Creativity in Education Summit 2023: Creating Education Systems for the Future - Andreas Schleicher

Summary

The video features a speech by Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at the OECD, discussing the importance of creativity and critical thinking in education. He highlights challenges like overcrowded curricula and the need to foster creativity beyond traditional subjects. Schleicher emphasizes that young learners possess natural creativity, but schools often fail to nurture it. He also addresses the role of artificial intelligence, climate change, and evolving educational needs. The session underscores the significance of integrating creative thinking into teaching practices and provides insights into related research and initiatives.

Takeaways

• 📊 Creativity tends to decrease with age according to surveys on social emotional skills.
• 🌟 Children are born creative, but traditional schooling can stifle this creativity by emphasizing compliance and memorization over questioning and exploration.
• 🔬 The way science is taught often contradicts scientific thinking, which values inquiry and questioning over memorization.
• 🌐 We live in a world of disruptions, and education must adapt to prepare students for an unpredictable future, including challenges like climate change and AI.
• 📚 Literacy has evolved from extracting knowledge to constructing knowledge, requiring new skills to navigate the digital world.
• 🧠 Critical thinking skills are essential for navigating ambiguity and辨别 information in the digital age, yet many young people lack these skills.
• 💡 Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly capable, particularly in information retrieval, necessitating a reevaluation of human roles in education.
• 🌱 Environmental sustainability and resilience require creativity and innovation, which education should foster.
• 🏫 School leaders often believe they are teaching about global challenges, but students may not feel empowered or capable of making a difference.
• 🌀 A growth mindset is crucial for academic success and should be developed in education to empower learners.
• 🔄 The curriculum is often overcrowded, making it difficult to integrate new ideas like creativity, which is seen as fundamental in the 21st century.

Q & A

Who is Andreas Schleicher and what is his role in education?

Andreas Schleicher is the Director for Education and Skills at the OECD and a special advisor on education policy to the Secretary-General. He is a key figure in shaping educational policies and assessments worldwide.

What is the main concern raised by the survey on social emotional skills among 10 and 15-year-olds?

The survey indicates that 15-year-olds report lower levels of creativity compared to 10-year-olds across every jurisdiction with available data.

How does Andreas Schleicher describe the innate creativity of children?

He mentions that children are born with an abundance of creativity, always questioning, experimenting, and willing to learn, unlearn, and relearn.

What does Schleicher criticize about the current educational system?

He criticizes the system for teaching students to be compliant with established ways of thinking and for often teaching answers rather than raising questions.

What is the importance of fostering creativity in education according to Schleicher?

Fostering creativity is important because it helps prepare students for a world full of disruptions, including pandemics, climate change, and the rise of artificial intelligence.

What challenges does Schleicher identify in the current approach to education?

He identifies challenges such as an overcrowded curriculum, lack of assessment focus on creativity, and insufficient teacher training and pedagogical resources.

What does Schleicher suggest about the role of technology in education?

He suggests that technology, particularly AI, is becoming more proficient in areas that were once the domain of human expertise, necessitating a reevaluation of what skills are taught in schools.

What does Schleicher mean by 'growth mindset' in education?

A 'growth mindset' refers to the belief that intellectual abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work, as opposed to being fixed traits.

How does Schleicher view the integration of creativity in school curricula?

He views it as a positive step, noting that most education systems include some form of creative thinking in their curricula, but also points out the challenges in integrating it fully.

What is the role of the creativity and education summit mentioned in the script?

The summit is a platform for discussing and tackling challenges related to integrating creativity and critical thinking into education, with the aim of developing a common language and pedagogical resources.

What are the outcomes of the project discussed in the script?

The project has developed a large bank of pedagogical resources, professional learning frameworks, and has worked with teachers and schools across multiple countries to integrate creativity into education.