The creICTivity project (ERASMUS+, 2020-1-SI01-KA227-ADU-093635) concluded at the end of August 2023. In the project, six partner organisations have been exploring creativity and its application in education, particularly in teaching basic ICT skills.
Creativity proved to be an exciting topic that played with our expectations and challenged our “habits of mind”. We discovered that it comes in many forms and can be applied in most life situations. To make the abstract concept of creativity more “tangible” and connected to the very practical skill of ICT, we mainly focused on practical creativity. Practical creativity is, in essence, the ability to be creative in solving various types of problems.
We have summarised our findings in three project results aimed at adult educators:
- creICTivity learning modules and creativity-enhancing games
We have developed seven learning modules containing different basic ICT skills, which, if mastered, facilitate adults’ daily use of ICT and allow them to build on their ICT skills gradually. The modules are based on practical situations, called ICT Challenges, and are a starting point for learning. Adults analyse the challenges with the support of a teacher and try out the solutions, adding the missing context to their ICT (in)knowledge. We have also added several simple ICT games and exercises to the modules to stimulate creative thinking in the students.
- Using creativity to support adults in ICT education – teaching methodology for adult educators
The learning methodology first briefly introduces creativity as a concept and as an important aspect of education, aiming to demystify this often superficially used concept and bring it closer to education. The following section outlines the methods, approaches and conditions that need to be present if education is to enhance (adult) learners’ creativity and improve their learning outcomes. Finally, our findings and reflections on the different vulnerable target groups of adult learners in ICT education are summarised.
- Design Thinking Workshop Guidebook
The Design Thinking method aims to identify the needs, barriers and opportunities of different target groups. It is based on compassion and empathy with the members of a particular group and includes activities to enhance creative thinking. The method is an important step in the creICTivity learning process described in the methodology. Still, it can also be adapted to identify the needs of different target groups in education, regardless of the topic and type of education. Therefore, it can help educators identify and define learning objectives and thus achieve better learning outcomes.
The potential of creativity, the most universally applicable and, at the same time, the highest human cognitive function, is still largely untapped in education. The creICTivity project was created to encourage adult educators to become more aware of creativity and to give it a place in their educational activities.
The project results will be available on the Erasmus+ project results platform and the project partners’ websites. For more information, follow the project’s Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/creICTivity.
In addition to the DISORA Association, other partners in the project are NAVICULA.M Sp. Z o.o. (Poland), INIBIA (Germany), adult educational institution Učilište Magistra (Croatia), Neotalentway (Spain) and Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University (Turkey).
Ivan Močnik (drustvo.disora@gmail.com), DISORA Association
