Creative education is when students are able to use imagination and critical thinking to create new and meaningful forms of ideas where they can take risks, be independent and flexible.
Coming up with various out-of-the box solutions is known as divergent thinking and there is no one way of cultivating this skill - largely due to the newness of the concept and the limited scientific information on creativity.
[2] The increasing interest in creative education is due to the need for more critical thinkers in business science, politics and every subject to be able to solve complex problems.
For instance, in a 2010 IBM study, Chief Executive Officers from more than 60 countries and 33 different industries worldwide were surveyed on creativity.
A growing number of colleges and universities are realizing the needs for more creative students in every field of education.
[1] After two decades, employers and universities realized the need to foster creativity in students and eventually in the workforce.
In application to education, this may include requiring more recess time to facilitate the creative thought process.
The CPS method is a more explicit form of cultivating creativity and uses divergent and convergent thinking skills.
Instead of changing an entire curriculum to be creative focused, this method is a more obvious way to teach students how to critically approach assignments.
[16] This model was created to allow instructors to integrate creativity into their lessons without affecting the subject material.
From the 1960s through the 80's the UK's primary schools were recognized as innovative[19] and surrounding around the child as recorded in the Plowden Report.
Compared to the European Union, the UK, especially Northern Ireland, have a more frequent usage of creativity across multiple school subjects.
[21] The extensive state-wide tests that are required have push educators to follow strict curriculum so there is less freedom among teachers.
The tests also create a cyclical pattern in under-performing, poor schools - low performance leads to less funding.