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Brendan and Sofia I was thinking it might be a good idea to paste our each of our final transcripts here so that one of us could put it in a single group document then attach it to the wiki Great idea Kirsten. I will have mine part here by 9.30 tonight. Brendan Ok, awesome, I just need to fix up my referencing and I will paste mine up as well. It will be done by 1.30 today :) Sofia Alrighty, I have added to the references list at the bottom etc. Sounds good... all we have to do is do our pod casts. Great job everyone :)

**Creativity and Imagination in Education in the 21st century - transcript** Never before has creativity and imagination been as important in education as it is in the 21st century. Society has seen a shift in regards to what skills are considered to be important, with countless industries and companies around the globe searching for innovation and creativity. The National Education Association, (2011), emphasises that, ‘The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind – creators and emphasisers, pattern recognisers and meaning makers. These people – artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers – will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.’ Simply, having knowledge is no longer sufficient; therefore it is important that students are able to think creatively in order to respond to issues and challenges they may face in the twenty first century and in their future lives. The Australian Curriculum, (2012), highlights this in the statement, “Responding to the challenges of the twenty-first century - with its complex environmental, social, and economic pressures - requires young people to be creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable, with the motivation, confidence and skills to use critical and creative thinking purposefully,.” Therefore it is imperative that teachers provide a rich curriculum that ‘encourages and nurtures creativity and imagination’ (Brown, J., & Thomas, D., 2011). Creative thinking is crucial in order to effectively complete activities that require students to think broadly and profoundly, encompassing a range of skills, behaviours and dispositions which include reason, logic, problem-solving, resourcefulness, imagination and innovation in all learning areas. Not only are these important during school but are crucial in order for students to be successful in their lives beyond school as well as in the future workforce. Drotner, K, (2008) recognises that the introduction of technology has also seen a shift in the way we learn in the 21st century and has influenced the way society operates. This means that technology needs to be incorporated into the curriculum in order to accommodate 21st century learners and ensure they are able to function in a society and working environment so dependent on technology .(Warner, D., 2006). Therefore, it is both an economic and personal imperative to use suitable technologies that cultivate independent learning whilst value and nurture the creative qualities within individuals in order for students to be successful in the future. (McLoughlin, C & Lee, M, 2010, p. 38)

**Creativity, Imagination and Assessment - transcript** Assessment is a key part of the learning and teaching cycle that takes place in the classroom. Therefore the role that assessment plays in the facilitation, teaching and learning of creativity and imagination needs to be analysed. Ya-Hui Su (2009) advocates that learning should be a lifelong process and that creativity should be an integral part of this process. The learner should be the central figure in this process. This understanding advocates a shift from the traditional teacher-centred style of learning to a more student-centred style where the student is in control of their learning and the assessment of their learning. Self and peer evaluation is powerful way to assess each student's creativity and imagination as they can review how they have gone and discuss ways to deepen and improve their knowledge, thoughts, strategies and ideas. McLoughlin and Lee (2010) state that ‘self regulated learning refers to the ability of a learner to... manage and evaluate the learning and provide self feedback and judgment’ (McLoughlin, 2010, p.28) Ellis & Lawrence (2009) promote the use student portfolios. Students’ works in art subjects can be collated and used as a part of the self-assessment and teacher judgement. In this way students can look at how they have progressed. Also, E portfolios can be created and used to analyse progress in subjects such as drama, music and dance. Sampling students was found by Ellis & Lawrence (2009) to be an effective and efficient way of analysing student’s learning, and gauging their approaches to learning and interests. This can then be used to enhance learning activities and the scaffolding provided by the teacher. According to Su (2009) ‘the teacher needs to know when the learner’s creative moment can be furthered’ (Su, 2009, p. 713). This should be a focus for assessment for all teachers. Craft (2005) states that teachers need to ‘analyse creative learning, creative teaching and teaching for creativity’ (Craft, 2005, p.23). Therefore it is not only important to think of ways to assess the creativity and imagination of students but also that of teachers. This may involve teachers ‘critically evaluating their own learning practices and teachers’ performance.’ (Craft, 2005, p.23)

