Unlocking creativity in the classroom to upskill children for future employee success

Published: Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Education Community DevelopmentGeneral LifestyleWelfare

According to a study conducted by MasterStart, 80% of South Africa’s workforce believe the current job market is tougher than it was 10 years ago. Given the competitiveness of the current market, the future workforce will not have it any easier. Being good at one thing will no longer be enough – the future graduate will need a range of transferable skills to ensure they can compete in an increasingly fast-paced world.

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“These skills include more than just functional literacy, numeracy and general knowledge, they extend to physical, social, cognitive, creative and emotional literacies. The latter are skills that are commonly acquired through creative expression – children’s brains are most efficient at incorporating new information through exploration and play. Incorporating opportunities for creative skill development  within the curriculum - and under the guidance of teachers – will teach students to be innovative and agile in their approach to tackling a range of tasks”, says Alan Goldberg, Education Director at Apple Premium Reseller, Digicape. 

In 2018, Apple targeted the right side of kids' brains with the launch of its Everyone Can Create program, an initiative designed to help teachers and students incorporate drawing, video, photo and music projects into the curriculum. The projects in the Everyone Can Create guides teach students to develop and communicate ideas, and thus better observe and understand the realities of the world around them.

“These exercises encourage students to take responsibility and ownership of their learning. Students become better problem-solvers, communicators, and collaborators. Best of all, they will carry these skills with them into the ‘real world’. 

Below Goldberg discusses the benefits of children unlocking creativity with Everyone Can Create through drawing, video, and music. 

Emotional development

Creativity facilitates the ability to express oneself, which encourages emotional development. Younger children often express their true emotions through play: it helps them explore the world around them, test boundaries and gather evidence to make sense of their surroundings. With older children, this can lead to self-expression through art , music, theatre or any other creative pursuit. Those who can express their emotions in this way tend to experience less stress as a result.

“With drawing students are able to express themselves, it allows them to bring to life concepts that exist only in their imaginations, thus supporting emotional development. Students will learn skills like balance and symmetry, making lines, shapes, shading, colour, and texture.”

Enhances the ability to communicate

Creativity can be used to enhance the way children communicate, understand and empathise. Communication, empathy and understanding between children is so important. Creating a classroom environment where there is plenty of opportunity for shared learning, group problem solving, and innovative thinking will get students opening up to one another, helping one another and connecting to one another through a shared creative experience.

“Music is powerful in that it brings people together and also helps us tell enriching and more powerful stories. On Everyone Can Create students will learn the building blocks of verses, chorus, and bridges from songs they are already familiar with.”  

Fosters innovation in children 

Innovation and ‘thinking outside the box’ are some of the most desirable attributes in a prospective employees. Candidates who know how to be creative and can express this easily will be way ahead of the competition, so learning this skill from childhood is important. 

Video gives students a powerful means of interpreting ideas, and finding new & interesting ways to express their thoughts. Using iPad cameras along with Clips and iMovie, students will learn about composition, lighting, camera angles, pacing, and how to establish setting to construct strong narratives through documentaries, live events, and short films.

“Although most businesses are run by standardised processes, the economy relies on creative individuals. As society grows and changes, new problems show up and require new and innovative solutions. The capability to find such solutions can’t be taught using tests, but learned through creative expression. Every child has some inbuilt creativity in them, it just takes innovation and proper guidance from teachers to encourage it to come out,” Goldberg concludes.

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