considered as the basis towards innovation. Therefore, some considerations have been taken into account as well as the set of relationships established with the artistic creation.
After these previous theoretical approaches, two experiences for training and learning innovation, known as CREA European Project (SOCRATES-MINERVA Programme) and CREALAB®-Workshop on Innovation (a training action of Universidad de Cadiz) are presented.

CREA (2001-2004) was a European project developed with the objective of promoting key competencies, especially creativity, in Secondary School. The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) was included as an essential tool. MINERVA European programme was intended with the integration of ICT in learning.
The essence of CREA was to organize an environment open to creativity not only outside the normal teaching activities but inside the daily practice. More than 50 creative activities were developed by teachers and students and a learning model, as a framework of the experience was established. This model is useful at university level.
Four years after the end of the project, the methodologies of CREA continue being put into practice in Secondary School (at EE and other schools). These outcomes are also presented.

CREALAB®-Workshop on Innovation is a training action in the framework of Continuing Training Programme of the University of Cádiz. The objectives of CREALAB are to perform innovation and learn the methods on how to devise it. It is addressed for universities and companies. The methodology structure, principles and outcomes are presented.

After the study of the experiences, some conclusion remarks will be presented in order to obtain the most important results and guidelines for future actions.