Understanding creativity and its implications for schools

Abstract

After issuing a flood of missives about education during its time in office, the Government is now actively encouraging the exploitation of creativity and offering schools the opportunity to be more flexible in their interpretation and teaching of the curriculum. This apparent change of heart has left school leaders and classroom practitioners with the formidable task of interpreting and evaluating its implications, in which they face two main challenges. First, to understand what creativity means and how it can be implemented. Second, to develop the confidence to be more innovative while not adversely affecting test results.

Creativity Fostering Teaching: Impact of Creative Self-efficacy and Teacher Efficacy

“…In practice, though, teachers' creativity is under the pressure of national testing (Aktas, 2016;Aljughaiman & Mowrer-Reynolds, 2005;Amabile, 1996;Craft, 2001;Gordon, 1999;Hayes, 2004) and supporting creativity may be perceived as a paradox or luxury in such a performance driven system (Grainger, Barnes, & Scoff ham, 2004;Hartley, 2003;Prentice, 2000). Dobbins (2009) found that teachers' creativity is restricted by curriculum and learning objectives.…”

Convergent and divergent thinking in task modification: a case of Korean prospective mathematics teachers’ exploration

“…In other countries, such as United States and Australia, creativity is not explicitly highlighted in the mathematics curricula but elements related to creativity, such as fluency, flexibility, and novelty in problem solving or conceptual understanding, are pursued (Coil 2013). Researchers in different parts of the world have indicated that due to an examination-driven environment, teachers feel burdened when asked to apply creativity education to their own classes or apply it only superficially even though they sympathize with the idea (Craft 2005;Hayes 2004;Maisuria 2005;Zawojewski and McCarthy 2007).…”

Creativity and Education

“…Another document which called for creativity in primary education was the National Primary Strategy for primary schools, Excellence and Enjoyment, (Hayes, 2004). The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) published this report in 2003 and in this they identified creativity as "a significant factor in educational experience" (Jeffrey, 2005).…”