There are undoubted links between creativity and innovation and both are at the heart of D&T. But what is the difference? Generally creativity precedes innovation in that it is the moment of inspiration, while innovation is the period of transformation. Therefore, in one way, innovation can be considered as the implementation of creativity, linking one to the other as part of a continuum.

Innovation is, however, critical to the creative D&T experience, and Professor Richard Kimbell’s ‘Assessment of Innovation Project’ has neatly defined the means for both recognizing and potentially assessing innovation, through the recognition of a pupils ability to have ideas, grow ideas and importantly prove these ideas.

A key part of any innovation is the ability to reconcile tensions with the problems experienced, and this invariably means dealing with and engaging with others, possibly as part of a team. This type of activity has typically been missing in many D&T classrooms, but as exam boards begin to recognize that much of the coursework that takes place in D&T is often contrived, opportunities are increasing for pupils to be innovative and creative.

So answer the following questions and reflect on whether you are encouraging innovation:

- What percentage of activities do pupils work in groups?

- What percentage of activities encourage open-ended opportunities?

If the answers to these two questions are less than 40%, the balance may be wrong.

To recognize and achieve innovation in your classroom is really quite simple and straightforward, starting with three simple changes:

First, adopt the criteria for recognizing innovation and assess pupils purely on these, namely: having ideas, growing ideas and proving ideas.

Second, create a fruitful context for the innovation to take place. The length of time for the activity is down to personal choice and can be anything from a single lesson to a series of lessons.

Finally, a key part of this is encouraging teamwork and communities of practice. This can either be in the ideas stage, helping the ideas grow, or throughout the activity. Just by adopting these three simple steps you will begin to see big differences both in pupil motivation and creative and innovative outcomes.

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