Creativity and English Education

Author : Gabriel Rise
As a final point, creativity has been acknowledged as an open part of Design and Technology education.
This report examines the meaning, importance and value of creativity
and the reasons why it has been undervalued by the education system in
England for so long. It then leads on to suggest methods that should
be used to value and integrate creativity as common practice in D&T.
The report ends with a rationale for developing design and makes
projects that have been formulated from the key research findings.The development of the human civilization has depended wholly upon the
creativity and ingenuity of mankind to bring about purposeful focus,
change and order into our world. Human creativity is a very unique and
powerful characteristic that lies at the heart of what it means to be
human. For mans continual desire to fulfill the needs of the human race
by creating and developing artifacts from the raw materials of our
world has ultimately shaped the way we live, work, play and learn
today. Creativity can therefore be said to be the most powerful and
fundamental natural human resource that empowers us, as humans, to
freely create what has never been seen. In Bronowski's 'The Ascent of
Man', he described man as the species who's imagination and toughness
make it possible for him not to accept his environment but to change
it.There are many misrepresentations about creativity and the creative
individual, which I will now clarify. Firstly, creativity is not the
reserve of the creative elite industries such as the arts, music,
design or technology businesses, it is a natural and unique human
attribute that occurs as a function of our intelligence and, can
happen in any activity in which the human intelligence is actively
engaged. By definition, every human, from David Beckham to Tony Blair,
has the capacity to be creative - it is just a matter of finding the
medium that unleashes your creative talents - whether that be in
politics, writing, sport, dance or whatever. However,
in saying that, creativity (in most cases) is not something that self
develops; it needs to be carefully nurtured, developed and worked at
in the correct environment and with the appropriate support and
guidance. It is has been often quoted that creativity is 5 per cent
inspiration and 95 per cent perspiration, in other words, you have to
work hard to be creative.Secondly, some have believed that you can't teach creativity, i.e. you
are either creative or you are not. This is a common
misconception and, as stated earlier, creativity is a natural human
attribute that we all possess to a lesser or greater extent and thus
should be recognized and promoted in all. Robinson describes
creativity as something that is not a 'special quality confined to
special people and it can be taught'. However, it
is true to say that some are more creative than others - it all
depends upon the chosen creative medium, the intelligence,
understanding and skill of the individual(s).It is important to add at this point that creativity is not a purely
intellectual process. It is multidimensional and is enriched by other
capacities, these include feelings, skills, personality attributes,
intuition and by a playful imagination to name but a few. Furthermore, creativity is not a separate faculty so much as an attitude: a willingness to continually reconsider what we take for
granted . For this reason, creativity is neither a
static or linear activity, it is instead a 'curved path' where the
individual looks at or considers things from all different viewpoints
before making decisions. This is the essence of creativity - the
ability to find new and ingenious methods of looking at things and
then acting upon them. This 'sideways' method of thinking is better
known as lateral thinking, developed by Edward De Bono over 40 years
ago.Though many have tried since the twentieth century, creativity has
been difficult to accurately measure and analyze. Essentially,
creativity plays upon human feelings and it seems it can only be
'measured' by the amount of satisfaction it gives our emotions.3. THE MEANING OF CREATIVITY IN DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGYDesign and Technology (D&T) is a practical subject with a hands on
approach that offers pupils something that no other curriculum subject
offers; the opportunity to create their imagined thoughts in the real
word. D&T empowers pupils to change the made world. To quote James Dyson, "D&T is about making things that people want and that work well".Creativity lies at the very heart and soul of D&T education at
secondary level. Creativity is what D&T seeks to develop in all pupils. For through being creative in the work they do, youngsters demonstrate their understanding of this now
pivotal subject in the curriculum. Creativity and D&T go hand in hand;
not having creative activity within D&T is like having a car with no
petrol in it - you have the means to move forward but you don't have
the input or driving force that makes you capable of driving forward.
