Some call it innovation. Others link it to entrepreneurship, design thinking, problem-solving, or being a “change-maker.” I’ve heard terms like “thinking outside the box” and “divergent thinking” tossed around too. And while these all circle around something important, I can’t help but feel we’re sometimes missing the bigger picture.
What I’ve come to realise is this: creativity isn’t just one thing. It’s not a single skill or even a personality trait. It’s a form of intelligence—a way of being in the world—that can be nurtured, strengthened, and applied across every discipline of learning. Whether you're in a science lab, an art studio, a maths class, or a leadership team meeting, creative intelligence matters.
But here’s the catch: we don’t often teach for it explicitly.
In my research, I’ve identified 14 dispositions that help build creative intelligence. These are not tied to a particular subject or type of learner. Instead, they’re ways of thinking, behaving, and engaging with possibility that are transferrable across all learning environments. Furthermore, teachers can identify and assess each of these dispositions through what a learners say, write, make or do.
So maybe it’s time we stop thinking of creativity as a mysterious talent some people are “just born with,” and start seeing it as something we can intentionally grow in ourselves and in our students.
In upcoming newsletters, I’ll be unpacking some of these 14 dispositions—sharing how they work, what they look like in action, and how they can be cultivated across different domains of learning.
But for now, I’ll leave you with a question:
How do you define creativity—and how are you helping others build it?
