Creative School Leadership

Full text

The Creative Schools Program was initiated and is managed
by FORM, provided by the Department of Education and is
financially supported by the Western Australian Government.
Creative
School
Leadership
Bill Lucas

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the other external advisers to
FORM, especially Paul Collard (CCE) and Paul
Gorman (Hidden Giants).
Enormous admiration to the creative sta of
FORM supporting schools, including Lamis
Sabra, Vanessa Bradley and the independent
Program Evaluator Mathilda Joubert.
This report draws on an extensive review of
evidence about the leadership of creativity in
schools currently being undertaken in England
by the author with Professor Louise Stoll and Dr
Ellen Spencer, funded by the Mercers’ Company.
Particular thanks go to Louise Stoll whose
thinking on this topic has been influential.
To cite this report please use:
Lucas, B. (2021) Creative School Leadership.
Perth: FORM.
About the author
Bill Lucas is Professor of Learning and Director
of the Centre for Real-World Learning (CRL) at
the University of Winchester in the UK. Bill is an
acknowledged expert in teaching and assessing
creativity in schools. The five dimensional model
of creativity he developed with colleagues at
CRL is used in more than 30 countries across the
world and in many states across Australia. Since
2014 Bill has advised the Victorian Curriculum
and Assessment Authority on the development of
their critical and creative thinking capability, on its
associated pedagogies and on online assessment
tasks for critical and creative thinking. He has been
working with FORM for a number of years.
In 2015 Bill was appointed to the scientific advisory
Board of the OECD’s research into fostering
students’ creativity and critical thinking, the report of
which is now published. In 2017 Bill was appointed
by the OECD as co-chair of the strategic advisory
group for the 2021 PISA Creative Thinking Test. In
2018 he was invited to join the Durham Commission
on Creativity in Education as an academic adviser
and was subsequently co-author of its first report in
2019. In 2020 Bill was commissioned to undertake
a review of national and state-wide frameworks for
embedding creativity in schools for the European
Joint Research Council.
Creative
School
Leadership
Bill Lucas

Table of Contents
1. Learning from the experiences of Creative Schools 3
1.1 A shared model of creativity 3
1.2 Creativity in schools 5
1.3 Specificity and intentionality 7
1.4 Some questions to frame reflections in schools 10
2. Lessons for creative leaders in schools 11
2.1 School as a creative organisation 11
2.2 Some key leadership lessons 12
2.2.1 Get the ecology right 12
2.2.2 Develop a common language 13
2.3.3 Be explicit about the process of change 14
2.3.4 Focus on signature pedagogies for creativity 19
2.3.5 Free up the curriculum and make time for teachers to plan 22
2.3.6 Think about assessment 23
2.3.7 Be creative with a wide range of partners 25
2.3.8 Develop a school-wide creative professional learning community 25
2.3.9 Model the change you want to see 27
Appendix 1 Creative Schools and their leaders 29
Appendix 2 Critical & Creative Thinking, ACARA 30
Appendix 3 Theories of Change 32
References 33

3 4
1.
Learning from
the experiences
of Creative
Schools
1.1 A shared model of creativity
Since 2018 the Creative Schools programme, co-designed
and co-implemented by FORM and Creativity, Culture and
Education (CCE) has used as its model of creativity the
five creative learning habits developed by the Centre for
Real-World Learning (CRL) at the University of Winchester,
Figure 1.
In 2020, Bill Lucas was invited to work with school leaders
from the Creative Schools programme, see Appendix 1,
to draw out some key messages for leaders looking to
embed creativity in their schools.
Drawing on recent and ongoing research (Durham,
Commission, 2019; Vincent-Lancrin et al., 2019; Lucas,
Spencer and Stoll, in press) the report combines learning
from attempts to embed creativity in schools across the
world with insights from the experiences of schools in
Western Australia.
Across the world the importance of creativity is
increasingly being acknowledged in education systems
(OECD, 2018; Lucas and Venckutė 2020). But although
leadership in schools is well-researched in general terms,
leadership for creativity is not.
Beyond school a growing number of global employer
organisations such as the World Economic Forum (2015)
has begun to argue that, beyond foundational literacies
such as literacy, numeracy and science, creativity is one
of a number of desirable competencies, which, along with
certain character qualities describe the range of skills
employees will need to thrive today, Figure 2.
These shifts are clearly acknowledged in Australia
(Council of Australian Governments Education Council,
2019) :
As a foundation for further learning and adult
life, the curriculum includes practical skills
development in areas such as [information and
communications technology], critical and creative
thinking, intercultural understanding and problem
solving. These skills support imagination, discovery,
innovation, empathy and developing creative
solutions to complex problems. They are central
to contributing to Australia’s knowledge-based
economy. p.15
Such sentiments are strongly voiced, too, in Western
Australia by the Department of Education (2020a):
Of course, preparing students for a successful
future involves more than literacy and numeracy
competence. The identified ‘new work capabilities’
of being able to work well in teams, think critically
and creatively, innovate and be entrepreneurial,
are becoming increasingly important in modern
workplaces. p.4

3 4
Figure 1.
CRL’s five creative learning
habits, (Lucas, Claxton
and Spencer 2013)
Figure 2
The World Economic Forum
model of 21st century skills

5 6
1.2 Creativity in schools
While there are a growing number of researchers
promoting creativity in education, there are few definitions
which are universally adopted in schools today.
An important milestone occurred some twenty years
ago in the UK with the publication of a report by the
National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural
Education (1999). The definition of creativity adopted was
a significant moment in English education:
Across the world Australia is just one of a number of
countries and jurisdictions focusing on creativity; a
number of States in Canada, Finland and Singapore are
three others with well-developed approaches. Along
with communication, critical thinking and problem-
solving, creativity is the most frequently identified broad
set of skills within national curricula. From 102 countries
reviewed (Care et al. 2016) the kinds of skills associated
with creativity are mentioned by 76 countries (36 in
…imaginative activity fashioned so as to produce
outcomes that are both original and of value (National
Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural
Education 1999; p. 29)
The model adopted by Australia (Australian Government,
2018) frames creativity as a general capability called
‘critical and creative thinking’ intersecting with the
conventional subjects or learning areas of a school
curriculum, see Figure 3.
vision or mission statements, 51 countries in curriculum
documents). 11 countries, of which Australia is one, map
progression of the skills associated with creativity across
age groups.
CRL’s five creative learning habits model has been
adopted in a number of schools across Australia
including, most extensively, by Rooty Hill High School in
Sydney, Figure 4:
Figure 3
Creativity in the Australian Curriculum
(Australian Government, 2018)

5 6
Figure 4
Rooty Hill High School and the CRL creativity
model (Lucas, Claxton and Spencer, 2013)

