The Herts MEd in Teaching and Learning - University of Cambridge CREATIVITY AND LEARNING Based on Research and Evidence from the MEd Does creativity enhance learning? This research concerns all phases from Foundation to Key Stage 5 and seeks to identify strategies that enhance creative approaches to teaching and learning Keywords and Phrases Risk taking Enthusiasm Excitement Teacher confidence Enrichment Child-led Flexibility Summary of Findings yPeople’s creative skills need to be developed; not only to improve their potential contribution to the economy but also to improve the quality of their social and personal development. yDifferent people are creative in different ways and in different areas. yCreativity is a complex concept but there are teaching strategies which promote it’s development. yPlay in the early years facilitates creativity. yConditions can be identified under which creativity can best be nurtured in the classroom. yCreativity needs to be considered in a cross curricular way. yChildren, young people and teachers can find creative teaching stimulating and exciting. yThere exists a strong link between creative learning and creative teaching. yCreative teaching can be fun!

The Herts MEd in Teaching and Learning - University of Cambridge Implications for practice yAll children and young people should have the opportunity to learn in a way that develops their own creative ability. yAll teachers need to be involved in creative teaching. yTeachers can benefit from learning about teaching strategies which can be employed to enhance their own practice. yOpportunities need to be sought for the development of creativity across the curriculum.  Children should be given open ended learning opportunities where they should be encouraged to take risks. Pertinent questions yAre there working definitions of creativity used in our school? yHas our school considered the importance of creativity in teaching and learning across all subject areas? yWhat creative approaches to the teaching of literacy are employed to raise attainment? yHave a variety of creative approaches been implemented to develop young children’s play? yWill a creative approach to teaching and learning lead to raised attainment in our school?

The Herts MEd in Teaching and Learning - University of Cambridge Quotations yWhat is it about some people that enables them to produce ideas and artefacts that are innovative? (Handy and Handy, 1999) yPeople will be most creative when they feel motivated primarily by interest, enjoyment, satisfaction and the challenge of the work itself - not by external pressure. (Amabile and Hennessey, 1988) yCreativity requires that the school of knowing finds connections with the school of expressing, opening the doors to the hundred languages of children. (Edwards et al, 1977) y “We must change the concept of creativity as being something that is ‘added on’ to education, skills training and management and make sure it becomes intrinsic to all of these.“ (NACCCE Report, 1999:6) Suggested reading yAmabile,. and Hennessey,. (1988) The conditions of creativity. In Sternberg (1988) (ed) The Nature of Creativity, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. yClaxton, G. (1999) Wise Up: The Challenge of Lifelong Learning, London: Bloomesbury. yCraft, A., Jeffrey, B. and Leibling, M. (2001) (eds) Creativity in Education, London and New York: Consortium. yEdwards, C., Gandini, L. and Foreman, G. (1988) The Hundred Languages of Children, The Reggio Emilia Approach - Advanced Reflections, London: Ablex. yHandy, C. and Handy, E. (1999) The New Alchemists, London: Hutchinson. yMalaguzzit, L. (1996) The Hundred Languages of Children: catalogue of the exhibit, Reggio Emilia: Reggio Children. yNational Advisory Committee on Creativity and Cultural Education (1999) All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education, DfEE. yWoods, P. and Jeffrey, B. (1996) Teachable Moments Buckingham: Open University Press. USEFUL WEBSITES ywww.sightlines-initiatives.com ywww.open.ac.uk/educational-and-languages/research/groups/creativity/indexhtm ywww.bera.ac.uk

The Herts MEd in Teaching and Learning - University of Cambridge Researchers Contact group convenor, Melanie Smith for further information LEA link adviser, Rory Fox