Creativity in Education Essay

A train day with yeastyness at the heart of the skill process tout ensembleow for benefit by increasing the motivation of module and school-age childs, says former head, Dave Weston. In this article and scale study, he shows the way to to a greater extent chimerical go ab break throughes to image planning seminal thinking is the defeat of habit by victority Arthur Koestler Many give lessons go awayers and seeers realise that is direct time to sign on much control over the computer programme and to complicate a greater stress on inventiveness in the skill and direction process.During the give way five years, headteachers take away pullulateed the confidence to take innovative and imaginative draw ne bes to syllabus planning and school organisation. This is due to rough encouragement from primeval government in the light of recent perceived improvements in simple literacy and numeracy standards and to the realisation that a wider and to a greater ex tent exciting curriculum poop lead to greater levels of motivation for completely in in either pupils and staff. fictive thinking and innovation have now been legitimised by the DfES and primary schools argon cloakively encouraged to fracture originative ideas and actions promoting productiveness is a powerful way of engaging pupils with their skill chastity and Enjoyment DfES 2003 (page 31) What is creativity? creative thinking is often associated with the seminal arts save in reality it is certainly not unique to the arts. It can be seen and identified in all aspects of the arts, humanities, sciences, maths and technology. The matter programme handbook (1999) included creativity within the section on thinking skills.It verbalise that notional thinking skills en satisfactory pupils to generate and extend ideas, to suggest hypotheses, to fancy imagination and to serve for alternative innovative outcomes. Didnt we always teach it? Creativity was taught in t he 1970s and 1980s, often done topic- ground projects, but in that respect was a lack of accountability, detailed planning and thoroughness. Much of this perceived creativity disappe atomic number 18d in the 1990s as it did not fit into a strategic box and schools thought that in that location was not time for it and that such an border on was not valued by central government.The difficulty in mensuration the success of a fanciful uprise to primary learning and teaching gave our pedagogy system many problems. As a result headteachers, down the stairs the pressures of Ofsted inspection and statistical league tables, became reluctant to take risks with the curriculum. However, more recently this situation has started to change, especially with the learning of the creative partnership schemes. The Reggio genus Emilia approach The success of the Reggio Emilia approach to archaean years education has influenced supposition and institutionalise in the popularwealth of crea tivity in primary education.In schools in Reggio Emilia at that place is an innovative staffing grammatical construction with each beforehand(predicate) years centre having an atelierista (a specially trained art teacher) who races well with the classroom teachers. In Italy in the primary sector in that respect is real teacher autonomy with no national curriculum or associated achievement tests. In Reggio Emilia the teachers bring skilled observers and they routinely divide responsibilities, so that one can systematically observe and record conversations in the midst of children spell the opposite is teaching the class.Teachers from several schools few(a)times piddle and learn together and this contributes to the culture of teachers as learners. The learning surroundings is crucial in the Reggio Emilia approach and classrooms often have courtyards, wall-sized windows and easy access to stimulating open-air(prenominal)sy areas. each classroom has large spaces for g roup activities and specially designed areas for pupils and staff to interact. Display areas are large and stimulating and reflect the creativity of the children.Teachers in early years settings in Reggio often refer to the learning surroundings as a third teacher as just about centres are small with just two classroom teachers. The curriculum is project-based and in that location are numerous opportunities for creative thinking and exploration. The teachers run away on topics with small groups of pupils maculation the rest of the class work on self-selected activities. Projects are often open-ended and on that pointfore curriculum planning is flexible and is neartimes teacher-directed and sometimes child-initiated.This ism is inspiring and can be partially transferred to the different framework of the British primary school. Whole-school approach to using creativity For school leaders the starting line step in evolution a creative school is the boost of a whole-school approach. Creativity is not an add-on and it cannot be imposed by the headteacher. There accepts to be discussion, involvement and ownership. The debate should be based around some of the following points taking control of the curriculum by the school.the creation of a school with creativity at the heart of the learning process enhancing the motivation for staff and pupils fostering the maestro festering of all the staff, both teaching and non-teaching involving governors and parents in a whole-school approach to creativity and presentation how this philosophy supports school improvement and tall standards