Creativity and Wellbeing in Education: Possibilities, Tensions and Personal Journeys

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between creativity and wellbeing as educational aims, with a particular focus on whether these are mutually supportive, or exist in a state of tension.  It starts with some observations on the importance attached to the two concepts in current policy discourse and the expectation that teachers and teacher educators should seek to promote them.  It is argued that both should be regarded as contested terms which need to be subjected to critical interrogation. The extent to which schools as institutions are really open to creativity is questioned, and the limitations of a ‘soft’ psychological approach to wellbeing are highlighted. As part of this argument, some reservations about the extent to which learning should be regarded as a social rather than an individual experience are expressed. The paper concludes with brief reflections on the implications for teacher educators.

Keywords

Discourse; creativity; wellbeing; curriculum; conformity