Every year on April 21st, the world comes together to celebrate UN World Creativity & Innovation Day. But the significance of this day extends far beyond international summits.
Education has a crucial role to play in fostering creativity and innovation in the next generation. It recognises the transformative power of creative thinking and fresh ideas in tackling global challenges and achieving sustainable development.
Here's how Boundless Education brings World Creativity & Innovation Day to life every day:
✨Sparking curiosity and problem-solving
We move beyond rote learning and encourage students to ask probing questions, explore different perspectives, and identify problems in their communities or the world. This ignites their curiosity and sets the stage for innovative solutions.
✨Embracing project-based learning and real-world issues
Project-based learning - like Boundless’ fantastic "Fight Against Fast Fashion" Quest (details below) - allows students to delve into real-world issues aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By tackling these challenges head-on through research, collaboration, and creative problem-solving, students not only gain valuable knowledge but also develop critical thinking and innovation skills.
You can learn more about our project-based Quests here.
✨Celebrating the journey, not just the destination
The process of exploration and experimentation is just as important as the final product or answer. Our Educators encourage students to embrace mistakes as learning opportunities and showcase their creative journey, not just the outcome. This fosters a culture of innovation, resilience, and risk-taking, which are essential skills for future problem-solvers.
Boundless Education: A model for creative action
Boundless Education exemplifies how schools can integrate the spirit of World Creativity & Innovation Day into curricula. Our "Fight Against Fast Fashion" project aligned perfectly with SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. Students weren't just passively learning about an issue; they were actively researching, designing, and taking action to promote sustainable fashion choices.
This project beautifully demonstrates the power of project-based learning. It fostered collaboration, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving, all while equipping students with the knowledge and skills to become responsible global citizens.
Other examples of creation and innovation in action at Boundless Education
♟️ All’s fair in love and board games
SDG10’s focus is on achieving equality within and among countries. Our older students worked collaboratively to explore the challenges associated with this topic before creating their own Board Games to shine a spotlight on equality for others in a fun and engaging way.
🏰 Multidisciplinary learning in an ancient castle
“How do you combine a lesson on road safety, sustainable production of fabrics, ethics, physics and art history? Go to an ancient castle that has been converted into an art museum!”
This is exactly what Petra, our Tuscany Education Centre Director, and her students did.
Sometimes the point of a field trip to an art museum doesn’t have to be about the art itself directly. Students covered topics including:
✅How sometimes, regardless of the evidence presented, your biases don’t let you believe in a new piece of information (sparked by a painting and its common interpretation).
✅Physics and how everything needs energy - inspired by trying to understand why old clocks had to be wound up before electric clocks were invented.
✅How clothes were made and maintained in the past and how little effort we need nowadays to get new clothes
✅Younger students learned about how to behave on public transportation and in a café, how to walk in groups whilst also being considerate of others, and appropriate clothing for rainy weather to keep ourselves dry.
✅Students also talked about how the guide stripes work for the visually impaired, using an umbrella to test how the different lines and symbols vibrate to differentiate between when you are in front of a door, a turn, stairs etc.
“I can tell you that there are not many classrooms on earth that can connect all these topics in one go. Student-led, hands-on learning really is the way to go!!”
⛵Endeavour Time is all at sea
Connection and skill-sharing are core pillars of our community and Boundless Education. Our Endeavour Time sessions are the distillation of these principles. Parents are invited into class to share their unique skills and life experiences and are always a BIG hit with our students.
One of our Boundless Bali families shared their experience of living at sea for three years! This included practical, hands-on demonstrations of knot-tying and navigation, but also how they harnessed the sustainable power of the sun to transform seawater into clean drinking water.
World Creativity & Innovation Day is a springboard. By fostering a culture of curiosity, exploration, and project-based learning, education settings can empower students to become the creative problem-solvers and innovators our world needs. Let's celebrate the boundless potential within every student and unleash their creativity for a brighter future.
Unleash the boundless potential of your future innovators and creators and join Boundless Life in one of our five locations around the globe. Click here to take the first step on the path.
