This post raises an interesting question although I don’t think it’s whether we can teach creativity but whether we can provide environments where creativity can flourish and be valued.
The problem, I believe, is that the language of education has been hijacked by the measurement industry. So often when we speak of assessment we actually mean measurement. The former is of far greater value to the learner & teacher than the later whose value is the revenue generated for awarding bodies as well as technocrats with their measuring sticks.
In the world of technocrats & bureaucrats if you can’t measure it you can’t prove it and therefore it isn’t valued. This is a result of the continued preoccupation with the standard model of education of the early 20th century that is based on the inculcation of facts & procedures then measuring recall. This is at odds with the 21st century competences, e.g. creativity and critical thinking, that we say we value.
Until we divest ourselves of these poorly considered measurement systems & the standard model we will continue to debate whether creativity can be taught.
Perhaps it’s something that can be learned.
