The complexities of creativity within Initial Teacher Education

This research explores beginning teachers' perceptions of creative practice and investigates the complexities of developing creative processes within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and the primary classroom (pupils aged 5-11 years of age). The term 'beginning teachers' refers to trainees within the first few months of their teacher training programme. This research was conducted among 165 primary PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate of Education) trainees. This article draws on the creative experiences of beginning teachers prior to joining ITE and classroom observation data. These examples, along with models of creative pedagogies provide an overall picture of the current context and issues of creative practice within primary education. Throughout the article, consideration is given to how Initial Teacher Educators can seek to modify their own practices to support trainees better within the potentially problematic interrelationship of creativity and curriculum. The article concludes with a series of recommendations for ITE. It particularly emphasises the need for teacher educators to address the ways in which they prepare trainees to take risks with innovative approaches and the degree to which school-based mentors are either open to or 'gate keeping' creative practice from beginning teachers.