Three years ago (May 2015) the Council of the European Union published its conclusions on the role of early childhood and primary education in fostering creativity, innovation, and digital competence. The document highlights that encouraging creativity, innovation, and digital competence at an early age can bring personal and economic benefits in adult life. It also acknowledges:
- The importance of providing a solid base for further learning, developing a higher level of knowledge and improving a child’s ability to develop creative and critical thinking skills;
- the significant role of primary school teachers in helping children become creative and innovative adults;
- that playing games and the appropriate use of digital tools can enhance classroom activities and improve motivation, understanding, and learning.
So, the EU countries are invited to encourage:
- teaching and training bodies to accommodate new learning tools in their programmes and to adapt teaching methods to promote creativity and innovation,
- education authorities to equip schools so that they can nurture creativity and innovation,
- the development and use of digital tools for teaching purposes and as part of a general approach to learning,
- communication and collaboration between schools and teachers at regional, national, European and international levels.
The CREATEskills consortium welcomes the acknowledgment coming from the highest EU level on the important role of creativity and innovation in primary education. Going even further that that, targeting primary school teachers, students and headmasters and focusing on STEM subjects CREATESkills is committed to working in line with those recommendations towards the development and implementation of creative and innovative practices, tools and methodologies for improving the quality and relevance of the learning process in primary education; more specifically regarding the attractiveness of STEM subjects.
Read the 2015 conclusions here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52015XG0527(04)
