Creativity: a challenge for contemporary education

ABSTRACT

In this essay, I comment on the objective of cultivating creativity in general and in schools in particular. I start by tracing the historical origin of this objective, then discuss a select set of relevant issues, including what can be considered the best practices for achieving this. I conclude by contemplating the potential for globalisation of this objective, and the portability of general pedagogies and specific approaches to cultivating creativity between different educational systems.     

Creativity as a pastoral concern

In this paper, the author considers the contribution of creativity to pastoral care in education. Since its advent in English schools in the early 1970s, pastoral care has placed the affective realm and individual enrichment centre stage in both its curriculum aims and teaching approaches. These principles have, however, had much to contend with over the past 50 years; from the obtrusive effects of state intervention in schools, to the challenges confronting young people growing up in increasingly complex societies. For many teachers and practitioners, engaging young people in creative pursuits has come to be regarded as a necessary counterpoint to increasingly performative school cultures and an essential means to enabling vibrant forms of positive self-expression. The power of creative activities has received new impetus as a pastoral concern in light of two national trends. The first as creative arts provision in the curriculum in English state secondary schools declines as a consequence of Government qualification reforms, and second as an increasing number of young people are referred to Alternative Educational Provision with mental health issues. As a consequence, many pastoral educators have turned or, indeed, returned to creativity and creative practices as a primary means of supporting and enriching the lives of young people, particularly for those who now struggle in contemporary school environments. In light of these developments and drawing on research and practice in the field of creativity and pastoral care, this paper aims to cast further light on creativity in pastoral education.     

Creative Knowledge: The Centrality of Creativity in Teachers’ Conceptions of Subject English

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the notion of creativity as a core concept in English teachers’ knowledge and valuing of their subject. It draws on research from a broader investigation into teachers as writers and discusses one of the key findings of the study: that creativity is not only crucial to how teachers approach their pedagogy and subject content, but that contexts in which creativity is minimised in English teachers’ lives results in struggle or even a departure from the profession. The paper concludes with a call for teachers and bureaucrats to affirm creative knowledge as foundational to English teachers and their profession, and the ability of teacher narratives to offer a powerful contribution to debates in English teaching.     

关于中职幼师专业英语教学的思考与实践

伴随我国学前教育幼儿英语课程的广泛开设,如何更好地进行幼师英语教学,培养出符合时代要求的复合型优秀幼儿英语教师,如何变革才能使中职幼师专业的毕业生顺应我国学前教育的发展,胜任具有启蒙意义的学前教育,是中职幼师专业英语教学中应思考和总结的问题。     

Creativity: a reaffirmation of its place in early childhood education

At a time when early years educators feel under increasing pressure from the government to adopt more formal approaches to learning, this article sets out to reaffirm the importance of developing each child's creative capacity to the full. The point is made that through the application of creative capacity a vital dimension of human intelligence is demonstrated. It is argued that creative growth is too often hampered by misunderstandings that continue to distort the relationship between creativity and education. Issues that are vital to the development of understanding about the nature of creativity are made explicit and the conditions most likely to promote creative thought and action are identified. In the interest of clarity the term ‘early years’ will be applied to children between the ages of three and eight in diverse educational settings.     

浅谈创新教育与英语教学

创新教育是以开发创新性思维为核心、以培养创新性人才为基本价值取向的教育。在英语教学中实施创新教育，以人为本；在语言学习的过程中培养学生的创新性思维，引导学生进行创新性学习。教师应在英语教学中将凝聚在教学内容和教学过程中的创造性因素发掘出来，展现开来，在教学活动中随时随地去引导学生进行创造性思维，培养其创新个性。     

Competency disparity between pre-service teacher education and in-service teaching requirements in Taiwan

The purpose of this study is to explore whether pre-service teacher education in Taiwan equips in-service teachers with the necessary knowledge and competency to meet the demands of the professional career. A questionnaire was developed to investigate such competency disparity. The questionnaire containing 44 items within six categories was distributed to 305 samples in Taiwan. With a return rate of 92.5%, 282 valid samples were returned and analyzed.     

The Notion of Creativity in Art and the Influence of Cultural Exposure

This study investigates how art teachers judge the creativity of student art work. Both conceptual and operational definitions given by teachers were studied. Furthermore, cultural exposure as measured by a teacher's exposure to non-Asian cultures, was studied to see how it might influence art teachers' judgements. Two instruments were developed for the purpose of this study. One instrument was a questionnaire designed to collect qualitative data from the respondents. The second instrument was used to measure art teachers' ratings of creativity. The data revealed that the conceptual definitions given by art teachers varied considerably. However, when asked to rate subjectively the creativity of art products, moderate agreement was reached among art teachers. Exposure to non-Asian cultures did not seem to have an effect on an art teachers' operational definition of creativity. Results of the study imply that the usefulness of the term creativity needs to be reviewed in general usage and in documents such as curricula. It would seem that there is not a clear notion among art teachers as to what constitutes creativity and a creative product.     