7 8
That the creativity of fifteen year olds is to be tested by
PISA (OECD, 2019) and that a state like Victoria in Australia
(Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, 2020)
is already embarked on assessing its secondary school
students’ critical and creative thinking is an indication of
the growing value attached to creativity in schools.
In Western Australia the importance of capabilities
such as critical and creative thinking is a key aspiration;
students need to be ‘equipped with contemporary and
emerging work capabilities’ (Department of Education,
Government of Western Australia, 2020b). Interestingly
the Department of Education also suggests that schools
‘develop the personal and social attributes that form the
basis for future wellbeing’, (ibid.).
Interestingly the connections between personal
fulfilment, wellbeing and creativity have been known for a
long while. Maslow (1943) argued that creativity is a facet
of self-actualisation which itself sits at the top of his well-
known hierarchy of needs. Human beings, he argues,
have certain basic needs such as food, water, shelter and
sleep. But to be truly fulfilled they need to realise their
true potential, their full creative selves. Csikszentmihalyi
(1996) coined the term ‘flow’ to describe a state of total
absorption in an engaging task. He found flow to be an
ingredient of many creative activities and went on to
show that flow is highly correlated with subjective well-
being or happiness.
1.3 Specificity and intentionality
Two challenges for schools seeking to embed creativity
have historically been, firstly, that it is too abstract a
concept, (a ‘general’ capability) to be specific enough to
develop and, secondly, that it is not clear how to integrate
creativity into the formal and informal curriculum
intentionally.
With regard to the first of these challenges the model
of creativity developed by the Centre for Real-World
Learning at the University of Winchester (Lucas et al.
2013; Lucas 2016), Figure 1, provides clarity. Indeed it
is used in secondary and primary schools in more than
thirty countries globally and by the Creative Schools
programme. The model has five core creative habits with
each of them being composed of three sub-habits. It was
explicitly developed for and trialled in English schools
(Spencer et al. 2012; Lucas et al. 2013), as part of the work
of Creative Partnerships. Creative students are:
1. Inquisitive - good at uncovering and pursing
interesting and worthwhile questions in their
creative domain. They wonder, question, explore,
investigate and challenging assumptions.
2. Imaginative - able to come up with imaginative
ideas and solutions. They play with possibilities,
make new connections, synthesise ideas and use
their intuition as well as their analytical skills.
3. Persistent - not giving up easily. They stick with
diculty, dare to be dierent and are able to
tolerate uncertainty, recognising that certainty is
not always possible or helpful.
4. Collaborative - seeing the value of teamwork.
They recognise the social dimension of the
creative process, value the sharing or products
and processes, are able to give and receive
feedback and to cooperating appropriately as
needed (though not necessarily all the time.)
5. Disciplined - recognising the need for developing
knowledge and skill in shaping the creative
product and in developing expertise. They know
how to develop techniques, to reflect critically and
constantly seek to craft and improve what they
are creating, taking pride in work, attending to
details and correcting errors.
Together with the curriculum continuum developed by
the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority, Appendix 2, schools in the Creative Schools
programme have enough specific detail for creativity
to be meaningful. As part of the Creative Schools
programme CRL’s model was mapped against two of the
ACARA general capabilities, Figure 5.

7 8
Figure 5
CRL’s five creative learning habits
mapped to the general capabilities
inquisitive
imaginative
Critical & Creative Thinking
Inquiring—identifying,
exploring and organising
information and ideas
• pose questions
• identify and clarify information and ideas
• organise and process information
Personal & Social Capability
Generating ideas,
possibilities and actions
• imagine possibilities and connect ideas
• consider alternatives
• seek solutions and put ideas into action
Reflecting on thinking
and processes
• think about thinking (meta-cognition)
• reflect on processes
• transfer knowledge into new contexts
Analysing, synthesising
and evaluating reasoning
and results
• apply logic and reasoning
• draw conclusions and design a course of action
• evaluate procedures and outcomes
Self Awareness
• recognise emotions
• recognise personal qualities and
achievements
• understand themselves as learners
• develop reflective practice
Self Management
• express emotions appropriately
• develop self-discipline and set goals
• work independently and show initiative
• become confident, resilient and adaptable
Social Awareness
• appreciate diverse perspectives
• contribute to civil society
• understand relationships
Social Management
• communicate effectively
• work collaboratively
• make decisions
• negotiate and resolve conflict
• develop leadership skills
collaborative
collaborative
persistent
disciplined
disciplined
disciplined

9 10
For some there remains the challenge that creativity and
creative thinking can be used almost interchangeably.
In England the Durham Commission on Creativity in
Education (2019) sought to clarify the distinction between
the concept and the process:
Creativity: The capacity to imagine, conceive, express,
or make something that was not there before.
Creative thinking: A process through which
knowledge, intuition and skills are applied to imagine,
express or make something novel or individual in its
contexts. Creative thinking is present in all areas of life.
It may appear spontaneous, but it can be underpinned
by perseverance, experimentation, critical thinking and
collaboration. (p. 3)
The Durham Commission added one more definition
which indicates the necessary intentionality of a focus on
creativity in schools:
Teaching for creativity: Explicitly using pedagogies
and practices that cultivate creativity in young people.
(p. 3)
In the Creative Schools programme leaders are explicitly
seeking to lead and teach for creativity.
The second challenge, of integrating creativity into the
formal and informal curriculum of schools intentionally is
the one that schools are now actively exploring. In our
own research (Lucas and Spencer, 2017) we have found
two approaches to be helpful - Split Screen Teaching and
Visible Thinking. Both of these play an important role in
making explicit connections between critical and creative
thinking and the world of disciplinary knowledge by which
most schools are organised and which appear on student
timetables, and the need to make these kinds of linkages
visible and routinely made.
Split Screen Teaching invites teachers to describe two
worlds, the learning area and the capability on which they
are also focusing. Teachers find it helpful explicitly to think
about their teaching as having two ‘screens’ . One is the
knowledge and skills they are seeking to impart and the
other is the capability on which they are focusing. Let’s
say you were introducing a science activity to understand
the properties of acids and bases and then students had
to prepare a short demonstration for other students,
who would in turn oer feedback to their peers on the
eectiveness of their explanations. In the imaginary split
screen of the lesson a teacher would take care to explain
to the class that both the chemistry (acids and bases) and
the critical and creative thinking (giving and receiving
feedback) objectives were equally important.
The Visible Thinking approach initiated by Harvard
University’s Project Zero has identified a number of
important thinking routines which help pupils to develop
capabilities such as critical and creative thinking:
Visible Thinking is a flexible and systematic
research-based conceptual framework, which aims
to integrate the development of students’ thinking
with content learning across subject matters.1
There are some core routines which work well, of which
these are three examples which fit well with both the
CRL model of creative learning habits and the ACARA
definition of critical and creative thinking:
What Makes You Say That? – which asks students
to describe something, such as an object or concept,
and then support their interpretation with evidence;
an interpretation with justification routine
Think-Puzzle-Explore – which invites students to
think then puzzle then explore ideas when they
are beginning a topic to help develop their own
questions to investigate; a routine that sets the stage
for deeper inquiry.
Think-Pair-Share – which encourages students to
think about something, such as a problem, question
or topic, and then articulate their thoughts; a routine
for active reasoning and explanation.
1
http://www.pz.harvard.edu/projects/visible-thinking

9 10
1.4 Some questions to frame reflections in schools
In working with schools in three extended professional
development sessions and using a mix of interviews and email
exchanges, these questions have underpinned discussions:
1. What are the future work opportunities predicted in
Western Australia? Why do capabilities matter; what
arguments will you choose to make a case to all
stakeholders?
2. What’s already going well and how can you share this
within the school?
3. What are the challenges and how can you rise to
these?
4. What are the implications for school culture?
5. What are the implications for timetabling and
pedagogy?
6. What are the implications for the school’s reward
systems?
7. What professional development is needed?
8. Which other individuals and organisations can help
schools?
9. What kinds of assessment will be most eective in
tracking the progress of students and how will you
report on progress to parents?
10. How will you evaluate the wider impact of capabilities
on your school and its community?
The beginnings of some answers to these questions appear in
section 2.