**Experiencing and Facilitating Creativity and Imagination**

Creativity and associated capacities are highly regarded as a life capability, both for the individual and society (Craft. A, 2005, p17). As a person experiences creativity and imagination it changes their current understanding of all possessed knowledge. Everything becomes possible when previously impossible. Thus, It is clear that creativity has an important role to play and that our children in schools need to be nourished in order to develop this skill. According to the NACCCE, ‘Young people’s creative abilities are most likely to be developed in an atmosphere in which the teacher’s creative abilities are properly engaged’ (Craft. A, 2005, p22). This can be facilitated in a number of different ways. Some include, teaching creatively, teaching for creativity, acknowledging, encouraging and rewarding for creativity. All of these ways will have an impact in the classroom although there is much controversy about which is more effective and has the least negative impacts.

Creative teaching in a classroom engages students more effectively and draws students into learning while also empowering children who are not seen as achieving in the academic subjects (Ellis. S, Lawrence. B, 2009, p3). Su in the Journal of Lifelong Education (2009, p712-713) sums up creative learning for the students quite well, she states that, “What really matters is not what or how much the learner knows, but how well the learner can use and engage in what is known to create what is wanted or needed.”

Institutions such as Creative Partnerships Durham Sunderland have worked together with artists, architects, scientists and teachers to create a program in which schools can adopt to help teachers inspire children and help them learn. Independent surveys and tests have indicated that those who use this program have had a 91% improvement in pupils communication skills, 92% improvement in pupils confidence and 78% increase in pupil’s ability to learn independently (Seftom-Green, 2008).

Creative Partnerships is one of many different programs, projects, tests and assessments that have found creativity and imagining in our classrooms to have a positive impact on our children and their learning. Creativity is a complex concept, but as Warner and Myers (2010, p29) stated, “As we become more sophisticated in our understanding of the workings of the human mind, it becomes increasingly clear that the processes of teaching and learning are more complex and subtle than was once thought. Models of education that were appropriate in the past are now obsolete.” Creativity and Imagining in our classrooms is the present and the future.

Brown, J., & Thomas, D. (2011). Cultivating the Imagination: Building Learning Environments for Innovation [online]. Teachers college record: Retrieved March 5, 2012, from [|__http://www.tcrecord.org__]. Craft, A. (2005). [|__A Language for Creativity__]. Creativity in Schools: Tensions and Dilemmas (pp. 17 - 25). Oxon: Routledge. Drotner, K. (2008). Leisure Is Hard Work: Digital Practices and Future Competencies. In D. Buckingham (Ed.), Youth, Identity, and Digital Media. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. pp. 167 - 184 Ellis, S., & Lawrence, B. (2009). __The influence of the Creative Learning Assessment (CLA) on children’s learning and teachers’ teaching__. Literacy, 43(1), 3-10. Flew, T., & Cunningham, S. (2010). [|__Creative Industries after the First Decade of Debate__]. The Information Society, 26(2), 113-123. McLoughlin, C., & Lee, M. (2010). Personalised and self-regulated learning in the Web 2.0 era: International exemplars of innovative pedagogy using social software. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(1), pp. 28-43. National Education Association. (2011). Moving America’s Children beyond Average: Imagination and the 21st Century Education. Washington: The Arts Education Partnership,. pp. 1-16. Su, Y. (2009). __Idea creation: the need to develop creativity in lifelong learning practice__ s. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 28(6), 705-717. __[|The Creativity Wheel]__. Creative Partnerships.(Sefton-Green, 2008). Retrieved from http://www.creative-partnerships.com/area-delivery-organisations/durham-sunderland/resources/the-creativity-wheel-resource-for-teachers,217,ART.html The Australian Curriculum. (2010). Critical and Creative Thinking. Retrieved March 3, 2012, from [|__http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au__] Warner, D. (2006). Schooling for the Knowledge Era. Victoria: ACER Press, pp. 90-106. Warner, S., & Myers, K. (2010).[| __The Creative Classroom: The Role of Space and Place Toward Facilitating Creativity__]. The Technology Teacher, 69(4), 28-34.
 * REFERENCE LIST**