One of the most slippery dimensions of learning and teaching is creativity. It’s notoriously difficult to quantify. The current educational research suggests the essential ingredients are: curiosity, open-mindedness, imagination and problem solving. None of these things function in isolation, but they are deeply important to the development of young people. They are not ‘new’ things or things which have been enabled by the post-iPhone era of technology – but for most adults, only problem solving (usually in maths) will be remembered as part and parcel of a ‘traditional’ education.
Creativity is a process which generates ideas that have value to the individual. It involves looking at familiar things with a fresh eye, examining problems with an open mind, making connections, learning from mistakes and using imagination to explore new possibilities. The challenge for young people is how to practice being creative in a world which insists on providing packaged, commercial solutions. A wise teacher once said, “even if you are getting through all the content, you are still not teaching”, meaning that while students need help locating information and facts, it’s really important that we don’t attempt to judge children by how much they know, but create opportunities for them to apply their natural creativity to things they don’t know. The skeptics will tell you “you can’t teach creativity” but in Stage 4, we’re pleased to say we encourage students to explore it using the dimensions above – at home and at college. If you’re interested in why imagination matters (yes, it’s something people study in education), I recommend “An Imaginative Approach To Teaching” by Kieren Egan or visiting IERG as a good starting point.
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