Dubai: Creativity in education is what will equip future generations with the tools to tackle unusual problems of the future, said Professor Raed Awamleh, Director of Middlesex University Dubai, last week.
He spoke on campus at a lecture on educating for creativity, which was part of the university's education policy forum series. The event was held in partnership with the Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research.
"Creativity is an important factor in delivering skills to our young people in order to tackle the unconventional problems they will face in the future," he said.
"The truth is, we are preparing future generations for a world we don't know much about; we think we know what the world is going to look like 20 or 40 years from now, but if we are honest with ourselves, we don't."
He said it may seem unusual to discuss creativity in education, as traditional pedagogy is anything but creative. However, he believed it is something that should be embedded in education.
"I view creativity as a verb not a noun because it is something that should be functional," he said.
Quoting the late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Inc,, he said people may not always know what they need or what they want, but they know what they do not like and what does not work, "and that is where creativity comes in".
However, during the forum, a panel of educators showcased creative ways they are utilising in and outside the classroom for children and young adults to find their potential.
