Curriculum for Excellence

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A creative curriculum for excellence
Libby Curtis Programme Director - Design Craft
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The Big Picture - Creative Futures ?
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Concluded that the lack of awareness and
understanding of the role that greater creativity
can play in business is a key barrier to SMEs
making greater use of creative skills.
Why creativity?
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• Creativity and Innovation Centres
• Design for Business programme support
• Increase understanding of creativity and
  innovation in the boardroom
• Educate Senior business people
• Use broadcast media to encourage creativity and
  innovation

Why innovation?
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Creative and Entrepreneurial Spirit - Science and
Design Clockwork Radio - Trevor Bayliss
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This is what artists and designers do...
and are Thoughts on creativity or Thoughts on
Innovation or Thoughts on entrepreneurial spirit
or . Curriculum design? The art of
Looking Sideways P30. Allan Fletcher.
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A key thinker is E Paul Torrance, teacher and
psychologist, distinguished professor emeritus,
University of Georgia.
Torrance thinks that the goal of education should
be to produce people who can make new scientific
discoveries, find more adequate solutions to
impelling world problems, who cannot be
brainwashed, can adapt to change and maintain
their sanity in an age of acceleration. To
achieve this, he believes that the focus of
education should be not so much on what pupils
learn as on what they can do with their learning.
He is particularly concerned with addressing all
aspects of cognitive development, especially
childrens capacity to think, and to be happier
able not only to fulfil their potential, but to
go beyond what is normally accepted.
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According to Torrance, creativity involves
forming ideas or hypotheses, testing them and
communicating the results, adventurous thinking
(a step into the unknown), invention, discovery,
curiosity, experimentation and exploration.
Torrance argues that pupils need to be able to
see clear links between school learning and their
current and future lives outside school. He sees
the schools role as enabling pupils to enlarge,
enrich and make more accurate images of the
future.
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Learning in the arts and learning through the
arts. Creative situations Taking
risks Meaningful and relevant contexts Active
engagement Achievement Self-esteem building
confidence Problem-solving and critical
thinking Enterprising Working collaboratively and
independently Communication Using
technology Sounds very much like the goals
encapsulated in..
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a curriculum for excellence ?
Successful learners CONFIDENT Individuals Effectiv
e Contributors Responsible Citizens Critical
Thinkers - Core ability for every individual
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How others have brought change and enhanced
creative learning opportunities
Champions for Change The American Arts
Education Partnership and the Chicago Arts
Partnership Education (CAPE) commissioned seven
teams of researchers to examine arts education
programmes. Key findings were that learners
attain higher levels of achievement through their
engagement with the arts. Researchers found that
the arts provide authentic experiences that are
engaging, real, and meaningful to them and that
cognitive, social and personal competencies were
developed.
1999
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www.capeuk.org
CAPE UK was established in 1997. Its chief
executive is Pat Cochrane and the director is
Arnold Aprill. In the United States, the
incidence and quality of arts provision can vary
from school to school. The original CAPE was
established in 1992 to capitalise on renewed
interest in arts education in Chicago schools and
the availability of funding. The CAPE UK
project was initially established in two major UK
cities Leeds and Manchester. The European Social
Funds Youthstart programme has provided much of
its funding. Its initiatives have mushroomed in
many ways.
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CAPE UK is based on a a series of partnerships
between a high school, feeder schools, practising
artists, the community, local businesses and
creative organisations. In each partnership, a
high schoolbased coordinator has a pivotal role
to play. There is no prototypical partnership.
Each cluster has a great deal of freedom to
evolve in its own way.
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• CapeUk - independent development agency focusing
  on creativity and learning.Working with partners
  to explore and develop innovative approaches to
  teaching and learning which prepare children and
  young people in a rapidly changing world.
• To develop the creative potential and capacities
  of young people
• To transform teaching and learning by placing
  creativity at the heart of the curriculum
• To develop approaches to leadership and
  management which support creativity.

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How. By exploring innovative approaches to
learning and teaching in both the informal and
formal education sectors. By sharing practice
and ideas, collaborating with national and
international agencies. By working with a wide
range of partners including schools, museums and
galleries, creative and community organisations,
businesses, universities, childrens services,
and school improvement services and individual
practitioners.
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Creativity is good for you !
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To recap Creativity is..
What are the implications?
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Creative thinking is risky thinking for pupils
and for staff. Creative approaches may not lead
to expected outcomes and indeed may challenge
them. Daring to be different, having
independence of mind is vital to creativity and
innovation. Teaching creative and critical
thinking is part of all disciplines within the
curriculum - not just art design. In being an
individual creative thinker - the pupil may
certainly achieve but will they attain in the
desired format? Creativity takes time and is
sometimes difficult to box.
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Changing perceptions Challenging labels
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What if.. What would a creative environment
look like feel like, for a pupil? Real
creativity leads to discovery, adventure,
innovation, and independence. How do we
value/asses this as educators how do we
encourage pupils to reflect upon this and
appreciate this as important in their
learning. How could the school integrate
creativity across the curriculum? Cross
discipline teaching? (Language/Expressive Arts,
Expressive Arts/Technologies.Expressive
Arts/Social Studies, Science/Expressive Arts,
Expressive Arts/HealthWell-being) How can the
school link with external partners to create
meaningful contexts for pupils to work within?
University / business / arts practitioners/
organisations - how can they be involved in
projects?
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How would we integrate creative and critical
thinking within the curriculum? What methods are
employed to do this currently? How could these be
developed? Does school timetabling/school
structures affect the way that a creative
curriculum could be developed. Can these change
if they are? Can we free up whole days for
cultural visits with over-arching projects that
join up to identified curriculum areas? Can we
block time to spend on creative projects at
appropriate stages. How would exam requirements
affect the development of creative approaches to
learning?
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?
So.how to make creative, dynamic and flexible
learning environments for the future. What are
the key issues for us to look at?