Abstract
Creative Little Scientists was a 30-month (2011-2014) EU/FP7-funded research project focusing on the synergies between early years science and mathematics education and the development of children’s creativity, in response to increasing interest in these areas in European educational policy. Using a variety of methods, including desk research, a teacher survey and classroom-based fieldwork, the research provided insights into whether and how children’s creativity is fostered and appropriate learning outcomes, including children’s interest, emerge. Based on these and ongoing collaboration and dialogue with participants and other stakeholders the project proposed recommendations for policy and teacher education. This paper presents these recommendations and the research on which they were based. Throughout the study, mixed methods were employed, combining quantitative approaches used in surveys of policy and teachers’ views based on a list of factors, alongside qualitative approaches employed in case studies of classroom practice. A strong conceptual framework developed at the start of the project guided data collection and analysis, as well as the presentation of findings and the development of policy recommendations, thus ensuring the latter’s strong and consistent relationship with the relevant theoretical knowledge, the comparative research, analysis of classroom practices and the production of guidelines for teacher education.
Highlights
Creative Little Scientists (CLS) project was a 30-month EU funded comparative study working across nine participating countries: Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania and the UK
The project sought to build a picture of policy and practice in science and mathematics education for children aged 38 and their potential to foster creativity and inquiry learning and teaching
These were complemented by dimensions focusing on aspects of teachers and teacher education. Within these strands and dimensions a list of creativity enabling factors (List of Factors) were identified (Creative Little Scientists, 2012b), drawing on the Conceptual Framework and highlighting the common conceptual ground between creativity and inquiry based science and mathematics education. These factors were employed across the project to provide the scope and parameters for mapping and comparing existing conceptualisations in policy and practice, and to code current approaches observed in teacher pedagogy and children’s learning
Summary
Creative Little Scientists (CLS) project was a 30-month EU funded comparative study working across nine participating countries: Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania and the UK. The project aimed to add to previous EU reports in science and mathematics education in its focus on the nature of science and mathematics education in the early years and in seeking to characterise and investigate opportunities for creativity in learning and teaching It aimed to mainstream good practices by proposing changes in Stylianidou et al / Policy Recommendations from the CLS Project teacher education and classrooms encompassing curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. A significant strand of the project was the development of recommendations for policy and teacher education building on findings from the study and ongoing collaboration and dialogue with participants and other stakeholders This paper presents these recommendations and the research on which they were based. The role of a digital or technological imperative within education, enabling and demanding the development of children’s capabilities in science, mathematics and creativity (Wang et al, 2010)
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