New resources will help school staff carry out research so they can develop their own skills in teaching for creativity.
The online resource supports teachers and practitioners to build their own knowledge through action research.
Teachers have helped to trial and develop the resource, which was developed by a team including Professor Kerry Chappell and Dr Ursula Crickmay from the University of Exeter School of Education in consultation with teachers from Penryn College, and the Penryn Creativity Collaborative lead, Sarah Childs.
The resource has its roots in the five-year Penryn Creativity Collaborative project, the South West pilot of a UK-wide, Arts Council England-funded programme testing innovative practices in teaching for creativity.
The resource was developed thanks to funding from an Economic and Social Research Council Impact Accelerator Account grant and is free to access.
The resource has been trialled in Penryn College and in other schools across the South West.
It was launched at an online event this month which included an introduction from Professor Bill Lucas, Director of the Centre for Real World Learning, co-chair of the advisory board of the PISA 2022 Test of Creative Thinking.
Mark Brudenell, Learning Lead at Sound Communities in Torbay, said: "The Creativity Action Research Resource is a really timely reminder that when you lead with creativity and connection, rather than data and testing, engagement follows; helping practitioners support young people to feel motivated, ambitious and eager to learn and explore their creative identities as learners. It has given us space to properly reflect on how creativity fuels meaningful learning, sharpening how we support young people to build confidence, find their voice and see themselves as lifelong learners."
The free, flexible materials are designed to be used by teachers as a series of 11 modules which can be completed in full or used independently to support other professional learning and research approaches that schools may be using.
Modules each include a short introduction, activities for practitioners to complete on their own or with partners, further reading, and FAQs based on schools' prior use of the same materials.
Creativity is a core 21st century skill needed by business and society for future citizens. Recent Arts Council England-supported research has shown that it is also a fundamental tool in supporting inclusion in schools.
During the Penryn Creativity Collaborative project the University of Exeter team have worked with schools, industry and cultural partners in Penryn to research how teaching for creativity across the curriculum can lead to young people who are better prepared for their future in a changing workforce.
As part of this work teachers put creative pedagogies to work in their classrooms and developed their skills in teaching for creativity, leading to the development of students' creative skills. Schools have gone on embed new practices of teaching for creativity into school culture, systems and curriculum.
