Teachers, leaders and experts from the Penryn Partnership and University of Exeter have launched a toolkit to help teach for creativity in the classroom.
This resource has been developed in West Cornwall and is aimed at supporting educators nationwide.
Recently published as part of a national pilot funded by Arts Council England and Freelands Foundation, it offers an essential resource for primary and secondary schools.
The toolkit was unveiled at the Penryn Creativity Collaborative Symposium, held at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus on March 26.
The symposium witnessed participation from across Cornwall and beyond, engaging educators, industry partners, and cultural stalwarts in critical discussions on the relevance of creative skills in a contemporary Cornish workforce.
After the launch, Penryn College headteacher, Ms Schouten, said: "This toolkit has been composed by teachers, leaders and researchers to inspire teaching and learning - not just in Cornwall, but nationally.
"We hope that these resources support others to discover the importance of teaching for creativity, enabling our students to emerge as future-ready."
Spearheaded by the Penryn Creativity Collaborative, the toolkit proposes practical strategies for cultivating creativity in the classroom, with resources rooted in a year-long action research conducted during the academic year of 2022/23.
The course material on offer ranges from lesson plan ideas to observations on integrating creativity across the curriculum.
Ms Westhead, head of humanities at Penryn College, noted: "There is a moral imperative of embedding creative pedagogy and skills into classroom practice."
She emphasized that such classroom strategies augment understanding, making learning more memorable while fortifying students' creative skillsets for their future careers.
Also expressing excitement over the toolkit's potential, associate professor at the University of Exeter, Ms Chappell, said: "Our research reveals how teachers’ own Action Research embeds understanding of teaching for creativity much more effectively than if teachers are trained in techniques."
The Penryn Partnership, currently in its final year of Arts Council England's Creativity Collaboratives programme, has initiated this project with financial support from the Arts Council and the Freelands Foundation since October 2021.
The Penryn Partnership, as one of the eight Creativity Collaboratives across England, is innovative in its approach to teaching for creativity.
Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England, lauded the transformative efforts of teachers and pupils involved in the Creativity Collaboratives.
He stressed the necessity of fostering creativity in young minds, preparing them to adapt to the rapidly changing world.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here