11 12
While global, national and State contexts are
increasingly sympathetic towards the development
of creativity in education at the school level, many
practical challenges remain. In this section learning
from other research into the topic is combined with
insights from Creative Schools’ participants in the form
of a number of actionable lessons for school leaders.
2.1 School as a creative organisation
In framing all of these observations the OECD idea of
the school as a learning organisation is a helpful way
of thinking about schools as creative organisations,
(OECD, 2016; Stoll and Kools, 2017). The OECD
definition of a learning organisation is:
a place where the beliefs, values and norms of
employees are brought to bear in support of
sustained learning; where a “learning atmosphere”,
“learning culture” or “learning climate” is nurtured;
and where “learning to learn” is essential for
everyone involved. (OECD, 2016; p. i)
This definition is visualised for schools as an integrated
model, Figure 6.
The OECD model focuses on:
• developing and sharing a vision centred on
the learning of all students
• creating and supporting continuous learning
opportunities for all sta
• promoting team learning and collaboration
among all sta
• establishing a culture of inquiry, innovation
and exploration
• embedding systems for collecting and
exchanging knowledge and learning
• learning with and from the external
environment and larger learning system, and
• modelling and growing learning leadership.
Substitute the word ‘learning’ in several of these
sentences with the word ‘creativity’ or ‘creative’ and the
connections between learning and creativity suddenly
become much clearer; the model becomes a useful
visualisation of the school as creative organisation.
2.2 Some key leadership lessons
Drawing on recent research into leadership for
creativity in schools (Lucas, Spencer and Stoll, in press)
and on insights from leaders in the Creative Schools
programme, some key suggestions are listed here.
2.2.1 Get the ecology right
Ecology matters. Get it right and creativity blooms;
misjudge it and creative intentions can easily be
lost in the noise of busy schools. Culture, as has
often been said, trumps strategy. The features of a
conducive ecology for creativity in schools have been
summarised by Craft (2010) and include:
• Focusing on pupils’ motivation to be creative
• Encouraging of purposeful outcomes across
the curriculum
• Fostering an in-depth knowledge of
disciplines
• Using language both to stimulate and assess
imaginativeness
• Oering a clear curriculum structure but also
involving pupils in creating new routines
where appropriate
• Encouraging pupils to go beyond what is
expected
• Helping pupils to find personal relevance in
their learning
• Modelling the existence of alternatives in
the way information is imparted while also
helping them to learn about and understand
existing conventions
• Encouraging pupils to explore alternative
ways of being and doing, celebrating their
where appropriate, their courage to be
dierent
• Giving pupils enough time to incubate their
ideas
• Encouraging the adoption of dierent
perspectives
• Modelling the variety of ways in which
information is discovered, explored and
imparted.
2.
Lessons for
creative leaders
in schools

11 12
Many others have contributed to thinking about the culture
necessary for creativity to flourish (Torrance 1970; Cropley
1997; QCA 2005; Beghetto and Kaufman 2014) but their
thinking can broadly be subsumed within Craft’s list.
Kampylis and Berki (2014) lay out eight key principles relating
to the practices that teachers can engage in. Corresponding
leadership implications could be drawn from each of these
principles:
8 key principles:
1. Creativity can be promoted through all school subjects
2. Influence creative thinking through well-designed
learning spaces
3. Increase the use of open-ended questions
4. Engage learners in meaningful and authentic activities
5. Collaboration enhances creativity
6. Make ecient use of educational technologies
7. Allow for mistakes and sensible risk-taking
8. Learn how to assess and reward creativity.
Creative Schools leaders talked variously about the
kinds of ecological elements contained in the two lists
above. An overwhelming impression was of a gap
between the expectations of many teachers trained
to teach knowledge and skills within learning areas
and the wishes of school leaders that such teachers
shift their practices to create a learning culture more
conducive to creativity. This was most marked with
regard to attitudes towards making mistakes, still seen
as a sign of failure by some rather than an opportunity
for learning.
High School leaders saw the dissonance between
desirable eco-systems for creativity and the reality
of many classrooms more starkly than their Primary
School colleagues.
A number of schools commented on recent
statements from the Western Australian Department
of Education which were now explicitly encouraging
the development of capabilities such as critical and
creative thinking at the State level.
Figure 6
School as a learning
organisation, (OECD, 2016)

13 14
2.2.2 Develop a common language
How we talk about creativity is really important. For
many teachers creativity can seem daunting because
of its association with the leaps of imagination
associated with the heights of scientific, mathematical
or artistic imagination or innovation.
But in schools it is important to remember that we are
referring to what Craft (2001) helpfully called ‘little c’ or
everyday creativity, the capacity to have ideas when
needed. This distinction is important as teachers can
all too easily assume that creativity is for geniuses.
Craft’s idea has been further developed by Kaufmann
and Beghetto in their 4C model (2009), Figure 7.
Mini C describes the many small novel acts or new
insights we may make in any day, especially those
which occur to children because they are the first time
they have experienced them (but not because they are
original). Little C or everyday creativity encompasses
the daily acts of imagination and innovation, of idea
generation of which we are all capable. Pro C implies a
degree of mastery, expertise and experience and Big
C is what breakthrough thinkers do.
Leaders in Creative Schools all use the language of CRL’s
five creative learning habits, appropriately mediated
through the ACARA capabilities (see Figure 4) and
moderated according to the age of children.
The benefits of developing a common language for
creativity were acknowledged and specifically seen as an
intervention by the majority of Creative Schools leaders. A
number mentioned the helpful overlap between creative
thinking processes and STEM design processes.
A small number of schools are beginning to develop age-
appropriate student versions of the language of the five
creative habits and also experimenting with best ways of
communicating with parents and employers.
2.3.3 Be explicit about the process of change
Changing teachers’ habits is hard; leaders need to think
through the process of change in some detail. As part of
this collaboration school leaders were introduced to the
idea of a Theory of Change (Rogers, 2014):
A ‘theory of change’ explains how activities are
understood to produce a series of results that
contribute to achieving the final intended impacts. It
can be developed for any level of intervention – an
event, a project, a programme, a policy, a strategy or
an organization. p.1
Four templates were generated to help school leaders
become more specific about the various stages of the
process of change they were planning and to help them
think through potential indicators of success. See Figure
8 for examples of two of these.
Figure 7
The 4C model of creativity
(Kaufmann and Beghetto, 2009)

13 14
Figure 8
Templates for developing
a Theory of Change
interventions
Intermediate Goals
Final Goals
Assumptions Enablers Resources Interventions Intermediate
Outcomes
Final Goals
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3

