Did you know that creativity has a day?
In 2017, United Nations included the World Creativity and Innovation Day (WCID), celebrated on April 21, in its calendar. The data was established “to raise awareness of the role of creativity and innovation in problem-solving and, by extension, economic, social and sustainable development.” This is not a surprise.
In the last years, creativity has been considered an essential skill in the workplace. In 2016, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released the Future of Jobs Report, putting creativity as a top 3 skill for 2020. In 2018, an updated report from WEF placed “creativity, originality, and initiative” as the skills on the rise for 2022. In 2019, LinkedIn, in its Workplace Learning Report, considered creativity the “single-most in-demand skill for companies to cultivate in their employees.” In 2021, after the pandemic hit, the McKinsey Global Institute released a report about the future of work after COVID-19, stating they foresee strong growth for higher cognitive skills, such as creativity and critical thinking.
The growing importance of creativity is also impacting the field of education. The Schools of the Future Report included “innovation and creativity” as one of the eight essential characteristics to promote the high-quality learning defined in the Education 4.0 framework. This year, the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), which measures students’ ability to apply their knowledge in new situations, will have a creative thinking assessment in its edition. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD), responsible for PISA, also highlights the crucial role of creativity in today’s world.
In schools, we celebrate different occasions, from the 100th Day of School to Martin Luther King Day, from Pi Day to Earth Day. What about including the WCID as a day to celebrate in our schools? As the United Nations said, we need+ to raise awareness of the role of creativity in our world. Creativity is not only essential to prepare our students to solve problems outside the school in the future. Creativity is also critical in our schools now. It is even related to the highest levels of thinking and, therefore, promotes deep learning.
As educators, we need to bring this conversation into our classrooms. We encourage you to talk to your students about the WCID. Discuss with them why we have a day for creativity. Brainstorm ideas about celebrating and promoting this day inside and outside the school.
So how are you going to celebrate WCID in your school? What about starting planning it now?
Luciane Bonamigo Valls believes creativity is not only something we need, but we also deserve. She wants to spread the joy of creativity so more people can live vivid, enjoyable, and meaningful lives. Luciane provides workshops, courses, and lectures about creativity and works with teachers and school administrators to bring creative thinking into schools in Brazil. She is always asking herself what might be all the ways she can help schools nurture creativity, and, in 2020, she published a book in Portuguese about this topic.
She holds an M.S in Creativity and Change Leadership from SUNY Buffalo State, where she also received the Mary Murdock Creative Spirit Award in 2020. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and two graduate certificates (Educational Psychology and Educational Management), both from universities in Brazil.
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