Creativity within D&T is seen in the same light, for D&T is the
vehicle that allows pupils to be carried forward but creativity is the
fuel that empowers them to progress. If creative learning and teaching
runs out then the vehicle (D&T) ceases to progress its occupants
(pupils).Creativity within D&T implies a whole host of attributes that pupils
can use to learn to become creative, including, the freedom to
explore, to take risks, to be innovative, to be inventive, to
experiment, to learn from mistakes, to learn through making, to play,
the list goes on and on. As this list suggests, being creative is not
a linear path but a path you create yourself. This path can take many
forms and take you in many directions, thus creativity is a
multi-faceted process where your creativity is only limited by your
imagination and skill. However, for far too long such crucial creative
activities within D&T have been undervalued, frozen out and ignored by
current methods of stringent teaching, assessment and inspection which
allow for little or no creativity. Too much emphasis has been put upon
creating a well-presented and sequenced portfolio of evidence where,
projects are constructed through a culture of spoon-feeding and how to
do instructions that do little to show any hi-order creativity skills
and progression of the pupil. Instead, the projects are, apart from a
few mundane differences, virtually identical in their construction and
content. These practices in the opinion of many stifle and inhibit the
creativity and ingenuity of pupils and go against the core principles
of creative activity in D&T.Creativity, according to the Qualification and Curriculum Authority
(QCA), can help to improve pupils' self esteem, motivation and
achievement. It has been found that when creative activity is taking
place, pupils become more curious to discover things for themselves;
are more open to ideas; are keen to collaborate with others to explore
ideas and often want to work beyond the lesson time.
Creativity is seen by Robinson as a key element of 'learning to learn'.Creativity within D&T has far reaching implications and consequences
for our wider modern day society. For design and creativity in D&T
develops an essential toolbox of practical life skills that enables
young people to understand, to think and to intervene creatively in a
rapidly changing world where there is rarely one simple answer to life
and work. Schon sees design as a powerful vehicle for learning,
important for everyone, not because they might become designers, but
because (through experiencing designing) they will become more
accomplished thinkers and decision-makers. Furthermore, our technologically dependant society demands people who can continue to design, develop and deliver artifacts that
fulfill human desires and bring about purposeful change to our made
world.Creativity is vital for our long-term national development. For creative abilities are now being seen as fundamental in meeting the challenges of economic development and preparing youngsters for employment in the knowledge economy. For employers more than ever are placing a high premium on people with technological literacy, creativity and imaginationin order to keep up and fulfill the demands of a 21st century economy and society driven forward by technology and innovation. Moreover, managing ones own learning, problem solving and
teamwork are the three key skills that employers constantly prioritize. These skills are the precise abilities that D&T operates with.Many research studies and reports have been conducted by leading
professionals and professional organizations that highlight the huge
importance and role of creativity within education and D&T. The
National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education conducted one such key report entitled 'All Our Futures'. The Blair government in 1997 set up this committee
because the omission of creativity from the curriculum had become so
serious. From the findings of this report, creativity was explicitly acknowledged as a key part of learning and vital for the future prosperity and economic growth of the nation. The
report proposed four key characteristics of creativity - imagination,
purpose, originality and value. These characteristics (shown below)
are seen as the activities that D&T aims to actively promote in pupils
and, are thus now distinguished as the core descriptors of creativity
in D&T.3.1 Imagination and PurposeImagination is the process of seeing new possibilities and thinking
'out of the box' in order to provide unexpected solutions that lead
away from the conventional or the norm. Creative insights often occur
when existing ideas are combined in unexpected ways.However, in D&T imaginative creativity only occurs when the powerful
interaction between the human imagination (the minds eye) and the
human hand creates a concrete form (2-D or 3-D) that can be seen in
public. Thus by default, being creative in D&T involves 'doing'
something. Robinson highlights that you cannot be creative unless you
are actually doing something and, in this respect creativity is
different from imagination. In a sense, creative action in D&T is the application of imagination or thought in action.Secondly, the imagined activity has to be directed at fulfilling a
defined purpose and objective and have a point to its existence. In
other words, it is no good fantasizing or conjuring up in your mind a
flying two headed pink lion that can break-dance, as, even though it
may be very imaginative and creative, it does not fulfill a real
purpose in the made world. This kind of imagination should be left to
Harry Potter novels.Therefore, the first fundamental characteristic of creativity can thus
be defined as:- Imaginative processes with outcomes in the public worldOriginality
The second key characteristic of creativity is the ability for D&T
students to be original in their ideas and thinking. However, this
does not mean that creative originality is always about producing