15 16
The essence of the Theory of Change process is the
invitation it brings with it for users to work back from
their goal to picture in detail the steps along the way
to achieving it, a kind of reverse engineering. The
Planning Triangle pictures the two steps which lead
to the final goals by breaking the bigger goals down
into a small number of intermediate goals and clearly
describing the interventions considered top be likely
to lead to these. Figure 9 shows how Bob Hawke
College, a High School, envisioned these steps.
Four interventions are described two, CREW and
peer observation focus on the development of sta
capability, the third focuses on a shift in pedagogy,
interdisciplinary learning and the fourth recognises the
value of engaging parents. These lead to a set of short-
term goals including the development of a common
language and the ability to track student progress
in creativity allied to a sense of the importance of
courage and curiosity.
Figure 9
Bob Hawke College
We create the conditions
for the College Community
to think creatively
Common language
Ability to track student
‘creative’ process
A culture of curiosity
Solutions focused
Capacity to be courageous
(Business plan 2020-2021 (2023)
-
CREW
IDL (Inter- Disciplinary
Learning)
Reporting to parents on
Creativity (ABEs)
Professional Learning/
Planning (peer observations-
creativity a focus)
HOW?
WHAT?
WHY?
(BROADER CHANGES)
(SHORT TERM GOALS)
(ACTIVITES CURRENTLY
DOING)

15 16
We create the conditions
for the College Community
to think creatively
Common language
Ability to track student
‘creative’ process
A culture of curiosity
Solutions focused
Capacity to be courageous
(Business plan 2020-2021 (2023)
-
CREW
IDL (Inter- Disciplinary
Learning)
Reporting to parents on
Creativity (ABEs)
Professional Learning/
Planning (peer observations-
creativity a focus)
HOW?
WHAT?
WHY?
(BROADER CHANGES)
(SHORT TERM GOALS)
(ACTIVITES CURRENTLY
DOING)

17 18
Brookman Primary School frames its work on creativity
as part of its wider goal of embedding all of the
general capabilities and explicitly links this to their
work on STEM. Of note in their interventions are the
need to give sta time to develop and plan, as well
as complementary activities to build sta capability,
Figure 10.
Figure 10
Brookman Primary School Planning Triangle
K-6 teaching staff demonstrate high
level collaborative strategies to
incorporate STEM Project Based
Learning across the school.
Continue to develop leadership
opportunities across staff.
Share learning experiences termly
in STEM, Creative Schools et al to
build staff collective knowledge.
Creative Schools provides ‘icing’ and
deep thinking towards approaches and
strategies for improving Creativity
Students Voice continues to be an
increasing part of our journey.
Curriculum Team to continue developing
strategic direction for school.
Provide meaningful, strategic
individual and/or collective PL
for staff to meet future needs.
Capabilities are embedded
across the school and form an
integral part of the whole
school’s STEM Culture.
Building staff and student
capacity in Creativity is integral.
Identify need and
develop approaches to
assessing Capabilities
Provide time for staff to develop
their skills and initiatives across
year groups, teams or whole school.
Continue to look for
opportunities to stretch
and build school capacity.
Adequately resource initiatives.
Articulate vision Build case
for change
Create the conditions Develop strategies
Develop the workforce Diagnose school progress
Engage
stakeholders
Identify school metrics
Lead and
manage change
Mobilise
resources

17 18
K-6 teaching staff demonstrate high
level collaborative strategies to
incorporate STEM Project Based
Learning across the school.
Continue to develop leadership
opportunities across staff.
Share learning experiences termly
in STEM, Creative Schools et al to
build staff collective knowledge.
Creative Schools provides ‘icing’ and
deep thinking towards approaches and
strategies for improving Creativity
Students Voice continues to be an
increasing part of our journey.
Curriculum Team to continue developing
strategic direction for school.
Provide meaningful, strategic
individual and/or collective PL
for staff to meet future needs.
Capabilities are embedded
across the school and form an
integral part of the whole
school’s STEM Culture.
Building staff and student
capacity in Creativity is integral.
Identify need and
develop approaches to
assessing Capabilities
Provide time for staff to develop
their skills and initiatives across
year groups, teams or whole school.
Continue to look for
opportunities to stretch
and build school capacity.
Adequately resource initiatives.
Articulate vision Build case
for change
Create the conditions Develop strategies
Develop the workforce Diagnose school progress
Engage
stakeholders
Identify school metrics
Lead and
manage change
Mobilise
resources
We create the conditions
for the College Community
to think creatively
Common language
Ability to track student
‘creative’ process
A culture of curiosity
Solutions focused
Capacity to be courageous
(Business plan 2020-2021 (2023)
-
CREW
IDL (Inter- Disciplinary
Learning)
Reporting to parents on
Creativity (ABEs)
Professional Learning/
Planning (peer observations-
creativity a focus)
HOW?
WHAT?
WHY?
(BROADER CHANGES)
(SHORT TERM GOALS)
(ACTIVITES CURRENTLY
DOING)

19 20
In an expanded version of the triangle school leaders
were invited to consider the assumptions underpinning
their approach to change and identify those aspects of
the school which would enable change.
The two examples below, for example, Figures 11 and
12, both make explicit their belief that students and sta
can learn and change. Whether included under the
headings Enablers, Resources or Interventions, time
for sta to work and plan together is a key element.
In terms of their final goals these two schools make
explicit connections with student agency and wellbeing.
Critical
and creative
thinking and
learning
are embedded
in school culture
Students
have agency
as co-
designers of
inquiry
learning
K-6 teaching staff
collaboratively
planning cross-
curricular inquiry
learning programs
that enable student
agency, creativity
and curiosity
Framework in
place to assess
students' critical
and
creative thinking
capabilities
Creative Habits
of Mind
explicitly taught
and assessed
through inquiry
learning
WPS Creativity
Wheel
developed to
communicate
school
approach to
community
All students can
be taught creative
habits of mind
The Plan-Act-
Assess cycle
applies to
creative learning
in the same way
as literacy and
numeracy
Expansive
pedagogy and
Visible
Thinking is a
focus in current
school business
plan
Aligned with
strategic
directions of
the Department
of Education
WA
Engagement
with Creative
Schools/FORM
and Bill Lucas
Release time
for
teachers and
whole school
PL on inquiry
and creative
learning
School
leadership
team invested
in creative
learning
approaches
Kath Murdoch –
whole school
PL in January
2021
Inquiry Project
Team formed to
lead change
Selected
classrooms trial
range
of assessments
of critical and
creative
thinking/habits
of mind
Team and
aspirant
leaders mentor
peers in
creative
learning
Leadership
Support
Timetable
Flexibility
Staff ready
and willing
to change,
recognise
need for
change
Staff have
time
Creatives
working
with
teachers
Professional
Learning
-Creative
Schools
-FORM
-Kath Murdoch
HOUSE
-15mins per
day
Input of
Creative
Learning
Committe
Collaborative
Cross-
Curricular
Project (4th
Mesh class?)
Inquiry
Based
Learning
evident
across the
school
Common
Language
--Creative
Habits of
Mind
-General Ca-
pabilities
(Change
ABE’s)
Highly
Engaged
Creative
Thinkers
-staff
-students
Whole
School
Wellbeing
PLC’s
Creative
Learning
Committee
Students will
engage as
self directed
learners
Figure 12
Governor High School Theory of Change
Figure 11
Wembley Primary School Theory of Change

