#18 Growing creative intelligence prepares students to be best for the world
As shared at British School Muscat’s online Art Exhibition “The Collection”, 7 June 2020
“We are makers, thinkers, doers and designers. Drawing on skills in both art and science we work to create spaces where we love to live, are inspired to learn and where we enjoy to work. Creative thinking skills and intelligence are critical to what we do.
Welcome to The Collection 2020
The words above are from Nathan Wheatley, a director of engenuiti, an award winning engineering practice in London. As an engineer, he is part of a professional team that designs and then builds streets, squares, parks and places where we all like to go. We can all name some that are special for us.
Nathan is not the only employer who thinks that creative thinking skills are crucial to the success of his organization. A recent survey has found that arts, humanities and social science graduates are more in demand than science graduates in eight of the UK’s ten fastest growing sectors of the economy. Those who take subjects such as art, history, law and drama are just as likely to be in work as their chemistry, maths or engineering counterparts the study said, and just as resilient to economic downturns.
The report, from the British Academy and the London Economic consultancy, found that arts, humanities and social science graduates are just as likely to be employed as STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) graduates a year after graduation with employment rates of 88 and 89 per cent respectively. Gross annual pay was also to found roughly the same for arts, humanities and social sciences, £35,360 and STEM graduates £38,272
Therefore it is more important than ever that our educational mindset must now be one where creative thinking is at the forefront of the learning experience of students. Critical is the need to combine a rigorous, objective-based curriculum with an open-ended, flexible and child-centred approach to learning where creative thinking is allowed to flourish. In this way all students can be encouraged to express themselves; to articulate their ideas and feelings and communicate clearly in a complex, multi-disciplinary world. To understand this fully, students must be afforded opportunities in subject areas such as art and design, to explore what it is to be truly human. However we must not limit creativity to the arts: we know it is paramount within every subject area and all parts of the learning experience.
Professor Luckin, author of “Machine Learning and Human Intelligence: the future of education in the 21st century” and one of the leading thinkers on the role of artificial intelligence in education, shared her views on how education needs to evolve in our rapidly changing world at a recent conference in London. In particular, I liked the way that she explained that we should be focusing on the intelligences where students need to thrive during the 21st century; creative intelligence being a central one of these.
Thank you to Ms McHenry, Dr Myhil, Mrs Rayner, Mr Singh and Ms Galiel for providing so many opportunities for our students to grow their creative intelligence within their art and design work.
I am so proud of all the students’ wonderful work that is exhibited in this innovative online gallery.
Please take your time to browse this extensive and impressive collection produced by BSM students with the support, guidance and inspiration of their teachers. If you click on the student’s photos you will learn what inspired their works.
Please click below to enter British School Muscat’s Online Art Exhibition: The Collection 2020:
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