something that has never been thought of or seen before. For in
practice, for pupils to produce work that was completely new, original
and never before thought of would be highly unlikely and wishful
thinking. Nevertheless, this does not mean that pupils can't be
creative; on the contrary, students can be original by producing work
that is original or new to them. The Key Stage 3 National Strategy
Pilot Framework for D&T suggests that originality occurs within three
different categories:* IndividualPupil's work may be original in relation to his or her own previous
work and output.*RelativePupil's work may be original in relation to their peer group or to
other young people of the same age.*HistoricPupil's work may be original in terms of anyone's previous output in a
particular field (i.e. it may be completely original).Therefore, the second key characteristic of creativity can be detailed
as:- Imaginative processes that produce outcomes that are originalValue
How creative a product is can only truly be judged by the amount of
value it brings to the made world. Not in terms of how much it costs,
but to how valid the solution is in relation to its purpose. In other
words, does the creative result fulfill and meet genuine needs that
exist in the world. Thus, innovative outcomes can only truly be
creative if their introduction to the public domain is judged to be of
value and of purpose.In terms of D&T and creative value, pupils need to judge as to whether
their end product satisfies the criteria that they originally set out
to attain. Critical evaluation and reflection is thus a vital
ingredient for creative education and, should happen at any time
during the creative process in D&T.Consequently, the third and most important description of creativity
in D&T is described as:-Imaginative processes with outcomes that are original and of valueKey Point
The final definition encompasses all the four key
characteristics and, is regarded by many as the definitive description
of creativity in Design & Technology education and learning.From such key reports and findings, the government and authorities
have finally recognized the explicit importance D&T and creativity
plays in pupils' education and future lives in the knowledge economy.
The latest government backed changes openly speak of getting pupils to learn to 'think
and intervene creatively' and encourage them to 'become autonomous and
creative problem solvers'. The next step is for teachers
to find the ways of making this commitment to creativity a reality in
the classrooms.The research findings have enabled a rationale to be formulated for
developing design and make projects that engage and instill in pupils
the value and importance of creativity within D&T education.Creativity, firstly and foremost, is a fun thing that allows pupils to
play with their imagination. The design and make project must
therefore be a catalyst that excites the senses and gets the creative
juices of pupils flowing in abundance. The projects need to tap into
the natural curiosity of pupils and engage their intellect from the
start. This can only be achieved by the projects being designed and
delivered in a context that pupils can relate to and connect with, for
example using their social or cultural background. In addition, the
projects need to be accompanied by stimulus that gets pupils engaged
in creative and imaginative thought processes. Only through this will
pupils truly engage with creative activities as they feel they have an
understanding that allows them to have creative ownership of their
learning and of the outcome.Creativity in D&T is a process of seeing new possibilities and
dimensions not seen by others. In D&T, this can only be done through
designing projects that test pupils to look for connections and make
new associations with things that are not normally related, thus
encouraging them to find new and creative ways of looking at things.
Furthermore, the projects need to be designed to address real life
design issues, this can be a great motivator for creative thought as
it allows pupils to feel that they are actually designing a solution
for 'real world' design problems. The projects need to bring out the
best in pupils by providing an intrinsic challenge for pupils to get
their teeth into.It is no good expecting pupils to create innovative products if they
don't have pre-requisite skills needed to be creative. The design and
make projects should have built-in opportunities for focused practical
tasks designed to develop students creative designing and making
skills using a range of materials, processes and techniques. These
tasks should build-up pupils creative skills year on year, so that
when they come to year 10 and 11 they are equipped with a firm
knowledge base and experience of skills that they can draw upon.Key to any creative activity is the opportunity to experiment and
explore ideas freely. A free response sketchbook should therefore be
made an integral part of any design and make projects, as it allows
pupils to experiment, explore and record ideas without being inhibited
by neatness. Additionally, 3-D modeling should be used throughout the
projects. It is excellent tool for unlocking creativity as it permits
pupils to physically handle, manipulate, modify and test their ideas a
lot more easily.The design and make projects must progress pupils creativity not
simply by getting more difficult each year. Instead, new projects
should allow pupils to integrate the knowledge, skills and
understanding they have gained in previous projects into the new ones.
The aim of these projects must thus be to develop pupils creative
skills until they can become 'autonomous and creative problem solvers
who can think and intervene creatively' and, 'produce imaginative
outcomes that are original and of value'.Gabriel Rise has been experiencing in custom research papers and dissertation writingfor several years. Now she is consulting writers and customers on term paper writing.
Keyword : creativity, education,