19 20
In Appendix 3 a selection of the many dierent approaches used by
Creative Schools are included.
Interventions listed by participating schools, in order of the number of
mentions, included:
• Professional development, especially from Kath Murdoch and
Bill Lucas
• Use of signature pedagogies such as Inquiry learning,
interdisciplinary
• Development of a common language using CRL’s 5 habits
• Time release for sta
• Links with community organisations
• Connection to STEM
• Use of creative practitioners
• Flexibility in timetabling
• Collaborative sta planning
• Trialling assessment methods
• Developing student-friendly creativity language.
In many cases the categories are permeable. So, for example,
collaborative sta planning may be another way of acknowledging
time release.
Figure 13 was developed as part of the professional learning sessions
and summarises some of these suggestions visually.
Figure 13
A synthesis of some common
element of the change process
LEARNERS’
CREATIVITY
CU LTI VATE D
CONFIDENCE TO


LANGUAGE FOR
CREATIVITY

CAPABILITY

AS 5 HABITS PRO M OTE
CREATIVE

TEACH THINKING
ROUTINES 

DEVELOP
SIGNATURE
PEDAGOGIES
interventions
Intermediate Goals
Final Goals

21 22
2.3.4 Focus on signature pedagogies for creativity
Decisions about the choice of teaching methods
really matter. Teaching maths or history in ways which
invite questions and inquiry is quite dierent from
approaches which focus on correct answers. Either can
be appropriate to deliver a syllabus but the former is
likely also to encourage critical and creative thinking. In
earlier research (Lucas and Spencer, 2017) we used the
term signature pedagogy (Shulman 2005) and applied
it to the five creative habits of mind and their attendant
knowledge and skills in our model, Figure 14.
Figure 14
Signature pedagogies for
teaching creative thinking (Lucas
and Spencer, 2017, p. 49)

21 22
Research by the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research
and Innovation in 11 countries involving 800 teachers and
20,000 students in 320 primary and secondary schools
explored the ways in which creativity and critical thinking
can best be taught and assessed. Taking CRL’s five-
dimensional model as its starting point (Figures 2, 4 and
14) the OECD (Vincent-Lancrin et al., 2019) identified 11
signature pedagogies likely to be eective in cultivating
creative dispositions in all subjects:
1. ‘Creative Partnerships’ – ‘partnerships between
creative practitioners and schools’ (p. 101).
2. ‘Design Thinking’ – method adopted from business.
Involves ‘engaging students in learning experiences
in which they think and act like designers’ (p. 103).
3. Dialogic teaching – teaching method that ‘fosters
continuous and controlled dialogue between
students and teachers’ (p. 105).
4. Metacognitive pedagogy – ‘an approach that makes
teachers and students reflect on their teaching and
learning’ (p. 107).
5. ‘Modern Band Movement’ – its programmes ‘draw
upon a teaching method called ‘Music as a Second
Language’ (p. 109).
6. ‘Montessori’ – a model with successive stages
of development corresponding to ‘periods
of schooling with learning environments and
curricula designed to respond to the needs and
characteristics of each stage’ (p. 111).
7. ‘Or Schulwerk’ – a pedagogical model ‘focused
on creativity’ where learners are ‘led through
a discovery learning process of exploring,
experimenting, selecting and creating’ (p. 113).
8. Project-Based learning – cross-disciplinary method
of instruction’ to ‘develop learners’ in-depth
understanding of academic content along with a
wide range of skills’ (p. 115).
9. Research-based learning – an approach promoting
‘a research project as part of a learning and
teaching strategy’ (p.117).
10. ‘Studio Thinking’ – a framework with four structures
‘describing the interactions of time, space and
relationships between teacher and students’ and
eight habits of mind for visual arts classrooms (p.
119).
11. ‘Teaching for Artistic Behavior’ – ‘pedagogical
approach based on student agency and choice’ (p.
121)
The OECD report also lays out a framework to support
teachers in designing classroom activities to teach these
skills as part of the curriculum. It includes design criteria,
and a ‘portfolio of domain-general and domain-specific
rubrics’ (p. 129) to assist planning. Design criteria include:
1. Create students’ interest to learn.
2. Be challenging.
3. Develop clear technical knowledge in one or more
curriculum domains.
4. Include the development of a visible product or
artefact.
5. Have students co-design part of the product or
solution.
6. Deal with problems that can be looked at from
dierent perspectives.
7. Leave room for the unexpected.
8. Include time and space for students to reflect and to
give and receive feedback.
The eight design criteria identified by the OECD clearly
complement the list describing conducive features of a
school culture in 2.2.1.
A systematic review by Cremin and Chappell (2019) found
seven features characterising creative pedagogical
practices:
1. Generating and exploring ideas
2. Encouraging autonomy and agency
3. Playfulness
4. Problem-solving
5. Risk-taking
6. Co-constructing and collaborating
7. Teacher creativity.
Beghetto and Kaufman (2014) suggest that establishing a
creativity supportive learning environment comes about
by teachers:
• Incorporating creativity into their everyday teaching
• Providing opportunities for choice, imagination, and
exploration
• Monitoring the motivational messages being sent
by one’s classroom practices
• Approaching creativity and academic learning as
means to other ends.
• Modelling and supporting creativity in the
classroom.

23 24
In Zest for Learning (Lucas and Spencer 2020) we describe
how schools can develop students’ creativity using a
wide range of learning methods such as volunteering,
performing, travelling away from home, engagement
with the arts, researching, play and games. We call these
‘signature learning experiences’, the informal version of
the signature pedagogies we explored earlier. The work
of FORM’s Creative Schools Programme is featured as an
exemplar of these approaches which clearly recognise
both formal and informal learning.
The use of signature pedagogies is seen as very important
in Creative Schools, with a particular interest in inquiry-
led, problem-based, play-based and inter-disciplinary
approaches, and, of course, on the creative partnership
model developed by FORM with Paul Collard (CCE) and
Paul Gorman (Hidden Giants).
As yet there is a relatively narrow range of pedagogies
being used in although many of the words in Cremin
and Chappell’s (2019) review were mentioned in
conversations and implicitly picked up in the Theories of
Change developed by the schools.
Of particular interest, modelled on the approach
developed by Rooty Hill High School (Figure 4), was
the detailed focus on pedagogies for creativity and
sustainability, Figure 15.
Figure 15
St Mary’s Anglican Girls’
Beach School - creativity
mapped to sustainability

