Can Creative Learning Spark Ethical Action? | Kate Smith

Dr Lisa Stephenson and Kate Smith pull back the curtain on the ideas and research that underpin their work. They explore how creativity and a shift in perspective can help revive the joy of teaching in a complex world. Talking Points The Revival Mindset: Why we aren’t reinventing the wheel, but re-igniting the human potential and heart already present in our schools. Collective Creativity: Moving away from solo action plans toward a shared, school-wide culture of inquiry and compassionate collaboration. Ethical Action & Agency: Empowering students to find their voice and develop purposeful opinions on global challenges, from social media to climate change. Dispositions over Knowledge: Shifting the focus from what children know to how they act and feel through curiosity, imagination, and empathy. The Creative Learning Award A research-backed award that focuses on building sustainable creative capacity that lasts, regardless of shifting policy or funding landscapes. Find out more here. About Our Guest Kate Smith (Katie) is a former headteacher and the Network Leader for HeadsUp4HTs, supporting thousands of school leaders. She is a coach and co-author of HeadsUp4HTs: Supporting Purposeful Leadership. Resources Story Makers: storymakersco.com HeadsUp4HTs:⁠ headsup4hts.co.uk⁠ OECD Policy Context: ⁠OECD Learning Compass 2030 Research Stephenson, L., 2021. Creative Spaces for Wellbeing. The Emotional Curriculum Podcast Stephenson, L., 2023. Collective creativity and wellbeing dispositions: children's perceptions of learning through drama. Thinking Skills and Creativity, p.101188. Stephenson, L. and Lofthouse, R., 2023. A pedagogy of professional noticing and co-inquiry: Embedding drama for oracy across the primary curriculum. Impact. Chartered College of Teaching 18. pp. 36-39. ISSN 2514-6955 Credits Story Makers Research Centre podcast, Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett University. Post-production by Laura Wilkes, Haven Tsang and Beryl Kwok at Communicating for Impact