Creativity in education involves enabling and encouraging students to generate original ideas and novel solutions. It entails fostering an environment where students can explore, question, and innovate beyond conventional boundaries (Sahin, 2021). Despite persistent myths, creativity is not confined to the arts; it permeates all subjects, enhancing students' ability to connect concepts and apply knowledge in novel ways.
Within the context of school learning, there are two distinct constructs that have bearing on students’ engagement in creativity: teaching creatively and teaching for creativity. Teaching creatively encompasses the imaginative approaches teachers use to make learning more interesting, exciting and effective (Craft, 2003). Examples include creating an atmosphere of excited anticipation around each new learning journey and balancing teaching content with teaching how to think with and about content. Conversely, teaching for creativity describes practices intended to develop student’s own creative thinking or behaviour (Joubert, 2004). Examples of these pedagogies include challenging learners to solve open-ended problems to discover alternate routes of thinking and doing or providing learners opportunities for interdisciplinary thinking.
Adopting teaching methodologies to foster creativity across each year level and discipline has numerous benefits. It increases student engagement, making learning more enjoyable and meaningful (Fan & Cai, 2022) and helps students develop higher order thinking skills that are crucial for their future professional and personal lives (Cremin & Chappell, 2024). A significant challenge to adopting creative teaching methodologies rests in long held beliefs surrounding the purpose of education and the subsequent influence these beliefs have over teaching activity. The pedagogies and practices teachers employ are often shaped by time-honoured assessment practices. Indeed, it is common for learning design to be entirely constructed around specific assessment instruments or to the limitations of national testing requirements, i.e. what learners need to know for the test. This effectively impedes any desire to adopt innovative methodologies and diminishes learning activity to the sole focus of students being assessment ready.
Traditional assessments, often summative, focus on measuring students' retention and analysis of information through standardised papers and exams. While these assessments provide benchmarks, they limit the scope of student learning to rote memorization and fail to provide a holistic profile of learner capabilities (Dobson & Fudiyartanto, 2023). In contrast, innovative assessments focus on practices that involve ongoing monitoring of student progress and providing frequent feedback. These strategies, often linked with assessment for learning and formative assessment practices, help students identify areas for improvement and encourages active engagement in their learning journey. Formative practices also allow students choices in their learning processes, increasing their sense of autonomy and motivation. By setting personal goals, students foster self-determination and accountability. Additionally, formative practices incorporate opportunities for creative collaboration, enabling students to learn from each other's perspectives and merge diverse ideas to generate new concepts. These practices have immense value in contexts where learners are developing and honing their knowledge and when working to refine their responses to summative assessment.
Innovative assessments include open-ended and interdisciplinary challenges, design thinking and entrepreneurial initiatives, portfolios, field work, performance-based tasks, and project orientated learning experiences. These forms of assessment allow students to demonstrate their understanding and skills through real-world applications and creative outputs (Rosen, Stoeffler & Simmering, 2020). Such assessments recognise numerous competencies, multiple intelligences and diverse learning styles, offering a more holistic evaluation of learner’s capabilities and creative intelligence. Further to this, these assessments activate teachers to adopt creative teaching practices.
Professional Development for Teachers
To effectively implement creative pedagogies and innovative assessments, teachers require ongoing professional development and genuine encouragement linked to their daily practice and teaching activity. Enduring transformative professional development is best supported through a community of learning where shared knowledge effectively facilitates the transition from traditional to innovative and from prescriptive to creative teaching practices.
Transitioning to a creativity-focused and assessment-driven pedagogical model presents several challenges. Educators may face resistance due to established norms and the pressure of standardised testing (Harvard Project Zero, 2024). Additionally, balancing creativity with curriculum requirements necessitates a strategic approach to ensure comprehensive coverage of learning objectives. Despite these challenges, the benefits of integrating creativity and innovative assessments in education are substantial. Embracing this shift can lead to a more engaging and effective learning experience, preparing students for the complexities of the modern world. It fosters an educational culture that values curiosity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning (Sahin, 2021).
The Vivedus Learning Activation Model presents a way forward for schools and teachers who understand the imperative to transition from out-dated traditional modes of curriculum delivery to innovative 21st century practices that are best suited to meet the needs of the learners in front of them. The platform based and AI enhanced model introduces teachers to creative methodologies and learner dispositions in ways that make their integration into teaching and learning activity seamlessly manageable.
Teaching for creativity and evolving assessment practices are crucial for transforming learning in schools. By fostering an environment that values creative intelligence alongside content, educators can enhance student engagement and achievement. This approach not only prepares students for future challenges but also cultivates a love for learning that transcends the classroom.
References
Aguilar, D., & Turmo, M. P. (2019). Promoting Social Creativity in Science Education With Digital Technology to Overcome Inequalities: A Scoping Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1474. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01474.
Craft, A. (2003). The limits to creativity in education: Dilemmas for the educator. British Journal of Educational Studies, 51 (2), 113-127. doi: 10.1111/1467-8527.t01-1-00229
Creativity Exchange (2024) 'The powerful impact of creativity in the classroom'. Available at: https://www.creativityexchange.org.uk/ideas-hub/the-powerful-impact-of-creativity-in-the-classroom (Accessed: 19 July 2024).
Cremin, T. and Chappell, K. (2024) Pedagogy for Transformative Teaching and Learning. Sage Journals.
Dobson, S. R., & Fudiyartanto, F. A. (2023) Transforming Assessment in Education: The Hidden World of Language Games. Cham: Springer.
Drexel University School of Education. (n.d.). How to Inspire Creativity in the Classroom. Retrieved from https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/teacher-resources/inspire-creativity-in-the-classroom/.
Fan, M., & Cai, W. (2022). How does a creative learning environment foster student creativity? An examination on multiple explanatory mechanisms. Current Psychology, 41, 4667–4676. doi:10.1007/s12144-020-00974-z.
Harvard Project Zero (2024) 'Assessment Reimagined: An Inquiry-Based Approach'. Available at: https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Assessment%20Reimagined.pdf (Accessed: 19 July 2024).
Joubert, M. (2004). The art of creative teaching: NACCCE and beyond. In A. Craft, B. Jeffrey, & M. Leibling, (Eds.), Creativity in Education 17-34. London: Continuum.
Rosen, Y., Stoeffler, K. and Simmering, V. (2020) 'Imagine: Design for creative thinking, learning, and assessment in schools', Journal of Intelligence, 8(2), p.16.
Sahin, M. (2021) 'Teaching for Creativity: The Benefits of Creativity for Student Learning', International Journal of Education and Practice, 9(4), pp. 684-699. Available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1322592.pdf (Accessed: 19 July 2024).
