Twenty-five years later, Sir Ken Robinson’s efforts on creating creative futures through education reform resonates in educational political discourse.
“The report develops five themes:
The Challenge for Education: Education faces challenges that are without precedent. Meeting these challenges calls for new priorities in education, Introduction and Summary NACCCE report 6 including a much stronger emphasis on creative and cultural education and a new balance in teaching and in the curriculum.
Creative Potential: Creativity is possible in all areas of human activity, including the arts, sciences, at work at play and in all other areas of daily life. All people have creative abilities and we all have them differently. When individuals find their creative strengths, it can have an enormous impact on self-esteem and on overall achievement.
Freedom and Control: Creativity is not simply a matter of letting go. Serious creative achievement relies on knowledge, control of materials and command of ideas. Creative education involves a balance between teaching knowledge and skills, and encouraging innovation. In these ways, creative development is directly related to cultural education.
Cultural Understanding: Young people are living in times of rapid cultural change and of increasing cultural diversity. Education must enable them to understand and respect different cultural values and traditions and the processes of cultural change and development. The engine of cultural change is the human capacity for creative thought and action.
Systemic Approach: one that addresses the balance of the school curriculum, teaching methods and assessment, how schools connect with other people and resources and the training and development of teachers and others.”
The UK National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education report makes recommendations for provision in formal and informal education for young people to the age of 16: that is, to the end of compulsory education. Their inquiry coincided with the Government’s planned review of the National Curriculum.
The first of several reports and books includes specific recommendations on the National Curriculum. It also includes recommendations for a wider national strategy for creative and cultural education. I believe this is an insightful report and guided for art education association national and international standards and core curriculum objectives to be engaged within the k-12 core curricula.
All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education
In 1998, Ken Robinson led a national commission on creativity, education and the economy forthe UK Government bringing together leading business people, scientists, artists and educators. His report, All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education (The Robinson Report) was published to huge acclaim. The London Times said: ‘This report raises some of the most important issues facing business in the 21st century. It should have every CEO and human resources director thumping the table and demanding action.’
A downloadable PDF version of the All Our Futures is available: Here