Innovation and creativity are fundamental to all academic disciplines and educational
activities, not just the arts. The creative process is a critical component of making sense of learning experiences.
Innovation can be broadly thought of as new ideas, new ways of looking at things, new methods or products that have value. Innovation contains the idea of output, of actually producing or doing something differently, making something happen or implementing something new. Innovation almost always involves hard work;
persistence and perseverance are necessary as many good ideas never get followed through and developed.
Creativity is an active process necessarily involved in innovation. It is a learning habit that requires skill as well as specific understanding of the contexts in which creativity is being applied. The creative process is at the heart of innovation and often the words are used interchangeably.
According to Kampylis and Berki (2014, p. 6):
Creating a culture of creativity in schools and classrooms
We are all born with a creative instinct and all people have creative potential. Young
children naturally engage in play – a state when the imagination is used
to ‘try out’ situations and possibilities. A cardboard box becomes a car, grass becomes
food, a toy comes alive. As children mature and move through their school career,
creativity can be stifled as an unintended consequence of other pressures. In schools it's good to create an environment that supports creativity and innovation among the students.