Cultivating Student Creativity

Creativity is as important a skill for students to learn as literacy, says British thought leader Sir Ken Robinson, and “we should treat it with the same status” in our schools.

That’s quite a bold statement—and yet, he’s not alone in his assessment.

The ability to solve complex problems requires flexible, innovative thinking. As the world’s problems become increasingly complicated, workers who can think creatively are going to bring tremendous value to their organizations.

As a result, a growing number of educators are cultivating creativity among students of all ages by giving them opportunities to tinker, explore, design, and create. These opportunities are occurring through hands-on projects assigned in either traditional classroom settings or makerspaces designed specifically for this task.