**Creative Pedagogy in School Education**

In Chapter 1, "Utilizing Creative and Critical Thinking to Build Knowledge and Comprehension Through Inquiry-Based and Art-Based Learning: A Practical Tool for Teaching Local History in Pre-Primary and Primary Education", the study of local

history is approached in a contemporary manner that fosters the development of critical thinking skills and the cultivation of creativity through inquiry and art-based learning. By using inquiry-based and art-based learning, young students can learn to analyze data from primary and secondary sources, critically examine structures and phenomena, and communicate their understanding through diverse modes of communication and symbolism. This chapter outlines standards for inquiry and artbased learning environments and provides a tool for improving local history classes. The tool focuses on four dimensions: learning interactions, historical understanding, art-focused learning, and practical solutions.

Chapter 2, "Coding and Creativity: Reflections and Design Proposals", explores creative and critical thinking skills in coding education. It suggests four paradigms to perceive coding and its potential benefits for students. By adopting the emancipatory and interpretative paradigms, students can enhance their creative thinking abilities and cultivate the skills necessary to become active and engaged global citizens. In this analysis, the authors elucidate the design components inherent in these two paradigms while also exploring their interrelation with a media educative perspective. Hence, they undertake an analysis of coding practices via the lens of emancipatory theory, employing critical thinking as a means to mitigate the potential for subjugation within the context of the digital society.

In Chapter 3, "Science Education and Beyond: Citizen Science in Primary School Potentially Affects Conceptual Learning and Socio-emotional Development", the authors present examples of creative learning through Citizen Science (CS). Three assessments show that CS can help students acquire factual knowledge, apply it creatively to new situations, and control impulsive behavior. The application of knowledge to new situations demonstrates flexible thinking, which is a key component of creativity. Additionally, the ability to control impulsive behavior is a sign of meaningful learning, as evidenced by children who successfully executed naturalistic observations. The project utilized fieldwork as a learning method, which is considered a holistic and multisensory approach that exposes children to a diverse range of experiences, making it an overall creative learning framework.

Chapter 4, "Bridging the Digital Divide in Design and Mathematics through an Immersive Maker Program for Underrepresented Students", shows how maker spaces offer a dynamic environment for students to explore concepts and problem-solving skills with digital and physical tools. An interdisciplinary program was created to address the educational success gap among underrepresented and minority students. The program combined design and mathematics education using maker spaces to provide equitable opportunities for underrepresented and marginalized students. Creativity flourished in two ways: through learning and understanding the connections between different fields, and through effective project implementation despite financial obstacles.

Chapter 5, "Full STEAM Ahead with Creativity", discusses how flow emerges in STEAM activities. Flow is a state of complete immersion and intense concentration that increases productivity. The Horizon 2020 project CREATIONS promoted the combination of arts with science education to create engaging STEAM activities. The study showed the significance of self-efficacy in facilitating the flow experience within the setting of classroom activities and across multiple age groups.

**V**

**Creative Pedagogy in Higher Education**

change.

forgotten.

Chapter 6, "Collaborative Creativity in International Social Pedagogy Educational Settings", reports the results of a three-year educational project among five universities that aimed to improve teaching methods for bachelor of social work programs. The project focused on enhancing collaborative creativity among students, instructors, managers, and professionals. The study found that collaborative creativity is influenced by structural and intuitive factors and requires integrative, functionalist instrumental, and adaptive forms of creativity development. The authors suggest that creativity concepts can serve as a theoretical framework to analyze a process of

In Chapter 7, "The Future of Education: Strengthening the Relevance of Lifelong Learning", the authors examine educational strategies aimed at enhancing the applicability of knowledge and skills in lifelong learning educational programs offered by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) . The main contention posits the necessity of establishing a dynamic and mutually influential connection between the work environment and educational content and practices to bridge the divide between the curriculum and the work context, thereby enhancing the likelihood of applying educational content driven by innovation in the workplace. Relevance is a crucial feature, and the authors propose a conceptual model that offers additional insights into the

Reading through this volume will give readers a clearer picture of why creativity is important and in what ways it can be realized in teaching and learning processes. We would like to express our gratitude to all the authors for their valuable contributions

In loving memory of George Ampartzakis, who left us too soon, but will never be

**Maria Ampartzaki**

 University of Crete, Rethymno, Greece

**Michail Kalogiannakis**

University of Thessaly,

Volos, Greece

Department of Preschool Education,

Department of Special Education,

interconnectedness between educational and job-related aspects.

and the collaboration they provided during the review process.
