Knowledge-based economies are growing enormously which is leading to the rise of a new era that goes beyond knowledge consumption; that is, the era of knowledge innovation. For economies to thrive in the innovation age, an urgent need demands innovative learning institutions to develop and follow an innovation strategy – a strategy in which curriculum, instruction and assessment are radically transformed. However, to take the leap to innovation, such strategies need to consider cultivating an innovation culture among educators and learners. Here, a light will be shed on key drivers of innovation and how they can be incorporated to nurture an innovative culture in schools.

The way things currently stand in schools

Concisely, this is the current situation in many schools: Schools are setting achievement criteria, which focus on scoring higher grades in standardized tests, and are embracing uniformity. Moreover, the content of different subjects forms isolated islands that are not bridged to form meaningful associations. Lastly, creativity which is the stimulus of innovation is not perceived by schools as an innate potential in each learner. So how should things be in schools that cultivate an innovation culture? What do curriculum, instruction and assessment look like in an innovative context?

The way things should be in an innovative context

Let’s imagine how things would be, in an innovative context, in schools. In innovative schools, a teacher’s role is promoted to a facilitator’s role; namely, a role that requires the teacher to possess more leadership skills. The curriculum in these schools would be an interdisciplinary curriculum: one where teachers would have the autonomy to customize the curriculum based on personalized learning needs. Age-graded learning is one of the many other options where diffusion of learning into different forms results in parallel face to face and virtual learning platforms. With learning strategies having students at the center of the process, achievement projects, where being creative, dealing with real-world problems and reaching out to the community are essential evaluation gauges, would take over tests. Technology would make virtual innovative learning hubs a reality, where many schools will not exist on the ground. Learners can choose to learn anywhere, at any time and at any pace.

How do we get there?

“Imagination is the source of all human achievement” – Sir Ken Robinson. Transformations are instigated by wild imaginations. However, a wild imagination can set the scene but it cannot perform on stage: It takes imagination and a transformative mindset to put promising ideas like the ones mentioned above into action. So, what is the mindset that can cultivate an innovation culture in schools? A question that evokes a more significant one: What is the key to innovation and how can we cherish it in schools?

The following are the key drivers of innovation and the ways in which they can be nurtured in schools.

Curiosity

Are teachers curious enough to question the status quo in schools? Are they curious to know about the best practices in the field? In a nutshell, are they eager to explore everything new out there that is related to their profession? When it is down to practice, do teachers urge question-centered environments in the classroom? Teachers need to be inquisitive themselves in order to develop an inquiry mindset in their students. Following a personalized learning approach where students contribute to what and how they learn will evoke students’ curiosity. Rather than being knowledge vessels, learners should be critical thinkers and problem solvers, where they would explore and acquire knowledge and skills in the context of real-world problems. One of the most robust means to embed an innovative mindset is inquiry-based learning.

Break the rules

The notion of breaking the rules here refers to knocking closed doors down in order to discover new prospects. Are educators consistently using newfangled thinking? Genius hour, coding hour and flipped learning were not recognized in the education community because educators followed the norms. Let’s take another example: Technology has profoundly altered many aspects of education. In an innovation paradigm, learners could have learning sessions where virtual and augmented reality solutions, which can be incentives to their creativity, would take them beyond imagination. This is where mobile, blended and open learning takes place: Has any of these approaches being tried out? If not, then how can they be launched in schools? What else is ‘not in the book’ but can enhance the learning experience?

Collaboration

Literature has consistently linked social practice to learning processes: It emphasizes on learning in collaborative communities. But how is this linked to innovation? Collaboration has a significant effect on amplifying motivation and engagement; it opens up new possibilities and accelerates the process of connecting the dots. Furthermore, innovation teams will strive to validate the best techniques to implement their creative ideas, which represents the essence of innovation. Do collaborative cultures exist in schools? Are they extended beyond the school community to reach external stakeholders and learning communities in other schools? Is investing in technology to fertile the ground for such forms of virtual collaboration being considered?

Embrace the risk and the lessons of failure

It is not possible to discuss embracing risks and the lessons of failure without coming across the Dweck’s notion of Growth Mindset. Mindset is essential for an individual’s progression in life: It forms all beliefs about individuals’ intelligence, abilities and traits. These beliefs represent the boundaries for one’s achievements in life. People with a growth mindset believe they can go beyond their minds’ boundaries by perceiving intelligence as an ability that can be developed with practice. This shifts their focus to trying harder and changing their strategies to accomplish more. On the other hand, those with fixed mindsets believe that their intelligence is innate and fixed which results in being fragile in the face of challenges and failures. Do learners and teachers have a growth mindset? Is enough being done to maintain a growth mindset in schools? Is a safe learning environment that perceives failing as an opportunity to learn and grow being fostered?

To conclude, schools need to be aware of innovation’s substantial role in 21st-century education. Consequently, schools need to foster innovation by cultivating an innovation culture. This will transform schools’ practice to one where innovation is the norm. Understanding what drives innovation is what will develop and maintain the innovation culture in schools.