3 Advantages of Creativity & Innovation in Education | Arts/Art History and S.T.E.A.M. Excellence at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot
Not only does a creative learning environment help capture and retain students’ attention, in today’s quickly evolving, tech-driven world, it’s proving to be a critical skill. Here are three distinct advantages of an education that encourages creativity with the opportunity for students to engage from an early age in programs like STEAM and the arts.
Creativity in Education Sparks Learning
Studies spanning several decades have shown a correlation between creativity and the drive to learn. In the classroom, the pursuit of a creative objective (rather than a strictly academic objective) can capture students’ attention and motivate them to develop the necessary skills to achieve it. When pushed for creative and innovative solutions – students will often draw on personal experiences and interests strengthening their motivation to problem-solve. Creation of connections between new knowledge and their existing understanding ultimately gives students a sense of autonomy and control over their studies and leads to a more lasting learning experience.
Innovation in EducationInspires Resilient Learning & Emotional Growth
The process of innovating and creating involves a good amount of experimentation and mistake-making too. When students experience productive struggle, they develop resilienceand learn how to overcome obstacles to achieve their goals. Learning to problem-solve, without necessarily focusing on the outcome is a valuable life skill. By confronting obstacles and realizing their creative imaginations, students learn from personal experience that their potential has no bounds, instilling self-assurance in them. This can be crucial in building their self-worth and emotional growth.
Creativity is Becoming a Basic Requirement in a Workplace
Now more than ever, creativity and innovative thinking are a valuable skills in the workplace. Being creative-minded enables individuals to have effective conversations with their co-workers and deliver satisfactory results. This kind of collaborative, innovative thinking is what keeps the workflow and new ideas moving forward. Ultimately, as automation begins to take over many mundane job functions, possessing soft skills like creativity is becoming more critical. Those who bring their innovative thinking to the job will be integral to all aspects of work, from envisioning new ideas to working and collaborating with colleagues.
Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Expansion & Renovation Offers New Spaces for The Arts and for Student Innovation through S.T.E.A.M
High school arts education at BSH includes visual arts, performing arts and the opportunity for art history immersion with our annual travel abroad arts trip for students of AP Art History. Notably, BSH AP Art History students score an average of 4.4 on the AP Art History exam (vs. the VA average of 3.0 and national average of 2.98.) Through the arts, students learn to discover, observe, interpret, value different perspectives, analyze and synthesize.
New art spaces for students at every level will propel our art-infused education from early childhood forward. Older students are already enjoying the modern, spacious new Upper School Visual Art Center while the new student center (scheduled to open in the first quarter of ’24) will provide the perfect creative space for the lower school art program to truly blossom. Also planned for the new student center is a Black Box Theater that will set the scene for dramatic moments and new Green Screen Studio where students will learn journalism techniques, explore artificial intelligence and engage media as they find new ways to tell stories.
Since today’s students must engage with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in ever-evolving ways, we’ve included a large new classroom in the student center that will headquarter S.T.E.A.M. learning. Students engage in environmental and sustainability studies through our Stewards of the Earth program for learning about concepts related to the global food supply chain and hands-on crop cultivation. Our beautiful, fresh air location is the perfect setting for this unique form of scholarship.
All of the new campus renovations & curriculum upgrades currently underway at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot take into account the growing importance of creativity & innovation in education for graduates prepared to succeed in our quickly evolving, tech-driven world.
