WHAT INFLUENCE DID A DESIGN THINKING, CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING WORKSHOP HAVE ON BEGINNER STUDENT TEACHERS?

The marketisation of education, globalisation, and the requirement for continuous economic growth, have positioned creativity and innovation as essential components of 21st century education. Creative approaches to learning have been shown to support well-being and promote a culture of continuous improvement which in turn, support the development of prosperous and sustainable, digital economies (OECD, 2019). In terms of teacher education then, creativity and innovation are now regarded as core skills for all teachers (Henriksen et al., 2021). If these skills are seen as being fundamental to societal development, they must therefore be nurtured as a key component of professional learning for teachers. Using a mixed methods approach, this study aims to explore ways in which creative and innovative mindsets can be fostered in student teachers as part of their initial teacher education. Questionnaires and focus groups were used to collect data. Firstly, a first-year cohort of Primary and Post Primary student teachers (n= 118 ) attended an introduction to design thinking and creative problem-solving, 3-hour workshop with the objective of enhancing their creative problem-solving and innovative skills in preparation for school placement. Secondly, a collaborative podcast project with students and lecturers was developed to enhance students’ learning experiences and foster creativity. Thirdly, following their school placement, further data were collected to address the extent to which the participants implemented some of the workshop initiatives during their placement. Preliminary findings suggest that the revised approach to teaching and learning can encourage creative, critical thinking and increase student confidence as they develop their competence and practice as teachers. In addition, the data suggest that students favour the more andragogical approach employed in the workshops and podcast development as opposed to traditional, pedagogical modes of teaching and learning. The research provides a strong platform to embed a culture of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication, and in doing so, establish and build collaborative partnerships between education, business and community.