Celebrating the publication of the new edited volume by Nicole Brown and Amanda Ince from UCL Institute of Education and Karen Ramlackhan from University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

Creativity has become a buzzword across all disciplines in education and across all phases, from early years through to tertiary education. Although the meaning of creativity can change vastly depending on the global educational setting, it is impossible to ignore the applicability and relevance of creativity as educational tool, philosophical framework, and pedagogical approach.

Through case studies of creativity in varying settings and diverse contexts, this collection explores the ground-breaking work undertaken internationally to support, develop and future-proof learners with, and for, creativity. The chapters are centred around a practice-based enquiry or other forms of empirical research. This provides the scholarly basis upon which creativity is continuously reconceptualised and redefined in the educational and country-specific context of each study. Contributors from different countries then provide critical, reflective, and analytical responses to each chapter. Creativity in Education provides practical insights for application in a wide range of educational settings and contexts, such as the use of art exhibitions and object-work, as well as more philosophical approaches to teacher education, leadership for learning and creativity as a universal phenomenon.

For this book launch event, the editors are gathering contributors and discussants to explore the role creativity plays in educational settings across the world.

You can download a free PDF copy of the book Creativity in Education: International Perspectives by clicking on the following link: https://www.uclpress.co.uk/Creativity

Schedule  

Bios: 

Tom Doust, Associate Director of the Institute of Imagination: Tom is passionate about the power of imagination. Through his career he has designed opportunities for people, particularly children and young people, to embrace and apply their imagination in creative, tactile and expressive ways. In order for the learner to be fully engaged, Tom believes education and learning must be playful and immersive. He draws inspiration from concepts like rapid prototyping and pedagogies like the maker movement. He is committed to social good and has only worked in the non-for-profit sector alongside stakeholders, exploring ways in which people can feel empowered to make a difference to the world around them. The iOi brings all of Tom’s passions under one roof: creativity; experimentation, design, technology and real world and interdisciplinary learning.

The editors:

Nicole Brown, Associate Professor at UCL: She is known for her expertise in social research practice, a form of thinking-doing-being that interweaves practice, research and teaching. Her publications include Making the Most of Your Research Journal, Embodied Inquiry: Research Methods, and Photovoice Reimagined. Nicole shares her work at www.nicole-brown.co.uk.

Amanda Ince, Associate Professor at UCL: She is programme leader for the UCL national professional qualification in early years leadership. Amanda’s interest is in professional learning and the use of facilitated action research to empower professionals in their pedagogy and practices. Her publications include A Practical Guide to Action Research and Teacher Enquiry, Towards a Child-centred Curriculum and Reflective Teaching in Early Education.

Karen Ramlackhan, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of South Florida: She is committed to work that engenders transformative change of unjust conditions that marginalise populations within educational contexts, with a particular focus on social justice leadership praxis, as well as culturally affirming equitable and inclusive practices. Karen’s scholarly activities bridge disciplinary areas and emphasise creativity and critical thinking in problem-solving current issues of equity and justice in educational systems. 

The contributors:

Sofia Eriksson Bergström works as a senior lecturer at the department of education at Mid Sweden University. She is a teacher educator mainly in play, creativity and learning environments, but also in qualitative research methods. Her research interests concern places for learning, creativity and accessibility in schools, special education, museums and science centres. Sofia has a specific interest in the agency of children and how to create circumstances with affordances that promote agency in learning environments. She leads the research group for young children, childhood and aesthetic subjects in her department.

Roxana Balbontín‑Alvarado holds a PhD in education from the University of Nottingham. She currently works as an academic for the School of Education and Humanities at Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chile. Roxana’s research areas include teachers’ identities, teachers’ training, the teaching profession, school leadership, school contexts and higher education, among other areas.

Carolyn Swanson (DMLS, GDipT, PGDEd, (Dis), PhD) is a senior lecturer in initial teacher education at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. Carrie’s interests, research and teaching include science education, the use of creative pedagogies such as dramatic enquiry and mantle of the expert, curricular integration, action research and identity lenses. 

Jung Duk Ohn is a professor at Gyeongin National University of Education, Korea. Having graduated from Ewha Womans University she was awarded her PhD in curriculum and instruction at the University of Iowa. An experienced elementary school teacher, she has been teaching at university for more than 15 years, both in the United States and in Korea. Her research interests include teacher education, curriculum integration and competency-based education. She actively participates in national and local curriculum design and consultant work for elementary, middle and high school teachers.