Childhood education: fostering creativity, innovation and digital competence

KEY POINTS

Encouraging creativity, innovation and digital competence at an early age can bring personal and economic benefits in adult life.

The potential benefits include:

• providing a solid base for further learning, developing a higher level of knowledge and improving a child’s ability to develop creative and critical thinking skills,
• ensuring that the next generation will have the skills to innovate and generate new products and services which will be vital for economic success,
• ensuring that the EU can meet the growing demand for competent users of digital technology as well as experts in information and communications technology¹.

Role of creativity and innovation

The conclusions highlights:

• the role of teachers and European early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals in helping children become creative and innovative adults,
• that playing games and using digital tools at an early age is important for development and learning,
• that appropriate use of digital tools can enhance classroom activities and improve motivation, understanding and learning,
• that children need to be taught how to use digital technologies safely and responsibly and how to interpret, use, share, create and critically assess such information.

What can EU countries do?

EU countries are invited, amongst other things, to encourage:

• teaching and training bodies to accommodate new learning tools in their programmes and to adapt teaching methods to promote creativity and innovation,
• education authorities to equip schools and other childhood education facilities so that they can nurture creativity and innovation,
• the development and use of digital tools for teaching purposes and as part of a general approach to learning,
• communication and collaboration between schools and teachers at regional, national, European and international levels.

Action at EU and national level

The European Commission and EU countries are invited to:

• use European resources such as the Erasmus+ programme and the European Structural and Investment Funds to support measures and initiative aimed at promoting creativity, innovation and digital competences,
• identify effective methods and practices for teachers and ECEC professionals to help children develop creative and innovative capacities and digital competence.

And what should the Commission do?

• promote cooperation and mutual learning in the context of the ‘ET2020’ (EU cooperation in education and training) strategic framework and through the Erasmus+ programme,
• continue the work of the ET2020 working groups on transversal skills and on digital and online learning to foster creativity, innovation and digital competence, where appropriate, from an early age.

October 2015 Council conclusions

In October 2015, the Council adopted a further set of conclusions. These relate to reducing early school leaving and promoting success in school.