英语学科素质教育之我见

随着我国素质教育的不断深入，新课程改革的推进．基础教育既面临一次挑战，又获得一次发展机逼，英语学科教育在改革开放的大好形势下，更显得尤为突出．英语教学实施素质教育，落实新课程更具现实意义．为此，教师必须把提高自身素质放在首位，尽可能把素质教育落实到课堂教学之中，关注全体学生．面向全体学生，提高学生学习英语的兴趣，不断加强学生基础知识的学习和综合能力的培养．     

在文艺作品的阅读鉴赏中培养学生的创新能力——对“文学鉴赏“课的教学设想

在<文学概论>课的教学活动中,文学鉴赏课占有举足轻重的位置.它对启迪思维、陶冶情操、提高审美创造力具有重要作用.因此,适当改革课堂教学方式,安排组织阅读鉴赏活动,做到理论联系实际,是提高教学质量、培养学生创新能力的有效举措之一.     

Showing the Strategy where to go: possibilities for creative approaches to Key Stage 3 literacy teaching in initial teacher education

This paper arises from a research project undertaken with six PGCE student teachers of English, based on observation and discussion of English lessons based on the National Strategy's Framework for Teaching English. I draw also on the student teachers' reflections and written commentaries. The central thrust of the research was to enquire whether and how classroom practice could demonstrate an imaginative, meaning‐orientated form of English teaching which included the Framework: how exactly learning opportunities might arise in lively, engaging and effective ways.     

培养和提高学生想象力的方法

想象在中学语文教学中占了非常重要的位置，本文就怎样培养和提高学生的想象力作了有益的尝试。     

Creativity and inspiration for problem solving in engineering education

Problem solving is a critical skill for engineering students and essential to development of creativity and innovativeness. Essential to such learning is an ease of communication and allowing students to address the issues at hand via the terminology, attitudes, humor and empathy, which is inherent to their frame of mind as novices, without the attempt to have to be the expert. Deep learning of scientific fact can be facilitated by using non-conventional tools for teaching, learning and presentation such as drama, video, posters, model making and other similar means. It may be time to break free of the PowerPoint tradition to generate successful approaches for establishing student engagement and maintaining such engagement.     

农村中学英语教师继续教育调查研究

本文利用问卷调查的方法,就农村中学英语教师（以驻马店地区为例）继续教育现状、存在问题等方面进行了较为全面的研究。在汲取国内外研究成果的基础上提出对策建议,并提出教师继续教育课程设置与培养模式的设想。     

教改环境下大学英语口语教师的角色

随着大学英语教学改革的推进,教师在教学中的中心地位被学生所取代。如何定位自己在新模式教学中的角色成为大学教师亟待解决的问题。本文以建构主义理论为指导,讨论在大学英语口语教学中教师起到的多重角色。     

高师院校教师教育存在的问题与对策

教学计划是学校教育教学过程中的指导性文件,如何制定和实施教学计划直接影响人才培养的质量。针对高师院校教师教育存在的问题,应通过改革师范生的教学计划来解决。     

Reform in teacher education: A personal comment

The Benton and Hoyt article reveals substantial information about attitudes toward teacher preparation in America. however, a notable set of issues are not a part of their data base because those responsible for programming teacher education have ignored them. This response presents a beginning at identifying such issues.     

幼儿英语教育目标定位及学前英语师资培养策略

一支高素质的师资队伍是提高幼儿英语教育水平的根本保障。本文以幼儿英语教育的目标定位为研究的起点,对当前幼儿英语教育对教师的基本素质要求进行了分析,并进一步提出了学前英语师资培养的主要策略以及培养过程中需要注意的问题,结论对于提高学前英语师资培养水平具有一定的借鉴价值。     

建构主义学习观在高职英语教学中的运用

将建构主义学习观引入高职英语教学中,以一个具体单元的教学为例,通过创设情境、搭建桥梁、提出问题、组织协作、展示成果、评价反思等教学环节,探讨了建构主义学习观在高职英语教学中的实际运用。     

Planting Poetry: Sowing Seeds of Creativity in a Year 5 Class

This article offers a case study account of a garden-themed poetry writing project run by a creative writing organisation in partnership with a class of 9–10-year-old children from a London primary school. I explore the concept of creativity which framed the five-week project and analyse the different ways in which the creative practitioner worked collaboratively with the class teacher to develop children’s writing, not least by adopting an open, inclusive pedagogy. Despite the obvious successes of this project, I raise questions about the role of creative practitioners working in schools and the ways in which special projects locate creativity on the margins of the mainstream curriculum.