Julia Gillard on fostering creativity in education

Eminent Voices December 13, 2014

Julia Gillard, former prime minister of Australia, answers the question “What is creativity?” in the context of education.

For her, it is “the art of imagining of what is possible beyond what is known now”.

She believes that future generations will experience a life of constant change, it is therefore important to prepare them well – one of the main tasks any education should provide. This education should go beyond remembering mere facts, instead, it should foster creative thinking: how you solve problems, in a team and how you show resilience in a world of constant change.

She also warns not forget about the “millenium goals” – to provide primary education to all children worldwide – a goal which has not yet been achieved. Children have to aquire the basic skills of reading and calculating, but while teaching them, it is important to include new teaching methods and the integration of technologies.