The world is changing faster than ever but the current knowledge-based education system only goes so far in giving young people the vital skills, resilience and confidence to shape theirlives. Fortunately, there are many educators and thinkers working to promote creativity in education. Sir Ken Robinson made a splash when he argued in a highly popular TedTalk and other writing& speeches that traditional education systems kill creativity. Start a lesson with a provocation or with a series of intriguing questions. Exploring issues from different perspectives and experimenting with thoughts and options stimulates imagination, often referred to as 'possibility thinking', and can be a useful approach to warm up creative thinking skills. Paek, S. H., & Sumners, S. E. (2019). The indirect effect of teachers’ creative mindsets on teaching creativity. Journal of Creative Behavior, 53, 298–311. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.180.

Creativity can be thought of as the colour that brings Curriculum for Excellence to life. The four core creativity skills run throughout the four capacities and are integral to the meta skills which are increasingly important in today’s workplace. Beghetto, R. A. (2017b). Creativity in teaching. In J. C. Kaufman, J. Baer, & V. P. Glăveanu (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of creativity across different domains (pp. 549–556). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Assessing Creativity

Despite recognition of the importance of these skills, funding, policy and provision in the UK has not yet caught up. We are commissioning new research on social and emotional skills to develop an understanding of ‘what works’ in building these skills, and we're exploring new approaches to bridge the gap between labour market demand and supply of skills. We are also funding low-cost, high-quality interventions which will support provision in schools. The education system has not always prioritized creativity. In fact, many education systems around the world have placed a greater emphasis on rote learning and standardized testing than on creativity and innovation. Commissioned by Creativity, Culture and Education, the Centre for Real-World Learning (CRL) at the University of Winchester researched and trialled a model of creativity which is now widely used in England and, since its publication by the OECD, across the world. At the time schools had only the definition of creativity offered by the Robinson Report alongside the more general criteria outlined in the Personal Learning and Thinking Skills to guide them. These web and paper-based practical materials were one of the early government supported attempt to promote creativity in primary and secondary schools. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)suggested that, by promoting creativity, teachers can give all pupils the opportunity to discover and pursue their particular interests and talents. Creative pupils, QCA argued, lead richer lives and, in the longer term, make a valuable contribution to society.

Gajda, A., Beghetto, R. A., & Karwowski, M. (2017). Exploring creative learning in the classroom: A multi-method approach. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 24, 250–267. Beghetto, R. A., & Karwowski, M. (2017). Toward untangling creative self-beliefs. The creative self (pp. 3–22). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Teachers play a central role in designing and managing the kinds of learning experiences that determine whether creativity will be supported or suppressed in the classroom. Indeed, unless teachers believe that they can support student creativity, have some idea of how to do so, and are willing to try then it is unlikely that students will have systematic opportunities to engage in creative learning (Beghetto, 2017b; Davies et al., 2013; Gralewski & Karawoski, 2018; Paek & Sumners, 2019). Each of these teacher roles will be discussed in turn. Gajda, A., Karwowski, M., & Beghetto, R. A. (2016). Creativity and school achievement: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109, 269–299.Amabile, T. M., & Kramer, S. (2011). The progress principle: Using small wins to ignite joy, engagement, and creativity at work. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. Beghetto, R. A. (2018a). Taking beautiful risks in education. Educational Leadership, 76(4), 18–24. Beghetto, R. A., Kaufman, J. C., & Baer, J. (2015). Teaching for creativity in the common core. Teachers College Press. Kaufman, J. C., & Beghetto, R. A. (2009). Beyond Big and Little: The Four C Model of Creativity. Review of General Psychology, 13, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013688. A person with a creative mindset always has that craving to learn new things every time and this helps them to have that amazing feeling of lifelong learning.

Creative learning can also extend beyond the walls of the classroom. When students have the opportunity and support to identify their own problems to solve and their own ways of solving them, they can make positive and lasting contributions in their schools, communities, and beyond. Legacy projects represent an example of such efforts. Legacy projects refer to creative learning endeavours that provide students with opportunities to engage with uncetainty and attempt to develop sustainable solutions to complex and ill-defined problems (Beghetto, 2017c, 2018b). Such projects involve a blend between learning and creative expression with the aim of making a creative contribution. A group of fourth graders who learned about an endangered freshwater shrimp and then worked to restore the habitat by launching a project that spanned across multiple years and multiple networks of teachers, students, and external partners is an example of a legacy project (see Stone & Barlow, 2010). Lucas, B., Claxton, G. and Spencer, E. (2013) Progression in Student Creativity in School: First Steps Towards New Forms of Formative Assessments. Paris: OECD Publishing. Playing memory games, taking regular breaks and intervals to bring in some creativity and setting a flexible classroom environment can make a lot of improvement in their attention span. Jeffrey, B. and Craft, A. (2004). Teaching creatively and teaching for creativity: distinctions and relationships. Educational Studies, 30:1, 77-87.In 2015, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development launched Future of Education and Skills 2030 - a project that, among other things, argues that education must focus on helping students develop the skill of creativity to ensure they are well prepared for an uncertain future. It offered a framework for the further development of creativity for children and young people and introduced the concept of an individual creative portfolio as a way of bridging formal and informal education. 2007 - Joint memorandum submitted to Education Select Committee

Building students’ creativity isn’t just about the warm and fuzzy feelings, though. Going through a creative process is tough, and can build resilience, grit, and tenacity. It’s much easier to follow step-by-step instructions than it is to brainstorm, ideate, and iterate on your own idea. Creative projects can help kids learn to take risks and embrace failure, which is always an important part of the creative process.funded Creative Learning Networks that support creativity across learning, teaching and employability at a local level