EAEA News 2009-06-17
Measuring creativity for better education and more effective policies
An international conference, organised by the European Commission and its Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning (CRELL) in Brussels on 28 and 29 May 2009, looked at whether and how creativity can be measured.
In his message to participants of the conference Commission President José Manuel Barroso referred to creativity as "a crucial component of our capacity to innovate. And innovation", he went on to say, "is a key factor not just to become more competitive but also to improve our quality of life and the sustainability of our development." Wishing the conference success he pointed out that since creativity is a complex construct it requires to be studied properly if we want to develop and implement effective policies.
Over the two conference days, almost 40 speakers addressed the 260 participants on approaches to measuring creativity with the help of indicators, both at an aggregate national or regional level and that of individuals. Researchers, country officials, representatives from international organisations and education practitioners shared their experiences with this difficult task in fields as diverse as business, environment, society and culture.
In addition to the EU's own research and practical experience examples from across Europe, the United States and Hong Kong showed how measuring creativity could make a positive contribution to both policy-making and education.
