The ‘art’ of creative teaching: implications for higher education

Abstract

Richard Florida's The rise of the creative class (2002) delivered a strong wake-up call to higher education institutions worldwide. By linking creativity to technological innovation and economic prosperity, Florida argued that universities and colleges should nurture creativity in their students. But for many years, the higher education enterprise has been criticised for dampening creativity rather than fostering it. This paper explores the subversive nature of creativity, the value of creative teaching and proposes a number of strategies higher education should consider if they hope to graduate the future leaders of twenty-first century society.

Keywords:

• creativity
• ‘the creative class’
• creative teaching
• student-centered learning