4. Blended Teaching, including problem-solving, creativity & critical thinking 

Good teaching and learning means employing a blend of approaches including those that promote problem solving, creative and critical thinking

The curriculum purposes give prominence to developing the ability of children and young people to critically evaluate information, make connections, develop deep conceptual understanding and transfer knowledge and skills to new situations to solve complex problems in a creative way. Pedagogy that makes full use of wider skills within and across each Area of Learning and Experience, particularly problem solving, creative and critical thinking, is likely to activate such powerful learning for children and young people.

OECD suggests that the problem-solving process involves ‘exploring and understanding’ the problem and its context; ‘representing and formulating’ information gathered to create hypotheses; ‘planning and executing’ investigations, identifying success criteria; and ‘monitoring and reflecting’ on progress and outcomes. Creative and critical thinking are an essential part of problem solving, providing processes for analysis, synthesis and evaluation of ideas and products, and making unique connections between or among them. Such creativity relies heavily on access to high-quality authentic information from a range of subject disciplines that act as a catalyst for innovation.

In order to fully engage with learning, children and young people require rich, stimulating environments where they can explore and experiment with ideas and resources, collaborate actively with their peers and make dynamic connections with a clear sense of purpose to construct meaning.

Good teaching in the context of the Review’s curriculum proposals will reinforce and extend the application of wider skills and be able to identify activities and strategies that can promote problem solving, critical and creative thinking and ensure that these processes can be monitored and assessed to ensure positive learning outcomes.