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Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolutions That's Transforming Education

- Book Review

Article · March 2017

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Creative Schools: Grassroots Revolutions
That’s Transforming Education
NEXUS Spotlight
By Narayan Bhatta
T
he standards-based education
reform movement has largely
failed in its own mission
with severe socio-economic
consequences. Schools today are
very often educational dead ends for
millions of talented and innovative
young minds around the world.
Presenting a number of exemplary
practices from the grassroots,
Robinson and Aronica1 offer new ideas
for inspiring teaching and learning
through more democratic and creative
schooling modalities compatible for
the 21st century global knowledge
economy. Schools are designed not
only for children and young people but
also for communities of learners in any
social setup, according to the authors.
The standards-based global education
was not designed for the digital
revolutions that have transformed our
lives in all aspects. Therefore, simply
raising those so-called standards is
not a solution for the problems in
our education systems. Governments
around the world have failed to
introduce required radical educational
changes towards the digital direction.
However, ‘the revolution does not
wait for legislation’(p. xxv). It is already
happening in the grassroots, in real
schools and in the communities of
learners, the authors claim.
Presenting the dichotomy between
‘academic’ and ‘vocational’ as a serious
problem in our education systems and
belief structures, the authors offer a
three stages model for transformation:
a critique of the way things are; a vision
of how they should be; and a theory
of change for how to move from one
to another (p. 58).
Failing to promote the concept of
full-fledged modern citizenship,
our education system has lost its
12 NEXUS VOLUME 1 NO. 7 MARCH 2017
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civic function. It has simply become
synonymous with its main three
elements: curriculum, teaching
and assessment. The standardised
movement actively and effectively
takes away natural and random free
play, sports and other recreational
activities from young learners. Finnish
educational success, however, is an
example of an alternative path with
comparably successful impact in all
aspects of education and society, the
writers observe (p. 61).
Creativity in reality is about a fresh
new thinking with impactful and
valuable ideas. It is not true that only
a few special people are creative, and
neither is it just about the arts and Still, the authors effectively encourage
self-expression. And creativity is also educational leaders and teachers
not necessarily the opposite of rules, to seek answers to the following
discipline and control. In this sense, questions:
standardisation in itself is not a bad
thing. Where and how we are doing
•• What is the relevance or need
for our current way of teaching
it makes it completely different, with
and learning in this era of digital
dramatically different outcomes and
revolution?
results (p. 176).
School leaders and teachers should
•• What are other possible areas
to standardise instead of a
be able to ensure the maximum
narrow definition of curriculum,
possible involvement of parents, local
teaching and assessment for
communities and other stakeholders
better learning outcomes? •
in the process to ensure the best
results within their school system.
This demands visionary, inspirational
and transformative school leadership. Narayan Bhatta
In addition, a good teacher is like a MA BA BEd
gardener, creating favorable conditions Narayan is a young Educational Leadership
to grow new talents and responsible and Management professional equipped
global citizens for the future. Therefore, with graduate degrees and Professional
it is equally important to reclaim Teacher Education qualification from Finnish
teachers’ professional autonomy universities. He has contributed as a teacher,
and challenge the rapid privatisation trainer and manager in various international
and commercialisation of educational educational settings; including some Finnish
provisions. government funded international projects
in e-Learning research, higher education
However, the primary driving force for programme development and basic education
any school’s transformation is shaped reform. Based in Helsinki region, Finland,
and guided by the socio-political and Narayan is currently engaged as a Freelance
economic environments in which the Teacher and independent educational
school or education system operates. Leadership & Management consultant.
1 K. Robinson and L. Aronica, Creative Schools – The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education,
Viking Penguin, New York, USA, 2015, pp. xxv, 58, 61 & 176.