of achievement getting the pupils tangled in school issues (regarding the curriculum and the learning, perhaps with the school council). How does your school measure up?So how far has your school got in stand uping a creative approach to learning and teaching? Ask yourself have you discussed the freedoms of developing a curriculum appropriate for your school? Does your sch ool development and improvement plan take account of creativity in learning and teaching styles? Is creativity a part of your staff development class? Is the governing body committed to promoting creativity throughout the school? Is there a nominated governor abstruse in this approach? How problematic are the pupils in discussing the curriculum and in a creative approach to learning and teaching?Does your school carefully plan visits to galleries and projects involving artists and crafts populate? Are creative successes evaluated in the SEF? Does your school celebrate and gain ground creativity to a wider auditory sense? Celebrating creativity Creativity should be celebrated and the school should consider aspect for outside accreditation through the liberal artsmark scheme. seminal successes should be carefully evaluated, highlighted in the SEF and showcased to parents and the biotic community.stave should be empowered to design activities within the curriculum which are exc iting, motivating and relevant to theirschool and pupils. Once these seeds are sown, creativity impart flourish. exemplar study do our school a more creative environment At the primary school where I was headteacher, we recognised that the curriculum had become unbalanced and that we were spending too much of the timetabled day on side of meat and maths. faculty kept saying that too little time was organism devoted to the arts and humanities. This imbalance was having an effect on the motivation of some pupils, especially in socio-economic classs 5 and 6 and on the trading satisfaction of the staff.Like every school, we were very anxious to principal(prenominal)tain high standards in English and maths and to ensure that our KS2 SATs results were sober. However, we decided that we were fairly stiff in the core curriculum and that the time had come to reclaim the curriculum. thus we retrospected our whole-school curriculum plan and looked at all the ways we could make our school a more creative and exciting environment. The aspects of school life we reviewed were as follows encouraging a more flexible approach to the timetabledeveloping the school causal agency to link in with the outdoor curriculum. We decided that the school grounds were under-used as a learning environment. Therefore each curriculum coordinator was wedded over the opportunity to have a part of the grounds as an outdoor curriculum area to support real learning in that area. Staff came up with lots of imaginative ideas such as Music developing an outdoor music racetrack with differing instruments hanging from trees and fences. Geography developing an orienteering trail around the edge of the field.Art developing an outdoor sculpture area with a clay model from every pupil. Languages playground signs and rules in differing languages. apprehension developing an environmental area with a pond, seating in the put to work of different animals and insects. Design and technolog y one of the most successful creative projects was the development of a courtyard on the theme of containers. Each of our 11 classes chose a different type of container (Reception chose old wellington boots while Year 6 chose a large tractor tyre) and in the summer they were decorated and implanted up.Supporting the Foundation Stage curriculum with exciting outdoor areas and incorporating some of the Reggio Emilia approaches to early learning. The school decided it was historic to give the early years staff the confidence to develop an exciting integrated curriculum based on the needs of new-fashioned pupils quite a than on the formalise curriculum. Bringing in artists and craft workers to give pupils to work with adults with different skills. Each year we decided to bring artists into the school so every pupil had the opportunity to work with a real artist at some time during their primary school career.This was an expensive approach but worthy as often the skills of the art ists inspired school staff to try unexampled ideas and therefore provided a professional development aspect to their work. Celebrating the different languages in our school. As our school was very keen on teaching MFL to all the KS2 pupils we decided to celebrate all the languages of our school by designing a mural which showed pupils from all the countries involved saying hello in their habitation language.Our pupils decided that on the mural the pupils from the different countries should have hats showing the pivot of their country. The large mural was painted by the pupils with the support of a professional artist and is now proudly on display by the debut to the school office. Developing the confidence and role of the art coordinator. Enhancing the motivation of some pupils and giving greater ownership of the learning process to the staff. Getting involved in the productive Partnerships scheme to get access to support and resources. intro 1. The HMIE bill Emerging Good Pra ctice in Promoting Creativity promulgated in March 2006 gathered evidence from inspections of pre-school centres, primary and fosterary schools and community learning and development to happen upon and analyse emerging smashing practice in promoting creativity, and provide advice on a cheat of issues related to creativity including learning and teaching, legal opinion, and current practice in evaluating success in promoting creativity. 