East Midlands Collaborative

In Nottingham, 12 schools within the Nottingham Schools Trust come together as a community of practice to explore this overarching question over a three year period.

How can we improve the way our schools nurture children’s innate creative capacity and sustain their curiosity about the world?

We did this by:

1. Prioritised teachers’ professional learning about teaching for creativity

2. Created effective communities of practice that include teachers, creative practitioners and cultural education partners

3. Built networks of events, support and school governance that sustain teaching for creativity

4. Built strong school connections to local cultures and heritage and supported the development of children’s sense of place

There were regular opportunities to connect with Professor Bill Lucas and teachers from around the country within a national peer learning network. The ‘Creative Habits of Mind Wheel’ was a useful tool through which to reflect on our own creative confidence and the residency programmes with creative practitioners. You can see the different images of the wheel below.

Guidance for creative professionals and teachers on
how to use the creativity wheel

This widely used model of creativity was developed by Professor Bill Lucas and colleagues at the University of Winchester.

It can be used as a formative assessment tool in that it can help pupils to:

• Develop a shared language of creativity.

• Reflect, self assess and value their own creative skills/disposition

• Gather supporting evidence.

• Track their progress over time.

• Be more self aware of when they are using their creative skills.

• Seek opportunities to be more creative; and to identify future learning goals.

It can help creative professionals and teachers to:

• Have a shared language of creativity across the school community.

• To create a dialogue in the school about the value of developing creative skills.
• Consider how to build opportunities for creative skill development in learning.
• Develop their practice; and support reflection and goal setting with learners.

Get in touch with Creativity Collaboratives Nottingham using the details below:

Twitter: @ChalleNGeNottm or @NST_forschools

Website: challengenottingham.co.uk