Introduction – Creativity and creative pedagogies: Exploring challenges, possibilities and potential

The first decade of the twenty-first century was characterised by considerable growth in creativity research worldwide (e.g. Einarsdottir, 2003; Cremin et al., 2006; Beghetto & Kaufman 2007; Chappell, 2007; Mirzaie et al., 2009; Sawyer, 2010). While some researchers focused on conceptual challenges (e.g. Beghetto & Kaufman, 2007; Lin, 2011; Megalakaki et al., 2012), others documented and examined classroom practices; both those of teachers (e.g. Jeffrey & Woods, 2009; Craft et al., 2014) and of visiting subject specialists, often artists (e.g. Hall & Thomson, 2005; Galton, 2010). Empirical studies in this area, with an observational eye on classroom practices, have tended to pay attention to both teacher and learner orientations, to ‘creative teaching’ and ‘teaching for creativity’, encompassing the assertion of Dezuanni and Jetnikoff (2011: 265) that creative pedagogies involve ‘imaginative and innovative arrangement of curricula and teaching strategies in school classrooms’ to develop the creativity of the young. This introductory chapter to the volume outlines some of the challenges, possibilities and potential in creativity and creative pedagogies