Laurie Kocher explores the principles of Reggio Emelia approach to education in her article Research into Practica: Reggio Emelia . In the article she discusses the fundamental principles of what the Reggio approach looks like and its benefits to early childhood education. The Reggio approach values methods of questioning, research, reflection and adaptation. To me, these are all qualities of creative learning. Kocher elaborates on the role of the parent, the student, and  the teacher, she also includes the importance of the environment and refers to it as the “third teacher”.

Reggio is regarded as a highly creative form of education for young children, as it is experiential and reflective on the part of the child. Similar to the Montessori method, Reggio puts a lot of the emphasis on the individual student and their form of creative learning.

This article describes the Montessori approach to education; self-guided learning. Developed by Maria Montessori in Rome, many places in North America have accepted this form of education. Nancy McCormick Rambusch wrote an article diving into the principles of Montessori, observing the process of a child;s independent learning. The benefits they describe through Montessori is the aspect of critical and creative thinking, children develop skills with guidance from an adult and are able to impose their own style and creativities to the educational process. The article also describes the psychological impact that Montessori was developed for. Giving young students the liberty to work freely in a prepared environment.

The Teacherkit blog has written a post about the benefits of nurturing creativity in education. The post discusses the impact that education has on a student and that the skills people learn in school are skills they carry with them for their entire lives. The post argues that because of the changing systems (global and educational systems), teachers need to be equipping students with the skills they need to be creative members of society. Teacherkit also discusses the needs of students and how we can implement creativity to promote a positive classroom environment.

Creative Pedagogy, Language Learning and Technology is post in a blog by World Teacher regarding creative pedagogy. The post discusses what creative pedagogy is, some examples include:

• Allowing learners to innovate, to create.
• Taking risks and thinking imaginatively.

The role of creative pedagogy for the learner is to develop self-motivation, confidence, curiosity and flexibility. World Teacher also gives a few examples of activities, discusses gamification in the form of speed writing. The post provides some background on the idea of creative pedagogy, along with some examples of implementation.

“Creativity should be a central part of what you do with learners to motivate them and better promote lifelong learning.” –Andrei Aleinikov

Creativity Development in Early Childhood: The Role of Educators, an article written by Doireann O’Connor discusses the impact of educators on young student creativity. O’Connor talks about research regarding creative play and its importance on early childhood education, promoting that if students’ creativity is not fostered during their early educational years, they will have a difficult time developing those skills (if at all) later in life. Educators need to be aware that by engaging students in play and exploration, we are promoting skills they will carry with them throughout their lives.

“The creator is an innovator, a problem solver, an entrepreneur, an artist.”

O’Connor promotes creative exploration through play and experience. Students who are engaged in an activity and able to use their imagination will develop ways to utilize their imagination in creative and constructive ways. Thinking about things not as they are, but as what they could be. Exploring possibilities that, perhaps have not been thought of previously.

Engaging Imagination: Helping Students Become Creative and Reflective Thinkers by Alison James and Stephen Brookfield is a book that talks about how engaging imagination in the classroom promotes creative and reflective thinking. By building on a students creative skills in the classroom, they are more prepared for life after schooling is completed. Imaginative thinkers are more likely able to come up with creative solutions and tools to solve problems that plague todays society. Students who are think in creative ways will be more prepared for the jobs that, perhaps do not exist yet, due to the fact that they are less constrained to “convention”. James and Brookfield are educators that help college and university instructors engage students in nurturing creativity and innovation for success beyond the classroom.