Innovation means creating something new or finding a better way to do something that already exists. When Thomas Edison developed the first practical light bulb, that was innovation: he didn't invent the idea of electric light, but he made it work well enough for regular people to use in their homes. When someone invents a new app that helps students organize their homework more easily, that's innovation too.

Innovation combines creativity with usefulness. Having a wild, imaginative idea is great, but innovation happens when you turn that idea into something real that solves a problem or improves people's lives. A student who figures out a faster method for solving math problems is innovating. A company that designs a wheelchair that works better on rough terrain is innovating.

An innovator is someone who creates innovations, and innovative describes something that shows originality and improvement. Scientists, engineers, artists, and entrepreneurs are innovators, but anyone can innovate by approaching old problems with fresh thinking. When your teacher asks you to think of an innovative solution to a challenge, she wants you to go beyond the obvious answers and create something that works better than what came before.