23 24
2.3.5 Free up the curriculum and make time for
teachers to plan
Loosening the straight jacket of a subject-based timetable
(particularly at High School) is key; making time for
teachers to plan collaboratively is essential in all phases
of education.
One consequence of most senior school timetables is
that lessons are relatively short, something that evidence
suggests is not necessarily conducive to the development
of creativity. Davies et al. (2013), for example, argue that:
…extended time periods for creative activities, and
notes the increased interest and commitment that
time can give to the value of creative learning. p.86
The subject-based organisation of senior schools brings
with it other challenges in terms of the relationships
between teachers. Whereas at primary level teachers
see themselves as teachers, at secondary their identity
is tends to be defined by their specialism so that they
become teachers ‘of geography’ or ‘of art’ or ‘of science’.
Their focus is on what their syllabus requires and this
inhibits attempts to plan to teach creativity across
subjects. It need not always be so, as teachers who have
been involved in projects to increase opportunities for
teaching for creativity reflect in a study in secondary
schools in from Australia, the United States, Canada and
Singapore (deBruin et al., 2017):
…time to meet, develop and plan programs, exchange
ideas and enact deeper critical and creative activities
than what is already catered for was the most precious
and rare of commodities. p.33
One strategy used by some secondary schools is block
scheduling with fewer, longer lessons during any week:
Longer class periods give teachers more time to
complete lesson plans, develop key concepts,
increase the creativity of lessons. p.9
To accommodate many dierent subjects in classrooms
and workshops many secondary schools find that their
teaching spaces are small, something which can inhibit
teachers’ attempts to teach for creativity, (Davies et al.,
2013):
There is reasonable evidence across a number of
studies that the space within a classroom or workshop
should be capable of being used flexibly to promote
pupils’ creativity. p.84
Bocconi et al. (2012) makes some helpful suggestions
for schools as they think about organising their curricula:
• Introduce less extensive curricula covering fewer
topics in more depth;
• Develop and assess not only factual knowledge
and their associated skills, such as numeracy
and literacy, but also the transversal habits/skill
such as problem-finding, problem-solving and
collaboration;
• Take seriously into account the prior knowledge,
ideas, interests and skills that learners bring to
‘creative classrooms’;
• Re-arrange education practicalities (such as
timetables, learners’ allocation in classrooms, etc.)
in order to give more time and opportunities for
creative, personalized learning; and
• Make better use of already available ICT for
innovative teaching and learning.
There was recognition of the importance of the need
to free up and redesign the timetable from a number
of Creative Schools and an overwhelming recognition
of the power of creating time for teachers to plan and
learn together.

25 26
2.3.6 Think about assessment
In schools what is assessed is, as the old adage has it,
tends to get done.
The new PISA test of creative thinking planned for 2021
(OECD Directorate for Education and Skills, 2019) is
already raising interest in the ways in which the creativity
of young people can be assessed. Our own research
has shown that there are many ways in which student
progress can be acknowledged and tracked (Spencer et
al., 2012; Lucas and Spencer, 2017), Table 1:
Trends in this field include the growing use of digital
portfolio, increased sophistication in developing student
self-report questionnaires, wider engagement with
real-world audiences through the use of exhibitions
and performances, and the use of online tests. Often is
it possible to integrate assessment into the process of
creative learning as Thomson (2011) reminds us:
Creative learning approaches oer opportunities for
students to record and also present their learning
in multiple genres and media and to take some
ownership of the processes of reflection. p.264
In earlier research Lucas et al. (2013) concluded that:
…the primary use of the [assessment] tool is in enabling
teachers to become more precise and confident in
their teaching of creativity and as a formative tool to
enable learners to record and better develop their
creativity. p.26
PUPIL TEACHER REAL-WORLD ONLINE
Real-time feedback Criterion-referenced grading Expert reviews Digital badges
Photographs Rating of products and processes Gallery critique E-portfolios
Self-report questionnaires Structured interviews Authentic tests eg
Logs/diaries/ journals Performance tasks displays
Peer review Capstone projects presentations,
Group critique interviews
Badges podcasts
Portfolios films
Exhibitions
Table 1 - Approaches to assessing
creativity, Lucas and Spencer, 2017 p.160
To date there are few examples of eective ways of
reporting to parents on the development of student
creativity. Elsewhere in Australia schools in some States
are beginning to be given guidance on eective ways
of reporting to parents on the development of their
children’s creativity (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
Authority, 2015).
From a school leadership perspective the issue of
assessing creativity provides an opportunity for leaders
to consider both the issues involved and their relevant
practicalities. In terms of the issues leaders might like to:
• Be clear about the purpose of the assessment; will
it be summative or formative?
• Look for examples of documentation and level
descriptors from which they might consider
what progression in creativity might look like in
secondary education
A number of leaders in Creative Schools mentioned their
wish to start to assess critical and creative thinking.

25 26
2.3.7 Be creative with a wide range of partners
Unleashing the creativity of a school community can’t be
done by the school alone.
One of the strongest lessons of the Creative Partnerships
initiative in the UK (2002-2011) was its emphasis on
partnership working with artists and cultural organisations
(Parker, 2013):
The planning processes and partnership approach
to delivering projects meant that teachers were
engaged with new and dierent ways of thinking and
delivering in relation to their pedagogy. (p. 96).
In research into the development of zest in schools (Lucas
and Spencer, 2020) we have seen similar benefits in the
ways sta and students learn when working with a broader
range of partners than those in cultural organisations, for
example those working in museums, environmental and
scientific organisations and groups such as the Scouts.
Benefits for students (and teachers) from these kinds of
partnership working include the opportunity of spending
time with adults with particular learning passions, being
genuinely outward facing, encouraging deep research
and scholarship, making space for activities which are
authentic and extended in length, embracing novelty and
leaving space for the unexpected.
The kind of partnership working which evolved from
the Creative Partnership initiative in the UK was one of
eleven signature pedagogies found to be useful in the
study undertaken by the OECD (Vincent-Lancrin et al.,
2019, p.77-78), explicitly when combined with the Centre
for Real-World Learning’s model of creativity.
The Creative Schools programme is an example of
a schools initiative that is powerfully supported and
evaluated by a critical partner, FORM, and all schools,
some in their second year, acknowledged the huge
benefits of this partnership.
Most schools explicitly work with local partners in general
and specifically on aspects of creativity.
2.3.8 Develop a school-wide creative professional
learning community
System change requires a serious focus on professional
learning and this is most eective when the principal is
actively involved.
From a wider study of school leadership we know that the
promotion and participation of school leaders in teacher
learning and development is the single most important
activity that they can undertake in terms of improving
outcomes for young people. Robinson et al. (2015) found
that this kind of intervention has an extremely large
impact with an eect size of 0.84. Interestingly Robinson
and colleagues reiterate one aspect of their finding:
The descriptor for this dimension includes the words
‘and participating’ to make it clear that the leader
doesn’t stop at supporting or sponsoring their sta in
their learning; they actually participate in the learning
themselves—as leader, learner, or both. p.101
It seems that, for school leaders, ‘do as I say’ is far less
eective than ‘do as I do’ as an approach to achieve
maximum impact. For secondary school leaders this
finding is arguably both particularly important and rather
challenging given the many calls on made on the time of
senior leaders.
For the kind of changes required to embed creativity in
schools, learning has to extend far beyond the students.
In describing ‘learning leadership’, Istance and Stoll
(2013) explain:
This is centrally focused on student learning but
extends well beyond that. Learning leaders understand
that designing and developing innovative learning
environments requires everyone to keep learning,
unlearning and relearning because continuous
learning of all players and partners is a condition of
successful implementation and sustainability. (p. 23).
School leaders play a key role in deciding the focus of
professional learning – especially schoolwide professional
learning – and, perhaps even more powerfully, how this
will be experienced.
Regarding professional learning, Cochrane and Cockett
(2007) propose that ‘One of the first stages is for teachers
to develop their own understanding of what is meant by
creativity’ (p. 14). Creative journeys are non-linear:
It is a world exploration rather than a two-week
package holiday, more Columbus seeking a Westerly
route to the Indies than a holiday flight to the
Caribbean. (p. 79).

