Encouraging Imagination and Creativity in the Teaching Profession

Abstract

In this paper I argue that an important task of career-long teacher education is the encouragement of imagination and creativity in experienced teachers. The task implies a reversal of the managerialism that currently afflicts so many European education systems. I begin by giving an analysis of pedagogical relationships to expose some of the reasons that teaching is an extraordinarily complex activity, which it is difficult to do well. Indeed it is so complex that it is not something that can be learnt in advance of experience. Therefore early-career teachers need to develop their skills before they can become fully competent.However experience is not enough on its own. To become excellent -that is, more than proficient -requires a career-long commitment to self-cultivation as teachers. Part of the reason that the commitment needs to be career-long is that teaching contexts are in a continual state of change, and teachers need to adapt through a process of self-cultivation. In the rest of the paper I go on to argue that the second of these approaches is the one that will ultimately benefit the economy of the country, where 'economy' is understood in its full (original) moral sense as referring to the well-being and flourishing of all the people. I suggest that openness in teachers will encourage them to support creativity and imagination in their students, who may then contribute to the economies of their countries, in both the narrower and wider senses of the term. I ground the argument by considering 1 the affordances offered by two contrasting teacher-education policies in the UK (England and Scotland), briefly putting them in their European and global context. 2

The promise: A cautionary tale of silencing social (in)justice

“…To this end, we suggest valiant conversations can move us to "remember the past, contemplate the future, analyze then mobilize, the present" (Pinar, 1982, p. 11) so that we may disrupt the status quo of schooling through thoughtful appropriation of policy. Griffiths (2014) noted, "the interaction of the public with policy is a form of democracy-a deep democracy that goes beyond voting and extends to civil society" (p. 122). Imaginative possibilities for reshaping policies and democracy itself can manifest through educators' critical reflection of their interactions with and enactment of policy in their daily work.…”

“…Additionally, Griffiths (2014) argued that critical reflection of one's beliefs and values combined with opportunities to rethink and readjust coherence between beliefs, values, and practices is essential for educators in the work of deep democracy. This work requires individual and collaborative practices where educators "participate with each other, the wider community of educators and the rest of society, to work out the values we see in education, and how to best realize them" (Griffiths, 2014, p. 123).…”

“…According to Griffiths (2014), "creativity is key to a continuing reassessment of beliefs, values, perceptions and professional commitments" (p. 123). Citing the work of Boden (2007), Griffiths provided three ways in which creativity manifests: through "the combination of familiar ideas … the exploration of a conceptual space … [and] by changing the rules" (p. 121).…”

“…Citing the work of Boden (2007), Griffiths provided three ways in which creativity manifests: through "the combination of familiar ideas … the exploration of a conceptual space … [and] by changing the rules" (p. 121). Additionally, Griffiths (2014) argued that creativity demands use of the imagination. We suggest that through the process of creative expression and works of artistic activism educators and school leaders can refine their social imagination in an effort to (re)imagine their roles in advancing social justice by expanding critically reflexive moral and ethical dialogue in schools.…”

Managing Economic Innovations – Ideas and Institutions

“…Moreover, the connections between the different meanings are not clear or agreed. So the terms are extremely ambiguous especially in how they relate to the purposes of education (Griffiths, 2014). Fostering creativity in education is intended to address many concerns including those in the economy.…”