Can we teach learners to be creative?

by will on March 5, 2010

CAN WE TEACH LEARNERS TO BE MORE CREATIVE? 

Brin Best and Will Thomas argue that, using an innovative new tool, learners’ creativity can be developed in a highly practical way in the classroom. What if creativity were learnable? In recent years research has yielded some fascinating insights into the nature of the creative process, the unconscious processing of the mind and above all the ‘learnability’ that the brain has when it comes to developing new ways of thinking. There was a time not so long ago when we might have talked in terms of ‘creative’ people rather than ‘creative thinking’. We admired those who were able to express themselves creatively, and revelled when children with these awe inspiring qualities found themselves in our classrooms. But we rarely thought in terms of actually teaching for creativity. There seemed to be a strongly held belief that creativity was a gift which some people had but others lacked.

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