The B!G Idea has been praised in an OECD report for its work to promote creative thinking skills in formal education and as part of Ireland’s strategy to reduce the negative impact of student assessment regimes on the practice of creative thinking.
This is a B!G deal!
The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) teamed up with its offshoot PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) to produce the 2023 ‘Supporting Students to Thinking Creatively – What Education Policy Can Do’ report.
The report explores how education systems are integrating creative thinking in formal education in 90 countries, including the type of initiatives being put into place and the main challenges being encountered.
The report is part of a wider effort by the OECD to encourage an international discussion on the importance of creative thinking in education policies and pedagogies around the world.
The report reads:
“Complimentary to the inclusion of creative elements in national examination, Ireland also exemplifies another strategy to reduce the negative impact of student assessment regimes on the practice of creative thinking: the ‘Transition Year’.
This is an optional one-year programme that forms a bridge between the Junior Cycle and the Senior Cycle. It is intended as a year during which students can focus on personal, social and vocational development in the absence of time and examination pressures. Approximately 75% of schools in the country offer the programme (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, 2022).
“As part of their transition year, students can participate in different initiatives, such as ‘The B!G Idea’, which is aimed at putting creative thinking at the centre of Ireland’s secondary education system through experiential learning and mentorship.
“Supported by the Creative Ireland programme and industry partners, the B!G Idea is a 15-week practically-oriented programme developed to empower students to use their creativity to tackle society’s biggest challenges.”
Together with governments, policy makers and citizens, the OECD works on establishing evidence-based international standards and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges.
Meanwhile, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study by the OECD in member and non-member nations intended to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-year-old school pupils’ scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading.
We are looking forward to the worldwide launch of the full results of the PISA 2022 Creative Thinking survey, which will be released in 2024.
If your company would like to partner with this globally recognised creative thinking programme and help us reach more students with these in-demand skills, drop us a line at hello@thebigidea.ie.