2.The economical Executive teaching method plane section has agreed to supplement the HMIE report by providing a brief overview of some key national policy developments and early(a) go-aheads crossways the UK promoting creativity in education. The aim is to help educators and policy makers by play up some important advice and other support to encourage good practice. The paper is not however a comprehensive review. The bibliography is intended to advocate those who wish to explore further the issues discussed. Creativity, Culture and pr ocreation ( educations in England) 3.Although direction on England, the National Advisory Committee on Creative and ethnical bringing ups (NACCCE) report All Our Futures Creativity Culture and Education has proved influential on sequent efforts to get up creativity in education elsewhere in the UK. 4. The NACCCE was established in 1998 to make recommendations to the consequently Secretary of State for Education and function and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and brag on the creative and ethnical development of offspring peck through formal and informal education to take stock of current supply and to make proposals for principles, policies and practice. The Committee was chaired by Professor Ken Robinson and its report was create in 1999. 5. The report idiomed that all children and young pack can benefit from developing their creative abilities and this should be seen as a normal function of education. Creativity can be developed in all areas of the school curric ulum including the sciences as well as the expressive arts. As discussed later in this paper, the NACCEs definition of creativity was adopted as part of subsequent endeavors in Northern Ireland and Scotland. (A summary of the reports general advice on teaching for creativity is contained in the annex to this paper.)The NACCEs report was welcomed by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Department for Culture Media and Sport. Although the regime did not implement all of the reports recommendations with regard to the National Curriculum in England, many elements were taken forrad. For instance, the report led instantaneously or indirectly to important initiatives such as Creative Partnerships and Artsmark. 6. Creative Partnerships is a government-funded national initiative operating in 36 of the most disadvantaged areas in England and designed to inning sustainable relationships between schools, creative individuals and organisations.It aims to transform the aspirati ons and achievements of young people the approaches and attitudes of teachers and schools the practices of creative practitioners and organisations who wish to work in schools. 7. Starting with the needs of schools and young people, creative practitioners work crossways and beyond the curriculum, animating the classroom and finding new ways for teachers to teach and young people to learn. through and through the development of projects of varying scales, creative practitioners, teachers and young people work together as equal partners to place creativity at the heart of learning.8. Artsmark is a recognition scheme for schools arts supplying conduce by Arts Council for England and back up by DCMS. The scheme encourages schools to increase the range of arts that are provided to children in schools and raises the profile of arts education. (Further experience on Creative Partnerships and Artsmark can be accessed through the links provided in the bibliography. ) 9. The educational debate has moved forward considerably since the NACCCE report was impressed and there is now a much wider acceptance that a broad and enriching curriculum goes hand in hand with high standards.Since family line 2000, schools have been running(a) with a more flexible National Curriculum with greater emphasis on the need for creative and cultural education. There are hardcore references to the immenseness of creative and cultural education in the aims for the curriculum and there are explicit references to creativity encouraging pupils to use their imagination and look for innovative outcomes. The Schools White Paper, Schools Achieving Success, launched in September 2001 raised the term of creativity and the arts by pledging to provide a range of surplus opportunities for creativity and curriculum enrichment.10. DfES also hosted the Creativity and Cultural Enrichment working pigeonholing (CACE) from May 2001 to Oct 2003. This working group was set up in reaction to the NACC CE report as a cross-agency reference group with a bring in focus on creativity and cultural enrichment. The idea was to share information across various agencies and departments, to provide updates on key policy initiatives and projects and act as a source of new ideas. 11.CACE has now been superseded by subsequent work such as the Qualifications and Curriculum Authoritys (QCA) initiative Creativity Find it, Promote it and Creative Partnerships which have make up the knowledge base of creativity in education and helped spread good practice. QCA promotes creativity as an integral part of all National Curriculum subjects and identified the characteristics of creative thinking and behaviour including Questioning and challenging conventions and assumptions devising inventive connections and associating things that are not usually related Envisaging what might be imagining seeing things in the minds eye.Trying alternatives and fresh approaches, guardianship options open Reflecting critically on ideas, actions and outcomes QCA advises that, with minimal changes to their planning and practice, teachers can promote pupils creativity. 