CREATIVITY ?

Sit down, shut up and be creative!
(follow this link to full article)
Sometimes the biggest obstacle to creativity in
the classroom is the person at the front of it. “The
problem with teachers, ” says Dennis Sherwood,
“is that they tend to hold their own intellect in
high esteem. So they can have a rather arrogant
approach, where they see it as their job to impart
knowledge to their pupils, which can stifle
creativity.”

Teaching creatively and teaching in a way that
encourages creativity are two different things.
It’s possible to design an ingenious lesson on
Tudor history, only to deliver it in a instructional
way. The expectations teachers have in terms of
pupil behaviour can also act as an obstacle to
promoting creative thought. Research shows, for
example, that children labelled “creative” have a
higher than average chance of getting into
trouble with their teachers. “Surveys show that in
theory teachers overwhelmingly support
creativity as something to be encouraged , ”says
Professor Arthur J Crople , author of Creativity in
Education and Learning. “However, in practice
They often frown upon some of the traits
associated with creativity.

These two paragraphs are from a long article written by Steven Hastings, which discusses ways to enhance creativity in schools in all subjects, giving examples of new trends in English schools and suggesting ideas like "throw away the national curriculum". How long will it be before educationalists in Australia will be making the same command?

Hastings, Steven: CREATIVITY, Feb 2004 TES Friday Magazine