This document discusses innovation and creativity in education. It begins by noting that creativity is a capacity in all people, not just special individuals, and that creative thinking skills can be taught. Creativity is defined as growing hope through methodical steps beyond competence. The document then provides examples of how to teach abstraction skills to promote creativity, such as through palindromes, reversals, rearrangements, similes, analogies, and metaphors. It concludes by listing several references on creativity, innovation, and teaching methods.

1. Innovation & Creativity in Multiple Intelligent Ways
Amy Schlessman, Rose Operating System for Education® (R.O.S.E.®)
TESOL International Convention, Boston, MA
March 25, 2010
Why Innovation & Creativity Now?
Creativity is not simply a capacity of special people but a special capacity of all people.
– Ronald Carter, 2007
We can teach generic skills of creative thinking, just in the way we can teach people to read,
write, and do math. Some basic skills can free up the way people approach problems—skills of
divergent thinking, for example, which encourage creativity through the use of analogies,
metaphors, and visual thinking.
– Sir Ken Robinson as quoted by Azzam, 2009, p. 26
What is Innovation & Creativity?
Grows Hope
Method-ical
A Step Beyond Competence
(Kinghorn & Schlessman, 2010)
How do we Teach Innovation & Creativity?
Abstraction Skills
• Palindromes
• Reversals
• Rearrange
• Similes/Analogies

2. • Metaphors
(Rose Management Group, 2009)
REFERENCES
Amabile, T., & Hennessey, B. (1987). Creativity and learning: What research says to the teacher. National Education
Association. West Haven, Connecticut: Professional Library.
Azzam, A. (2009). Why creativity now? A conversation with Sir Ken Robinson. Educational Leadership, 67 (1).
Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/Why_Creativity_Now
%C2%A2_A_Conversation_with_Sir_Ken_Robinson.aspx
Carter, R. (2007). Language, creativity and classrooms. Plenary presented at Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
Languages, Seattle, WA.
Craft, A. (2000) Teaching creativity: Philosophy and practice. New York, New York: Routledge.
Craft, A. (2005) Teaching creatively in schools: Tensions and dilemmas. Abington, United Kingdom: Routledge.
Cremin, T. (2009). Teaching English effectively. New York, New York: Routledge.
Dave’s ESL Café. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.eslcafe.com/idioms/id-a.html
Flora, C. (2009). Everyday creativity. Psychology Today. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200910/everyday-creativity
Fun-with-words. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.fun-with-words.com/palindromes.html
Gardner, H. (2006). Five minds for the future. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Publishing.
Hennessey, B. & Amabile, T. (1987). Creativity and learning. Washington, DC: NEA
Kinghorn, E., Kinghorn, C., Hurtado, K., Capen, C., Shalek, I., Schlessman, A., Hurtado, P., & Kinghorn, C. (2010).
Intelligent education: A new set of standards for schooling in the U.S. Tucson, AZ: Rose Management Group. Retrieved
from http://www.rosemanagement.com/rosepublications/newsletters/2_ROSE_IE.pdf
Kinghorn, E. & Schlessman, A. (2010). Creativity thinkstorm. Retrieved from
http://www.rosemanagement.com/rosepublications/newsletters/CreativityThinkstorm.pdf
Markman, A., & Wood, K. (2009). Tools for innovation: The science behind the practical methods that drive new ideas.
New York, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
Rose Management Group (2009). Dig Into Abstractions. Retrieved from
http://www.rosemanagement.com/Intro_DigIntoAbstractions.html
Schlessman, A. (2003). President’s message: Creating Creativity. Essential Teacher, Winter 2003. Retrieved from
http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp?CID=101&DID=360
Sternberg, R., & Lubart, T. (1991). An investment theory of creativity and its development. Human Development. 34,
1-31.
Tomlinson, B. (2003). Developing materials for language teaching. London, United Kingdom: Continuum Publishing.
Torrance, E. (1981). Predicting the creativity of elementary school children. Gifted Child Quarterly. 25, 55-62.

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