In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with author and retired teacher, Juliet Desailly. After becoming a lecturer at the Institute of Education, educating a new generation of primary teachers, it became obvious to her that the practice she had developed in the classroom was very much in line with the theories of creativity in education now being written about by academics.

As she reflects on her life as an elementary school teacher in the UK, Juliet summarizes the introduction of the National Standards during the 1980s and its eventual impact on student and teacher creativity in the classroom. She also speaks on how London’s education system compares to the rest of the UK, how to start reflecting upon the creativity in your own teaching methods, and what she would do to change how others view creativity in the classroom.

Juliet’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:

1. Really get to know your children. What engages them? What motivates them? What fascinates them? Remember, every child and group of children is slightly different.

2. Try hard to find contexts where the learning can be as authentic as possible. Search for real life or realistic situations and problems your kids can apply creativity to solve.

3. Find opportunities for cross-curricular learning wherever you can.

“Science, technology, all occupations, they all need creative people. Our countries all need creative people. The world needs them and yet still we are pushed back into thinking that ‘Oh, well creativity’s lovely but I need to get my test results up first’ or ‘Creativity’s great but we only have time to do it in a week before the holidays’.”

– Juliet Desailly