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Faculty Research Spotlight: Dr. Carolina Cuesta

Education Room 192

Event Type: Lecture

Title: PISA 2022 Creative Thinking: Implications, Opportunities, and Risks 

Abstract: Since 2000, OECD’s PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) has served as a global standard for evaluating education systems by testing the competencies of 15-year-olds across participating countries and economies. The latest edition of PISA introduces an innovative assessment of a critical 21st-century skill: creative thinking. This assessment, the largest of its kind, examined creativity in over 140,000 students from more than 60 countries, offering unprecedented insights into how this essential skill is being developed—or neglected—in educational settings worldwide.

Creativity is increasingly recognized as a vital driver of intellectual, social, cultural, and economic growth. Despite its importance, there is still ambiguity among educators and policymakers regarding how to effectively nurture creative thinking in the classroom. The data from PISA's creative thinking assessment provides an invaluable opportunity to develop targeted strategies, refine educational practices, and enhance professional development for teachers. However, this opportunity also brings risks. The potential for misinterpretation and poor operationalization of this data could lead to conflicting findings, intensifying confusion around the true nature of creativity and how best to cultivate it in educational environments. In this presentation, I want to explore these challenges and propose actionable strategies for discussing and fostering creativity in the classroom.

Location: Education Rm 192

Zoom: Meeting ID: 871 9736 2325 / Password: 652316