27 28
While there is little research, specifically focused on
teacher leadership for creativity, results of a research and
development project involving middle leaders from schools
who belong to a voluntary school-to-school partnership,
provide insights into how successful teacher leader change
catalysts play an important role in changing teachers’
practice within and across schools (Stoll et al, 2018). This
is are more likely to happen when they understand how
to lead change, read and develop their knowledge of
relevant research, use this and other evidence to identify
issues, inform changes, develop and improve practice, and
evaluate progress.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hugely impacted the
educational landscape, with teachers and schools
adapting quickly to remote and blended forms of teaching
and learning and an associated need for these kinds of
professional learning. A rapid evidence assessment of
remote professional development in the UK (Education
Endowment Foundation, 2020) concluded that:
1. Professional development can be supported
eectively remotely
2. Remote coaching, mentoring and expert support
can be eective alone or as part of broader PD
programmes
3. The use of video can enhance remote PD
4. Interactive content and opportunities for collaboration
hold promise for remote professional development
5. Remote professional development requires
supportive school conditions.
Professional learning communities are a powerful
means by which leaders organise and create the culture
for collaborative professional development. Broadly,
professional learning communities are groups of people
who, as a collective, share and critically interrogate their
practice in an ongoing, reflective, collaborative, inclusive,
learning-oriented, growth-promoting way (Research by
Stoll et al, 2006).
A school that is a learning organisation (see Figure 6) is a
creative professional learning community that is clear about
its vision for student learning and wellbeing (creativity in this
case) but is able to flexibly adapt and learning its way into
the future. This is done through: ensuring that the vision is
jointly developed, shared and that curriculum, pedagogy
and assessment are developed and aligned; an orientation
to practice-related inquiry, exploration and innovation;
extensive and ongoing individual and collaborative
professional learning; an emphasis on trusting, fearless
but challenging team work; systems (eg time, space,
technology, plans, theories of change etc) and dialogic
processes that enable it to collect and process evidence,
exchange and move around knowledge and practice as
colleagues ‘think together’; and that the learning leaders
both model this and grow other learning leaders.
Schools as learning organisations are not isolated. They,
and their learning leaders, are acutely attuned to their
external environment and critically, learn with and from
the many networks in their wider eco-system, which is the
next thing creative leaders do or need to do.
Creative Schools form a powerful professional learning
community supported by FORM, WA school leaders and
educators and educators in the UK and working globally
to support creative learning. Professional development
for sta was seen by school leaders as the single most
important intervention they could make to embed
creativity in their schools.
2.3.9 Model the change you want to see
Modelling is essential in all aspects of leadership and
teaching. It’s especially so with leadership for creativity
where the values and attitudes being promoted can
sometimes seem counter to the performativity which is
widely seen in schools.
Stoll and Temperley (2009) is helpful here, identifying
nine conditions ‘that creative leaders appear to need
to work towards in their school to promote and nurture
creativity in others’ (with ‘others’ being ‘colleagues’):
1. Model creativity and risk-taking
2. Stimulate a sense of urgency – if necessary, generate
a ‘crisis’! – ‘it often takes a crisis to promote action
where there is inertia.’ (p.70)
3. Expose colleagues to new thinking and experiences
4. Self-consciously relinquish control – ‘creating an
ethos that it’s acceptable to take risks, and being
given the freedom to explore without constraints’
(p.71)
5. Provide time and space and facilitate the practicalities
6. Promote individual and collaborative creative
thinking and design
7. Set high expectations about the degree of creativity
– ‘By setting the bar high and pushing people to be
imaginative and to think originally, leaders appear to
create a bigger space for colleagues to grow into.’
(p.73)
8. Use failure as a learning opportunity
9. Keep referring back to core values.
The Creative Schools leaders in this project are an
impressive, values-driven group. In dierent ways each
one is finding ways of modelling the creative changes
they want to see.

27 28
Appendix 1
Creative Schools
and their leaders
Creative Schools 2020
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Bob Hawke College John Burke Cherie Mcelhinney
Boyare Primary School Glenn Murray Sarah Hanlon
Brookman Primary School Hans Geers Tania Rennie
Donnybrook District High School James Milne Renee Reid and James Duncan
Ellenbrook Christian College Mike Pitman Pam Tyrrell and Liana Luyt
Glencoe Primary School Karl Palinkas Daniel Moore
Glendale Primary School Helen Fiebig Jennifer Graham
Governor Stirling SHS Dr Pasco Putrino Leonie Squire and Elizabeth Phillips
Melville Primary School Betty McNeil
Merriwa Primary School Sue Waterhouse
Mosman Park Primary Alison Robb
North Fremantle Primary School Linda Chandler
Scotch College Dr Alec O’Connell Cara Fugill
Spearwood Alternative School Denise Stone
St Mary's Anglican Girls School Judith Tudball Geraldine Drabble
Wembley Primary School Donna Snow Tamara Doig

29 30
Appendix 2
Critical & Creative
Thinking, ACARA
Critical and Creative Thinking learning continuum
Sub-element
Level 1
Typically, by the end of
Foundation Year, students:
Level 2
Typically, by the end of
Year 2, students:
Level 3
Typically, by the end of
Year 4, students:
Level 4
Typically, by the end of
Year 6, students:
Level 5
Typically, by the end of
Year 8, students:
Level 6
Typically, by the end of
Year 10, students:
Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas element
Pose questions pose factual and
exploratory questions
based on personal
interests and experiences
pose questions to identify
and clarify issues, and
compare information in
their world
pose questions to expand
their knowledge about
the world
pose questions to clarify
and interpret information
and probe for causes and
consequences
pose questions to
probe assumptions and
investigate complex
issues
pose questions to
critically analyse complex
issues and abstract ideas
Identify
and clarify
information and
ideas
identify and describe
familiar information and
ideas during a discussion
or investigation
identify and explore
information and ideas
from source materials
identify main ideas
and select and clarify
information from a range
of sources
identify and clarify
relevant information and
prioritise ideas
clarify information and
ideas from texts or
images when exploring
challenging issues
clarify complex
information and ideas
drawn from a range of
sources
Organise
and process
information
gather similar information
or depictions from given
sources
organise information
based on similar or
relevant ideas from
several sources
collect, compare and
categorise facts and
opinions found in a
widening range of
sources
analyse, condense
and combine relevant
information from multiple
sources
critically analyse
information and evidence
according to criteria such
as validity and relevance
critically analyse
independently sourced
information to determine
bias and reliability
Generating ideas, possibilities and actions element
Imagine
possibilities and
connect ideas
use imagination to view
or create things in new
ways and connect two
things that seem different
build on what they know
to create ideas and
possibilities in ways that
are new to them
expand on known ideas
to create new and
imaginative combinations
combine ideas in a variety
of ways and from a range
of sources to create new
possibilities
draw parallels between
known and new ideas
to create new ways of
achieving goals
create and connect
complex ideas using
imagery, analogies and
symbolism
Consider
alternatives
suggest alternative
and creative ways
to approach a given
situation or task
identify and compare
creative ideas to think
broadly about a given
situation or problem
explore situations
using creative thinking
strategies to propose a
range of alternatives
identify situations where
current approaches do
not work, challenge
existing ideas and
generate alternative
solutions
generate alternatives and
innovative solutions, and
adapt ideas, including
when information is
limited or conicting
speculate on creative
options to modify ideas
when circumstances
change
Seek solutions
and put ideas
into action
predict what might
happen in a given
situation and when
putting ideas into action
investigate options
and predict possible
outcomes when putting
ideas into action
experiment with a range
of options when seeking
solutions and putting
ideas into action
assess and test options
to identify the most
effective solution and to
put ideas into action
predict possibilities,
and identify and test
consequences when
seeking solutions and
putting ideas into action
assess risks and explain
contingencies, taking
account of a range of
perspectives, when
seeking solutions and
putting complex ideas
into action

