Creativity in the K-12 Curriculum

Experts agree that creativity and critical thinking are hallmarks of a world-class education system and necessary for the economic competitiveness of all countries.

The pace of technological, social and economic advancement is increasing daily. If a nation wants to remain competitive in the global marketplace of the 21st century, it needs to prepare people to think for themselves, adapt to new opportunities and changes, and be creative.

Education reform is a long-term enterprise and Education for a New Era – Qatar’s three-year-old education reform initiative – is investing in developing creativity in students and the education system as a whole. Independent Schools, which are one of the hallmarks of Education for a New Era, realize that creativity is not a luxury. They recognize that creativity is a resource that resides in all people – but to varying degrees. Independent Schools see the need to graduate a generation of students that learn to think more creatively and critically, and develop skills, abilities and values that are critical for success in everyday life.

Educators and experts from the United Kingdom, the United States, Turkey and Qatar shared their experiences and reflect on ways to develop creativity in students and in schools. They have engaged in a critical dialogue on whether there is a relationship between creativity and motivation; how creativity can be integrated into the curriculum; the importance of differentiating instruction according to the needs of learners; and the cultural context of creativity at the regional level.

What is Creativity?

In a world of increasing complexity, change and competition, creativity and critical thinking are now seen as core for successful individuals, corporations, businesses and nations. Creative or innovative thinking is the kind of thinking that leads to new insights, new approaches, fresh perspectives, whole new ways of understanding and looking at things. It is said that the easiest way for people to be creative is to think ‘out-of-the-box’, to break their perceptions or mindsets and their ways of thinking.

Creativity in the K-12 Curriculum

Many may ask how creativity can be incorporated into the curriculum. Creativity is an effective resource that resides in all people – both young and old – but in varying levels and degrees. Critical thinking takes practice, and these skills need to be developed and reinforced throughout the educational experience and across the curriculum. As students learn to think more critically, they become more proficient at historical, scientific, and mathematical thinking and develop skills, abilities, and values critical to success in everyday life. By incorporating creativity into their lives, they can enjoy the experience of discovering, developing, and utilizing their many talents as well as enhancing their knowledge base.

Creativity is in all fields - from chemistry to engineering, art to computer science, sociology to business - and it can be nurtured and enhanced through the use of deliberate tools, techniques and strategies. Independent Schools recognize, appreciate, and encourage different styles of creativity that allow students to develop essential skills that can be applied to their personal and professional lives. Independent Schools seek to instill in their students the thrill of conceiving new ideas and inspire them to create and envision the world in imaginative and different ways.

Panelists

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Dr. James Kaufman

What is creativity? Why is creativity important? How do you develop creativity in students? How can you practice creativity? How do you measure creativity? Is there a relationship between motivation and creativity? Is there a relationship between creativity and intelligence? To get the answers to all of these questions, don’t miss this lively keynote address.

Dr. James Kaufman is an assistant professor at California State University at San Bernardino, where he is also a founding director of the Learning Research Institute, dedicated to the scholarly study of teaching and learning. Dr. Kaufman publishes and speaks widely on the subject of creativity, and edited The International Handbook on Creativity, an international look at the psychology of human creativity.

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Anna Craft

Is it possible to combine creativity with an already demanding curriculum? Ms. Craft explained how creativity and curriculum blend, provide concrete and practical strategies for teaching creativity to all students; and discussed how creativity can be integrated within individual cultures and traditions.

Anna Craft is reader in education and director of the Open Creativity Centre which she founded in 2001 at The Open University in England. She is also senior lecturer at the University and visiting scholar at Harvard University, working with scholars there on aspects of creativity. She co-ordinates the British Educational Research Association Special Interest Group, Creativity in Education, and is Editor of the Journal of Thinking Skills and Creativity.

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Noor Al-Mutawa & Noura Al-Nesf

What does creativity in schools mean? In what ways is Al Bayan Educational Complex integrating creativity into its curriculum? Using pictures, video clips and recorded interviews with students and teachers, Ms. Al-Mutawa and Ms. Al-Nesf showed a lively presentation of pupils’ creativity.

Noor Al-Mutawa is the vice principal of the secondary school of Al-Bayan Educational Complex in Doha. She started off her career as an English teacher and has participated in various local and international seminars, training courses, and workshops related to educational leadership and human resources development.