12. QCAs Creativity Find it Promote it, and Arts Alive websites shows how to exploit the impact of creativity and the arts in the curriculum, identifies best practice and provides case study examples for teachers containing practical suggestions in promoting creativity and the arts across the curriculum 13.OFSTED the inspectorate for children and learners in England carried out a survey identifying good practice in the promotion of creativity in schools (Expect the Unexpected Developing Creativity in Primary and Secondary Schools published in 2003). They appoint that there was by and large high quality in creative work. Any barriers that existed could be belabor if teachers are committed to the promotion of creativity, possess good subject knowledge and a sufficiently broad range of pedagogical skills to foster creativity in a ll pupils, whatever their ability. The active support of senior anxiety is also important.OFSTED emphasised that the creativity observed in pupils is not associated with a radical new pedagogybut a giveingness to observe, listen and work closely with children to help them develop their ideas in a purpose-built way. The report can be accessed here. 14. The latest development in England is an independent review on Nurturing Creativity in Young People jointly licensed by DCMS and DfES to inform the basis of the Governments future policy on creativity. The review was led by Paul Roberts, Director of dodge from IdeA (Improvement and Development Agency). The review team published their report in July 2006.This provides a framework for creativity starting with Early Years, developing through mainstream education and leading to pathways into the Creative Industries. The report also set out what more the Government can do to nurture young peoples creativity. Particular issues discussed include the role of partnerships between schools and the creative and cultural sector, the development of a new Creative Portfolio to celebrate each young persons creative achievements and creating spaces for creative activity through the mental synthesis Schools for the Future the school estate redevelopment programme.The Government testament publish a response to the creativity review report and an action plan in Autumn 2006. Unlocking Creativity (Developments in Northern Ireland) 15. Following his work with the NACCE, Professor Ken Robinson chaired a Creativity in Education Working assembly in Northern Ireland. The Working Group was a cross-cutting initiative by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) the Department for Education (DE) the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) and the Department of spiriteder and Further Education, readying and Employment (DHFETE) (now known as the Department for Employment and Learning DEL).The aim was to develop a co-ordinated strategy for the development to the full of the creative and cultural resources of the people of Northern Ireland. The result of this work was the consultation report Unlocking Creativity A Strategy for Development published in 2000. 16. The report adopts the definition of creativity contained in the NACCE report Imaginative activity fashioned so as to produce outcomes that are both original and of value. Creative processes have quartette characteristics. First, they always involve thinking or behaving imaginatively.Second, this imaginative activity is purposeful that is, it is directed to achieve an neutral. Third, these processes must generate something original. Fourth, the outcome must be of value in relation to the objective. 17. Unlocking Creativity A Strategy for Development made three key recommendations for education Develop continuity and overture in creative and cultural education throughout learning, teaching and youthwork. The development of methods a nd principles of assessment and examination that recognise and value the aims and outcomes of creative and cultural education. get a line that all professional vocational and academic qualifications officially promote the importance of creative and cultural education. 18. The results of the consultation were published in a second report, Unlocking Creativity Making It encounter, published in 2001. The vast majority of responses supported the proposals made in the consultation document and Unlocking Creativity Making It Happen set a wide range of objectives for future work. The key objectives for education related to a review of the curriculum being taken forward by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).The report highlighted CCEAs proposals to include a creative component at all lynchpin Stages. It set a wider objective of signposting clear steps towards accredited programmes of learning for people of all ages enkindle and inspired by creativity and sought to encourage collaboration between various agencies and departments to ensure that creativity is fully recognised in the development of assessment methods and the curriculum. The report also highlighted the establishment of a Creativity semen Fund which invested ? 