29 30
Critical and Creative Thinking learning continuum
Sub-element
Level 1
Typically, by the end of
Foundation Year, students:
Level 2
Typically, by the end of
Year 2, students:
Level 3
Typically, by the end of
Year 4, students:
Level 4
Typically, by the end of
Year 6, students:
Level 5
Typically, by the end of
Year 8, students:
Level 6
Typically, by the end of
Year 10, students:
Reflecting on thinking and processes element
Think about
thinking
(metacognition)
describe what they are
thinking and give reasons
why
describe the thinking
strategies used in given
situations and tasks
reect on, explain and
check the processes
used to come to
conclusions
reect on assumptions
made, consider
reasonable criticism and
adjust their thinking if
necessary
assess assumptions in
their thinking and invite
alternative opinions
give reasons to support
their thinking, and
address opposing
viewpoints and possible
weaknesses in their own
positions
Reflect on
processes
identify the main
elements of the steps in a
thinking process
outline the details and
sequence in a whole
task and separate it into
workable parts
identify pertinent
information in an
investigation and
separate into smaller
parts or ideas
identify and justify the
thinking behind choices
they have made
evaluate and justify the
reasons behind choosing
a particular problem-
solving strategy
balance rational and
irrational components of
a complex or ambiguous
problem to evaluate
evidence
Transfer
knowledge into
new contexts
connect information from
one setting to another
use information from a
previous experience to
inform a new idea
transfer and apply
information in one setting
to enrich another
apply knowledge gained
from one context to
another unrelated context
and identify new meaning
justify reasons for
decisions when
transferring information
to similar and different
contexts
identify, plan and
justify transference
of knowledge to new
contexts
Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures element
Apply logic and
reasoning
identify the thinking used
to solve problems in
given situations
identify reasoning used
in choices or actions in
specic situations
identify and apply
appropriate reasoning
and thinking strategies for
particular outcomes
assess whether there
is adequate reasoning
and evidence to justify
a claim, conclusion or
outcome
identify gaps in reasoning
and missing elements in
information
analyse reasoning used
in nding and applying
solutions, and in choice
of resources
Draw
conclusions and
design a course
of action
share their thinking about
possible courses of
action
identify alternative
courses of action or
possible conclusions
when presented with new
information
draw on prior knowledge
and use evidence when
choosing a course of
action or drawing a
conclusion
scrutinise ideas
or concepts, test
conclusions and modify
actions when designing a
course of action
differentiate the
components of a
designed course of
action and tolerate
ambiguities when drawing
conclusions
use logical and abstract
thinking to analyse and
synthesise complex
information to inform a
course of action
Evaluate
procedures and
outcomes
check whether they
are satised with the
outcome of tasks or
actions
evaluate whether they
have accomplished what
they set out to achieve
explain and justify ideas
and outcomes
evaluate the effectiveness
of ideas, products,
performances, methods
and courses of action
against given criteria
explain intentions and
justify ideas, methods
and courses of action,
and account for expected
and unexpected
outcomes against criteria
they have identied
evaluate the effectiveness
of ideas, products and
performances and
implement courses of
action to achieve desired
outcomes against criteria
they have identied

31 32
Appendix 3
Theories
of Change
K-6 teaching staff collaboratively planning cross-
curricular inquiry learning programs that enable
student agency, creativity and curiosity
Time –release
time for teachers
to plan, leadership
time for aspirant
leader to mentor
and plan
Professional
learning –ACER
Masterclass, Kath
Murdoch and
Creative Schools
Framework in place
to assess students'
critical and creative
thinking capabilities
Students have agency as co-designers
of inquiry learning
Inquiry Learning Project Team
established to lead school
direction in expansive
pedagogy
Creative Habits of
Mind explicitly
taught and
assessed through
inquiry learning
Critical and
creative thinking is
embedded in
school culture
Engagement and a sense of
purpose for present and
future pursuits
Broadening the scope
of assessment through
different assessment
types
Shift of language and
learning experience
within the classroom
Increased ownership of
students own process
and outcome. Student
driven.
Introducing specified
practitioners and local
community members to
students
Creative schools learning
team consulting and
planning community
projects
Time – Teacher’s
released for planning and
leadership opportunities
Links with community
members such as council
local, businesses and
planning projects within
the shire
Students are empowered to
achieve their personal best,
becoming confident and creative
life-long learners
K –6 teaching staff collaboratively plan cross-curricular
programs that encourage and support critical and creative
thinking skills
All teachers create and practice a Cultures of Thinking
framework within their classroom
Cross school
implementation of Making
Thinking Visible –PL
provision, agreed
commitment, Key teachers
allocated and supported
Partnership with FORM /
Creative practitioners to
support creative and
critical thinking focus
Establish team to support
guided inquiry and project-
based learning as an
essential component of our
pedagogical framework
Mosman Park PS
Wembley
Primary School
Donnybrook
District High School

31 32
Students are empowered to
achieve their personal best,
becoming confident and creative
life-long learners
K –6 teaching staff collaboratively plan cross-curricular
programs that encourage and support critical and creative
thinking skills
All teachers create and practice a Cultures of Thinking
framework within their classroom
Cross school
implementation of Making
Thinking Visible –PL
provision, agreed
commitment, Key teachers
allocated and supported
Partnership with FORM /
Creative practitioners to
support creative and
critical thinking focus
Establish team to support
guided inquiry and project-
based learning as an
essential component of our
pedagogical framework
Mosman Park PS
K-6 teaching staff demonstrate high
level collaborative strategies to
incorporate STEM Project Based
Learning across the school.
Continue to develop leadership
opportunities across staff.
Share learning experiences termly
in STEM, Creative Schools et al to
build staff collective knowledge.
Creative Schools provides ‘icing’ and
deep thinking towards approaches and
strategies for improving Creativity
Students Voice continues to be an
increasing part of our journey.
Curriculum Team to continue developing
strategic direction for school.
Provide meaningful, strategic
individual and/or collective PL
for staff to meet future needs.
Capabilities are embedded
across the school and form an
integral part of the whole
school’s STEM Culture.
Building staff and student
capacity in Creativity is integral.
Identify need and
develop approaches to
assessing Capabilities
Provide time for staff to develop
their skills and initiatives across
year groups, teams or whole school.
Continue to look for
opportunities to stretch
and build school capacity.
Adequately resource initiatives.
Articulate vision Build case
for change
Create the conditions Develop strategies
Develop the workforce Diagnose school progress
Engage
stakeholders
Identify school metrics
Lead and
manage change
Mobilise
resources
Donnybrook
District High School
Brookman
Primary School
Mosman Park
Primary School

33 34
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