What is the value of creativity in primary education?

There are many important aspects in primary education that involve creativity which show us the value of having it. According to Cambridge Dictionary (2018), creativity is the ability to produce original and unusual ideas, or to make something new or imaginative. NACCCE (1999) says that creativity always involves thinking or behaving imaginatively, this imaginative activity should be purposeful and generate something original. Sir Ken Robinson 2015), talks about the need for all children to have a creative outlet. He mentions that ‘creative intelligence is dynamic, it’s diverse and it’s distinct’ (Robinson, K. 2015). He also includes that ‘creativity is about fresh thinking’ (Robinson, K. 2015). There is a great deal of debate about the term’s creativity, creative learning and creative education as they are often used in different contexts. Discussion of whether creativity can be taught at all as it is a natural capacity which is not easily developed through education. In addition to this, Julian Astle (2018), explains that in n the most watched TED talk of all time, educationalist Sir Ken Robinson FRSA claims that “schools kill creativity”, arguing that “we don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather we get educated out of it”. Yet to Robinson, “creativity is as important as literacy and we should afford it the same status”. I have found a short clip of Sir Ken Robinson (2012), who is explaining why he thinks creativity is important in education -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywIhJ2goiGE.

In an article about creativity and learning and the connectedness between them, Paul Collard argues that the positive impact creative learning has on the learning and attainment of children and young people is because it develops the executive functions of the brain (National Improvement Hub, 2018). This shows that creativity is of great value in education as it develops brain function, which at an early stage in education could lead onto better cognitive development. Nurturing learner creativity is a key aim for many schools. ‘Teachers and school leaders continue to see the development of creativity as an essential part of their job’ (Cremin, T. and Barnes, J. 2018). Which implies that creativity is being seen more valuable all the time by practitioners, and with it being more essential within teaching forums means that creativity will progress further into curriculum and become of more value in education.

According to Kolb’s learning, ‘learning occurs by the process of which the experience. Kolb said that his idea - interaction between the learner and his environment - is important’. One objective in his theory emphasizes the sensory experience. (Eishani, K., Saa’d, E. & Nami, Y., 2013). Sensory experience is very popular in child play and it can develop their creativity ready for future educational purposes, ‘there are many educational benefits to sensory play, but one area that it can help develop greatly is a child’s creativity. Children are constantly learning to create throughout their childhood’ (Creative Play, 2017).

‘A good classroom environment always has some elements of creativity which makes the lessons more interesting and interactive. The right mix of creativity along with curriculum helps students to be innovative and also encourages them to learn new things’ (Edsys, 2017).  In the Donaldson’s review, ‘Successful Futures’ it says that the ambitions for his new curriculum are that it includes ‘giving opportunities for problem solving creativity and critical thinking’ (Donaldson, G. 2015). Hunter-Wright says that he believes that ‘creativity is as important as literacy and we should treat it with the same significance. More and more children are educated out of taking risks and they become numb to trying and failing before they succeed. We need to teach them to be prepared to be wrong and to be original’ (Hunter-Wright, H. 2018).

There are many reasons why the UK needs to support creative education. An article written by Rosi Lister says that ‘bringing artists and creative professionals into the classrooms of the most deprived schools was an opportunity to test the value of nurturing creativity in young people like no other’ (Lister, R. 2018). Creative classrooms give an opportunity for students to learn with fun. The teaching activities such as storytelling helps them to learn without the pressure of learning. ‘Students are always fun loving and including creative activities along with curriculum gains their interest in learning. Teachers should encourage this quality in students from the lower classes itself and inspire them to believe in one’s own creativity. Fun team building activities can be organized to promote creative thinking in groups and helping them to learn about accepting others’ ideas’ (Edsys, 2017).

Analysing this research and from seeing what academic sources say about creativity and the value of it in classrooms, shows that there is benefit from it, whether it be through child development or educational reasons. There are many ways to use creativity within education and there is evidence that proves that creativity can be taught and used in education for children’s benefit. 

 

Bibliography 

Cambridge Dictionary (2018). Meaning of “creativity” in the English Dictionary Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/creativity Accessed: 03 December 18.

 Creative Play UK (2017) How Sensory Play Develops Creativity. Available at: https://creativeplayuk.com/sensory-play-helps-develop-creativity/ Accessed: 04 December 18.

 Cremin, T. and Barnes, J. (2018). Creativity and Creative teaching and Learning. In: Cremin, T. and Burnett, C. eds. Learning to Teach in the Primary School (4th edition). Routledge.

 

Donaldson, G. (2015). Successful futures: Independent review of curriculum and assessment arrangements in Wales. Welsh Government.

Edsys (2013). Role and Importance of Creativity in the Classroom Available: https://www.edsys.in/creativity-in-classroom/  Accessed: 04 December 18.

 

Eishani, K., Saa’d, E. & Nami, Y. (2013). The Relationship Between Learning Styles and Creativity  Academic World Education and Research Centre: Elsevier.

 

Hunter-Wright, H. (2018). The Importance of Creativity in Education – Developing Creative Intelligence. Available: http://www.lordwandsworth.org/the-importance-of-creativity-in-education--developing-creative-intelligence/268365.html Accessed: 04 December 18.

 

Lister, R. (2018) Why the UK Needs to Support Creative Education: the legacy of Policy Action Team 10. Available at: https://weareive.org/why-the-uk-needs-to-support-creative-education/ Accessed: 04 December 18.

 

National Improvement Hub (2018). Creativity and Learning: what is the connection? Available at: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/research/Creativity%20and%20Learning:%20what%20is%20the%20connection Accessed: 04 December 18.

 

NACCCE (1999). All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education Facing the Future (Part One) Creative Education p.g 30.

 

Robinson, K. (2012) Why is creativity important in education Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywIhJ2goiGE Accessed: 04 December 18.
 

Robinson, K. (2015), Sir Ken Robinson: Creativity Is In Everything, Especially Teaching Available at: https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/40217/sir-ken-robinson-creativity-is-in-everything-especially-teaching  Accessed: 03 December 18.