What is Creativity?

The word `creativity` has variety of meanings. It can be about problem solving skills or exploring and enquiring new dimensions to our already found facts. Whatever it means to people, it means a lot to teachers and educational practioners. The creative approach is possibly the only way to distinguish thin line between purposeful learning and old fashioned one way teaching.

According to the National Curriculum,a good starting point for defining creativity is 'All our futures: Creativity, culture and education', the National Advisory Committee's report (DfEE, 1999). This report states that we are all, or can be, creative to a lesser or greater degree if we are given the opportunity. The definition of creativity in the report (page 29) is broken down into four characteristics:

First, they [the characteristics of creativity] always involve thinking or behaving imaginatively. Second, overall this imaginative activity is purposeful: that is, it is directed to achieving an objective. Third, these processes must generate something original. Fourth, the outcome must be of value in relation to the objective.

Debating the characteristics highlighted by this definition can be a helpful starting point for agreeing what your school actually means by creativity.

As it is suggested in the National Curriculum, the development of the creative potential of children is essential for our future. This goes with National Curriculum`s aims and values.


Curriculum aims

The National Curriculum has three broad aims. It should enable all young people to become:
• successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
• confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
• responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.
These aims should inform all aspects of teaching and learning and be the starting point for curriculum design.

Successful learners

Successful learners:
• are creative, resourceful and able to identify and solve problems
• have enquiring minds and think for themselves to process information, reason, question and evaluate
• enjoy learning and are motivated to achieve the best they can now and in the future.

(National Curriculum,2010)

Howard Gardner(1997) has described it as `the ability to solve problems and fashion products and to raise new questions`. Bill Lucas (2001) says that ` a state of mind in which all our intelligences are working together`,and Ken Robinson (2001) states that it is `imaginative processes with outcomes that are original and of value`.(Fisher,R.; Williams, M. 2005, pg.150-155)

Maslow(1954), the founder of the humanist psychology movement described creativity as`a fundumental characteristic, inherent in human nature, a potentiality given to all or most human being at birth, which most often is lost or buried or inhibited as the person gets enculturated`. (Starko, J.,A.,2001,pg.52)

Note:The pictures are from here and here.