How to Transform Teaching for Creativity Programs to Teaching for Transformational Creativity

Creativity is not universally considered a luxury positive power for promoting the development of individuals and society anymore; it has become a necessity due to the fast-changing nature of the world in the twenty-first century. As a result, there have been social, economic, and political calls for creativity (Craft, Creativity in Schools: Tensions and Dilemmas. Psychology Press; e.g., EC, 2020 and Kuratko, 2012; OECD, OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2014. Author, 2014; e.g., P21 Framework Definitions, 2015; World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2020, World Economic Forum, Geneva, 2020). Many countries and organizations have initiated various projects to enhance learners’ creative and innovative experiences (e.g., Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative Innovation Union, 2020; UNESCO Education 2030 Framework for Action, 2015; World Economic Forum, 2020). Many of these projects focused on transactional creativity—creativity that is tit for tat—and have ignored the fact that creativity can be (and has been) implemented with a negative goal. Unfortunately, people have applied their creative abilities in negative ways in a variety of settings, such as in leadership and business (e.g., the 2008 Global Financial Crisis), advertising (e.g., toward creation of unhealthy food or dangerous products), entertainment (e.g., creation of pornography), science, and technology (e.g., manufacture of biological weapons). I suggest that merely teaching for creativity does not address the world’s needs in the modern age. The optimal future for the world is not determined by individuals who are merely creative, but rather by those who exhibit a positive approach to their creativity. In this chapter, we look at some of the existing programs to promote creativity. Then we discuss how they could encourage Transformational Creativity.