Noura Al-Nesf is the vice principal for studies and professional development at Al-Bayan Educational Complex. She joined Qatar’s scientific schools project in 1999 and has presented a number of workshops in the fields of education and planning strategies. Currently, she is responsible for planning and implementing training programs at Al-Bayan, in addition to supervising the curricula taught in the complex.

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Dr. Günseli Oral

Dr. Oral discussed creativity from a Turkish perspective and the importance of differentiating instruction according to the needs of learners. She also provided some examples of the kinds of exercises that are useful in developing student creativity.

Dr. Gunseli Oral is an assistant professor at Akdeniz University's School of Education in Antalya, Turkey. She has published numerous articles on the topic of creativity and is working to set up a center focused on developing creative instructional materials.

Dr. Oral received her Bachelor, Masters of Science, and Ph.D from the Middle East Technical University in Turkey. She has published a number of articles in Turkey and Turkish-speaking countries, in both English and Turkish. Published articles in English include “Type A Personality and Creative Problem Solving: The Case of Turkish Prospective Teachers” (The Korean Journal of Thinking & Problem Solving, 2005); “Turkish Creativity” (Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines, 2003); and “The Relationship Between Creativity and Learning Styles of Students” (Creative Thinking: New Perspectives, 1996).

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Dr. AbdulAziz Al-Horr

Dr. Al-Horr looked at the cultural context of creativity and critical thinking at the GCC level. For creativity to flourish, it needs to be built into the whole-school and regional ethos. How can school leaders help to establish a creative environment and ensure that everyone in the school shares an understanding of creativity?

Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Horr is the director of the Arab Educational Training Center for Gulf States, a Qatar-based professional development institute that serves countries around the region. Dr. Al-Horr has participated in numerous conferences covering educational, cultural and scientific issues in the Arab world and elsewhere, and is an active member of Qatar's educational community.

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An account of how Qatar’s three-year-old education reform is striving to graduate a generation of critical and creative thinkers as well as the accomplishments of the SEC were given at a panel discussion later. Top SEC officials Dr Jehan al-Meer (director, Higher Education Institute), Sabah al-Haidous (director, Education Institute), and Adel al-Sayed (director, Evaluation Institute) also spoke on the occasion

The Dawn of Creativity at School Level

Many schools have already discovered the importance of putting creativity at the centre of teaching and learning, and are designing instructional materials that will help students improve their thinking skills. Al Israa Independent Primary Girls School recently involved the whole school in an event to experience and celebrate creative learning during “Creativity Week.” Individual teachers and teams of teachers got together to discuss plans to promote creativity in different school departments and came up with innovative projects.

As Ms. Farzana Habib, the grade one coordinator explains, “Students across grade one already exhibit a strong commitment and ability to quickly grasp the essentials of developing a story through creativity in a short period of time.” The students were asked to research their favorite animals. Though the students are still young, they went home and did the research with the help of their parents. “This is a great achievement because at their age, we are seeking to enhance their transferable skills rather than make sure the work is completely their own.”

Each classroom selected a habitat which they would study. For Creativity Week they planned to expand the theme by developing cross-subject projects that gave the pupils opportunities to take greater control of their learning, work together and make connections between different areas of their learning. “As science, English and mathematics teachers, it was easy to combine three subjects in this project: English (types of animals –what they can or cannot do), science (animal habitats and conservation) and mathematics (counting x cows + y sheep).”

The entire grade one entrance will soon turn into a jungle. “We realize that creativity needs to be woven into the real fabric of the curriculum, so we will introduce 3D figures where students will be allowed to use all kinds of material – play dough and clay - to create their favorite animal in three-dimensional shapes,” says Ms. Habib. “These materials are used most productively and imaginatively by children when they themselves decide on the colors and shapes.”

“We find that children learn better when they have interest, so we encourage hands-on learning to keep it up,” says Ms. Lina Halawa, a grade one English teacher. She lets the children cut and paste words that match pictures.

Ms. Maha Mohammed Al-Shimari, the physical education teacher at the school, says she “depends on the students’ creativity.” She asks her students to research and develop presentations on different sports topics. “We have competitions among the students to select the best and most creative presentation. Sometimes we have the students practice what they presented. Both the teacher and the student learn in a fun way.”