Mark Ronan, headmaster of Pocklington School, York, shares his thoughts on the importance of developing creativity in students in readiness for life after school
Creativity is among the top three skills sought by employers today. In our fast-moving world the ability to think independently and laterally is seen as essential in order to keep up with the pace of change. Companies must adapt and innovate to remain in a market-leading position – and this applies across the board, no matter what industry they belong to.
Releasing the tension
It’s therefore baffling that our education system has evolved into one which places so much emphasis on the ability to pass exams. There is an undoubted tension between the prescriptive demands of the national curriculum and the need to think creatively in the workplace. It’s not easy for decision-makers in education to find a way of accommodating both camps, especially while schools continue to be judged by exam results.
I strongly believe that teachers should, as far as possible, be given the time and space to encourage creative thought in their classrooms. Pupils should have every opportunity to use their ideas and imagination, to think laterally and find their own approach to a subject. Youngsters start prep school bubbling with curiosity, energy and a great capacity for imagination – they’re also less judgemental and so have a natural ability to experiment and take risks without fear of being seen as a failure.
An indicator of the growing importance of creative skills in the workplace is the fact the creative industries grew by 8.9% in 2014
The courage and drive to find your own individual approach to learning – even if it involves making mistakes along the way – is the key to success and we should protect and nurture it wherever possible. This involves careful lesson planning to accommodate different learning styles as well as creative and varied teaching methods which offer every child the opportunity to respond on their own terms. The many technology platforms and research tools make this easier for us. Pupils at varied achievement levels can work side by side quite happily, perhaps discussing and collaborating along the way and, given the right stimulus and support, they can all deliver to the best of their ability.
Stimulating debate
Life – and the workplace – are full of grey areas and there is rarely one definitive answer. Lessons should reflect this by including time for discussion wherever possible, with open-ended questions to stimulate debate, reflection and individual thought. Most important is that pupils are encouraged and praised for trying. Teachers shouldn’t be afraid to demonstrate imaginative thought themselves and, if a flight of fancy fizzles out, show that they, too, can learn from failure and the necessary discipline of revising an idea.
An indicator of the growing importance of creative skills in the workplace is the fact the creative industries grew by 8.9% in 2014, almost double the rate for the UK economy as a whole. They are now worth £84.1bn per year to the UK economy according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. At Pocklington School we’ve just begun work on a £2m Art and Design Technology Centre which will provide for the pursuit of traditional arts and crafts, of course, but will also offer cutting-edge facilities for digital and computer-aided design and manufacturing technology to help pupils develop both the creative skills and commercial nous so valued by employers.
A cutting edge approach
Just as in the workplace a raft of good exam results alone doesn’t guarantee success, so creativity should also be put to demonstrable use. The ability to think laterally, to collaborate and show initiative is key and nurturing these skills should start as soon as possible in schools because, while many of the jobs today’s pupils will take haven’t even been invented yet, what we can predict is that resourceful, motivated employees who can think independently, problem-solve and remain at the cutting edge, will be increasingly prized.
This article first appeared in the February issue of Independent Leader
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and keep up-to-date with the latest news and features