Creative ecologies and education futures

The challenge to foster greater creativity in education systems represents a range of diverse and complex affordances and constraints. Creativity research in education spans policy, teaching, learning and assessment, as well as environments within and beyond the school that promote creative encounters. Worldwide, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills are marked as essential for effective learners and future employees. Creativity is closely linked with the development of flexible thinking and lateral problem-solving. Yet a shift is occurring from interest in creative individuals to creative ecologies in sociocultural formations of digitally networked cultures and collaborative methods of thinking. The value of attending to increasing creative sociality within and between diverse cultures and contexts is growing. Drawing on an international study of creativity in secondary schools across Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the United States, the authors argue that because creativity in education is central to lifelong learning and work satisfaction, schools must radically shift toward a more interdisciplinary whole-school creative ecology approach, and away from siloed disciplinary and individualist learning. The chapter draws on aspects of creative ecologies in education that combine science, technology, arts, culture, and industry, showing creativity as a fundamental aspect of education across all domains.