The creative learning project Creative Partnerships carried out in Lithuania for the second school year announced the beginning of a new Change School programme. The implementation of projects involving a wider school community are started; they are aimed at developing the creativity of children and teachers as well as encouraging the cooperation of schools and creators.
The started Change School program marks a new stage of the Creative Partnerships Lithuania. Up until now, students, teachers and creative practitioners participating in the programme were exploring the learning environment in smaller groups or classes, they dared to set their creativity free and to engage everyone in joint activities. The started Change School programme offers a possibility for schools to consistently review how the learning process is going and to try to establish a school that is fostering creativity on a wider scale.
In 2012 – 2013 school year, the first Change Schools were selected from 40 schools, which submitted their applications and had fulfilled the program of Enquiry School last year. While learning together with creative practitioners – specialists of various areas of science, art and creativity – children and teachers got involved in various creative activities, gained more tolerance and flexibility, learned to listen and speak, many have adopted distinctive traditions that they continue to follow.
The Change School programme is much broader in its scope than the Enquiry School projects carried out up until now. Schools participating in the new program will decide on whether to execute one big creative learning project involving 50 – 100 students and integrating several subjects, or whether to implement 2 – 3 smaller creative learning projects with different classes and aimed at different objectives.
Change Schools programme is different from the Enquiry Schools one not only in its scope, but also in the depth of its aspirations. Schools are encouraged to look even deeper into their daily routine from the creative perspective and to responsibly evaluate their activities in accordance with the Creative School development model.
