Whilst creativity is a slippery concept, it is possible to discern ways in which pupils engage in the creative process and produced outcomes that are ‘ original and of value’ (Robinson 2001:118).   However, questions remain about how the development of creativity can be assessed in order to support learners in developing their creative potential.

Spencer, Lucas and Claxton (2012) have developed a framework for assessing this area.  They identified 5 habits and 15 sub-habits of creativity and teachers in two separate field trials used this assessment tool with pupils aged 5 to 14 (see Table 2).  The teachers found that the tool was useful as a formative assessment practice.  There was little appetite for making summative judgements about levels of creativity, which is, perhaps, not surprising given the complex nature of the creative process and outcomes.

Table 2: Habits and sub-habits of creativity (Spencer, Lucas and Claxton, 2012)

Habit	Sub-habits
Inquisitive	Wondering and questioning Exploring and investigating Challenging assumptions
Persistent	Sticking with difficulty Daring to be different Tolerating uncertainty
Imaginative	Playing with possibilities Making connections Using intuition
Collaborative	Sharing the product Giving and sharing feedback Co-operating appropriately
Disciplined	Developing techniques Reflecting critically Crafting and improving

There are obvious overlaps between the habits identified in Table 2 and the ‘clusters’ outlined by Loveless (2007).  Key concepts that appear across both include exploration, risk-taking, play, co-operation and persistence.  The importance of fostering these competences can be seen across the DeFT Case Studies in Chapter 5.

References: see 3.2.3 References / Links to Further Resources