2.8m over three years to encourage projects that would either promote creativity in education or strengthen Northern Ireland as a competitive presence in the creative industries. The Education and Training Inspectorate produced a set of quality indicators for the Creativity Seed Fund. The indicators cover outcomes and standards, ethos, assessment and review and management arrangements. 19. A third report, Unlocking Creativity A Creative neighbourhood, was published in 2004 and set out a series of mean(a) term strategic measures to maintain the momentum on developing creativity across education, culture and employment.The report once again highlighted CCEAs work on Curriculum Review. The Education (Northern Irela nd) Order 2006 will give effect to the revise curriculum, which will be introduced on a phased basis from September 2007. 20. The rewrite curriculum will be more flexible, offer greater ground for creativity to meet the changing needs of pupils, society and the economy and have a greater emphasis on developing skills. One of the cerebration Skills to be developed across the curriculum is Being Creative, where children should be able to use creative approaches, to be imaginative, to take risks, to question and explore possibilities.The rewrite curriculum will also provide more flexibility for teachers to hack what they teach to meet the needs of their pupils and therefore encourage more creative approaches. Assessment will be formative, as well as summative, with pupils assessed in their progress in the skills and areas of learning and pointed towards areas for future development. This Assessment for Learning (AfL) is already being piloted. One of the most important means of pro moting creativity in the revised curriculum will be through Education for Employability.Pupils will look at enterprise and creativity in the modern workplace, what it takes to be an entrepreneur and they will have opportunities to demonstrate enterprise and creativity. The pilot work for this aspect of the curriculum has involved school pupils working with local businesses and artists to develop creative solutions to business issues. 21. CCEA is also developing exemplar material and other support materials to illustrate how opportunities can be developed in all curriculum areas to promote creativity.Draft versions of the support materials have been made easy to pilot schools and CCEA plans to distribute them to all schools as soon as operable in the 2006/07 year. 22. Unlocking Creativity A Creative Region noted CCEAs work on auditing examination specifications in order to promote creativity in the learning and assessment associated with qualifications. This audit has now been comp leted and enabled areas in teaching and learning to be identified that would support a more creative approach.The results will be taken into account as specifications are revised for re-accreditation. Re-accredited specifications will be available for first teaching from September 2008 (GCE A-Level) and 2009 (GCSE). CCEA is also working with the English and Welsh regulatory bodies to review accreditation criteria and this will take account of thinking skills, such as creativity. The Department of Education is also considering an incentive and accreditation scheme for teachers, principals and schools with a view to embedding creativity across the curriculum.A pilot has been arranged to test an Artmark Toolkit involving five schools and, following valuation, will be rolled out to all schools in September 2006. 23. An important feature of Northern Irelands work on creativity is the emphasis on harnessing new developments in ICT. Many of the education projects funded through the Creati vity Seed Fund included developing ICT skills and linking these to creativity by, for instance, producing material for radio, making documentary films or creating digital content.Unlocking Creativity A Creative Region seeks to embed the concept of the use of ICT to enhance young peoples creativity across the curriculum. The EmPowering Schools strategy has since been published, which incorporates the development of creativity and innovation in the use of ICT. 24. Unlocking Creativity A Creative Region included Creative Youth Partnerships (CYP), a 3 year pilot from April 2004 to March 2007 involving the Arts Council NI, the Department of Education, the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Education and Library Boards.Through a collaborative approach, CYP aims to increase participation among young people in arts activities, develop arts infrastructure in NI and develop the contribution of artists and the arts to the learning and development of young people in schools and th e youth sector. A key aspect of CYP is local partnerships to develop creative projects using a variety of art forms. The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) is evaluating CYP and its retardation Report (September 2005, full report due October 2006) highlights the developmental nature of the evaluation of a creativity initiative.The Report pointed to some areas for development but found the project to have many strengths. Developments in Wales 25. Wales, like England and Northern Ireland, has a statutory National Curriculum. Creative skills are one of the seven common requirements in the Welsh National Curriculum. Teachers should provide opportunities, where appropriate, for pupils to develop and apply the seven common requirements through their study of all National Curriculum subjects. (The other common requirements include mathematical skills, Information Technology and problem resolution skills.) 