Progression in Creative Learning

Author: Anna Craft, Pamela Burnard, Teresa Grainger and Kerry Chappell

Institution: The Open University/ University of Cambridge/ Canterbury Christ Church University

Full reference: Craft, A., Burnard, P., Grainger, T., and Chappell, K . (2006) Progression in Creative Learning. London: Arts Council England, Creative Partnerships

Summary of key findings

The aim of this scoping study was to record, analyse and document how creative learning is characterised in schools and to describe Progression in Creative Learning through exemplary cases of established teaching practices which make use of musical and written composition from Foundation Stage to Key Stage 4 in Music and English. These domains were chosen to provide a mix of opportunities and demands for creativity, across core and foundation subjects. The researchers make a number of observations on shifts in balance between group and individual creativity and between structure and freedom across the key stages. They propose a new definition of creative learning recognizing evidence of the creation of new knowledge.

Research Questions & Methodology

The study comprised a mixture of desk studies of published work and qualitative analysis in five Creative Partnerships sites and looked at how creative learning was broadly characterized in these early years settings and schools, how progression in creative learning can be described and what can be learned about transitions across the Key Stages in terms of progression in these areas. Up to three individual student cases, comprising children from the high, middle and lower achievement levels per year group studied were identified. The study involved collecting data from each of these cases in the second part of the 2004/5 school year and the transition into the 2005/6 one.

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