CREATIVITY IN THE CURRICULUM
He added: “It is much better to try instead
to identify and build upon the positives in
Creative
any situation, to nurture our strengths and
even acknowledge that we have skills and
abilities that we bring to others.”
In a piece of recent research, it was
revealed that people in the UK associate
being creative with being artistic, but that this
perception is not replicated in other countries
or cultures – such as in India, China, the Far
thinking
East, or even in the Americas.
Mr Blundell continued: “We could do well
to dispel this UK myth. No one discipline has
the sole rights over creativity. In fact, a lot
of so called artistic work can be predictable,
uninspiring and unimaginative, so working
at being creative should be a task for all
teachers, especially art teachers.”
The new updated GCSE specifications
also provide further opportunities to foster
creativity. For instance, OCR’s media
studies GCSE has moved with the times to
allow students to submit projects as blogs
and podcasts as well as in more traditional
methods. In a wide range of subjects, from
GCSEs in environmental and land-based
science to graphic design, students can
submit work in electronic formats, so their
creativity can run as freely as possible in line
with today’s technology.
“Being creative is synonymous with being
open-minded, experiencing things that are
uncertain, challenging and novel, and also it
is letting go, for the moment, of that sense
of judgement that blocks learning, that we
all too easily adopt when we are uncertain or
faced with something new,” Mr Blundell said.
“What actually goes on during lessons
should involve some element of creative
activity – some sense of exploring the
unknown, finding out about something new,
about seeing ideas fly. Equally, some aspects
of all lessons need to focus on what has been
learnt, what mysteries are being revealed,
and how confident students feel about their
developing subject understanding and skills.”
Much of the day-to-day activities in
schools depend on a timetable, and a highly
structured and ordered sequence of events
and activities in which everyone knows
roughly where they should be, and what they
should be doing. However, that is no reason
to feel constrained, Mr Blundell said.
Having these restrictions can act as an
impetus for creative teachers and managers
“We inspire others through our own As part of the task, students must also to devise experiences for students within that
actions. Teachers can offer the most reflect on their solution to the brief, to look supportive structure. In other words, creative
inspiration for their students, not just with at what they could have done differently experiences can be safe yet challenging, and
their knowledge, but with their ability to were they to do the task again, and how their can be inventive yet manageable.
share with them the feelings and moments of design could be improved. By looking at the “It is natural for us to be defensive about
discovery, of surprise. In that way they share design process as a feedback loop based on newness or uncertainty, and to ask ourselves
in their successes, and tease out with them responses to designs, students can take on ‘what does this mean or what will I have to
how mistakes provide learning tools for next board the views of their colleagues, and learn do here?’. But the skilled teacher knows how
time.” from each other. to provide degrees of risk in activities that
Using creativity as a learning process is Identifying and unlocking creative could come up with variety, with options,
an important part of “real world” life – for potential in children and young people might or spontaneous opportunities in ways that
instance, when working to a client’s brief. not seem so easy, especially when we believe are not threatening or leave others feeling
OCR’s new GCSE, called Design & that other people are more creative than we uncomfortable or embarrassed.
Technology: Product Design, for example, are. Teachers should not expect to provide all “In other words, teaching for creativity
helps develop just those skills, providing of the answers to tasks and problems. tries to balance the need to share risks,
students with a brief designed to encourage Both teachers and pupils alike need to uncertainties and unknowns while providing
“open-mind” thinking about a design temporarily suspend judgement when things a structure that is safe to operate within.”
situation to respond in ways which might are not going to plan and should seek and Or as James Dyson once said: “Enjoy
appear at first unrealistic, but which can be identify the positives in a situation, according failure and learn from it. You can never learn
refined and developed. to Mr Blundell. from success.”
SecEd
DELIVERING INNOVATION
15
IN QUALIFICATIONS
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