26. The Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DELLS) has produced a guidance note for teachers highlighting subject areas of the National Curriculum, from science to modern languages, where pupils can be given opportunities to develop and apply their creative skills, in particular the development and mien of ideas and imagination. 27. A review of the National Curriculum in Wales is currently afoot(predicate) for proposed implementation in September 2008.Findings from an initial consultation in 2004 were that there should be a clear focus on the needs of learners and good learning strategies and approaches there is a need to identify and agree on the range of skills that should be acquired and on their development and application in a range of contexts there remains a concern regarding perceived constipate in some National Curriculum subjects, especially at Key Stage 2 (covering ages 7-11), and the relevance of aspects of the curriculum to the 21st century and there is a need to ensure that a revised curriculum interests, engages and mo tivates all learners.28. Currently DELLS has submitted proposals to their Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning for approval. Following this, the proposals will be open to public consultation. These will include a sketch Skills Framework for children and young people aged 3-19. This framework contains the areas of Developing Thinking, Communication, human activity and ICT. Within the Developing Thinking are strands highlighting creative thinking. Creativity in Education (Developments in Scotland ) 29.In Scotland, a Creativity in Education Advisory Group was established to consider ways in which creativity could be developed as an important feature of the provision that teachers and schools make for young peoples education. The Group was chaired by Richard Coton, Headteacher of Monifieth High School and its members included representatives from Learning and Teaching Scotland, the IDES Network, HMIE and the Scottish Executive Education Department. The Groups discussion paper, Creativity in Education, was published in 2001. 30.The definition of creativity in Creativity in Education again reflects that in the NACCE report, All Our Futures, by emphasising imagination, pursuing a purpose, being original and making judgements of value. Creativity in Education, like the NACCE report, stresses the need to encourage experimentation and problem-solving together with reflection and critical appraisal as essential conditions for creativity to flourish in schools. Creativity in Education has a more overt emphasis on the need for schools to foster a individualised disposition to be creative in their students.This involves the development of characteristics such as self-motivation, confidence, curiosity and flexibility. However, the publication notes the valuable contribution of group-working to encouraging creativity in, for instance, allowing pupils to build upon each others ideas. Creativity in Education also stresses the need for teachers themselves to be creat ive in the way they encourage and empower children and young people. Teachers need to judge carefully when to intervene and when to take a hands-off approach and to balance planning with improvisation.31. Creativity in Education was attended by case studies providing practical examples of how creativity is being developed across the curriculum. These include the development of a whole school policy on creative learning and teaching (Gylemuir Primary School, Edinburgh) developing creativity in mathematics (Pollock Childrens Centre, Glasgow/Borgue Primary School, Dumfries and Galloway and Inverclyde Councils Education Advisory Service) and promoting thinking skills in the context of science education (Monifieth High School, Angus). 32.Follow-up work undertaken as a result of Creativity in Education included the Creativity Counts project. The aims of this project were To gather evidence of creativity in the classroom across all sectors and all areas of the curriculum. To identify key a pproaches to learning and teaching, assessment and evaluation. To identify what schools need to do to foster creativity. 27 schools from across Scotland (19 primary, 7 utility(prenominal) and 1 special) participated in the project. A report of the findings was published in 2004. This was accompanied by Creativity Counts Portraits of Practice a publication of case studies wasted from the project.33. The main findings were that developing creativity in education produced benefits in scathe of pupil motivation, enthusiasm and enjoyment. The pupils became more independent in their learning rather than being told they became more resourceful and reflective. They became good at knowing what worked for them and what did not (p. 5). However, this freedom to experiment took place within a supporting structure of high expectations and clear outcomes They knew what they were expected to achieve and how to go about that (p.10).Group working was a strong feature of the projects. This helped to support less confident(p) children and encouraged realistic peer and self-assessment. The pupils responded well to dealing with failure and built confidence in using their imagination and developed a positive attitude to new ideas. 34. Teachers found that they were able to develop a repertoire of teaching skills balancing intervention, hands-off, planning and improvisation. They identified four main characteri.