1. Moral Education: The Creative
Educator
Vishalache Balakrishnan, PhD
Faculty of Education
University of Malaya
visha@um.edu.my
diploma moral
2. Introduction
• Creativity is defined as the act of turning new and
imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity involves two
processes: thinking, then producing. Innovation is the
production or implementation of an idea. If you have ideas,
but don't act on them, you are imaginative but not creative
(Naiman, 2010).
• Creativity is the process of bringing something new into
being...creativity requires passion and commitment. It
brings to our awareness what was previously hidden and
points to new life. The experience is one of heightened
consciousness-ecstasy (May, 2010)
diploma moral
3. Why creativity in Moral Educators?
• Pink (2005) argues that left-brain linear, analytical
computer-like thinking are being replaced by right-
brain empathy, inventiveness, and understanding as
skills most needed in daily business-like occupations.
• Pink says "Logical and precise, left-brain thinking gave
us the Information Age. Now comes the Conceptual
Age - ruled by artistry, empathy, and emotion."
What does this mean for future jobs including ME
educators?
diploma moral
4. Creativity is the Most Crucial Factor for
World Class Moral Educators
• According to the IBM 2010 Global CEO Study, which surveyed
1,500 Chief Executive Officers from 60 countries and 33
industries worldwide, CEOs believe that, "more than rigor,
management discipline, integrity or even vision - successfully
navigating an increasing complex world will require creativity."
• CEOs say creativity helps them capitalise on complexity "The
effects of rising complexity calls for CEOs and their teams to
lead with bold creativity, connect with customers in
imaginative ways and design their operations for speed and
flexibility to position their organisations for twenty-first
century success.“
• What is the implication for ME educators?
diploma moral
5. Characteristics of a creative Moral
Educator
• Facing a world becoming dramatically more complex,
creativity is one of the most important leadership
attribute that a ME educator needs to acquire. Creative
ME educators invite disruptive innovation, encourage
others to drop outdated approaches and take balanced
risks. They are open-minded and inventive in
expanding their management and communication
styles, particularly to engage with a new generation of
students, colleagues, administrators and society.
• High-performing ME educators practice and encourage
experimentation and innovation throughout their
teaching.
diploma moral
6. • Creative ME educators expect to make deeper teaching
and learning model changes to realise their strategies. To
succeed, they take more challenging methods, find new
ideas and keep innovating in how they teach and
communicate with their students.
• The most successful ME educators co-create and are
able to link their teachings with students real-life
experiences and bring about the change that is
necessary for students to transform into global citizens
and locally wisdom moral individuals.
• They are adopting new channels to engage and stay in
tune with world class changes. By drawing more insight
from the available data (past, present and future
experiences, curriculum) successful ME educators make
students’ achievement (moral thinking, moral feeling and
moral action) their number one priority.
diploma moral
7. Conclusion
• If we are going to find solutions in a world that is
becoming increasingly interconnected and complex,
we cannot rely on traditional ways of teaching and
learning.
• However, never forgetting the phrase “Old is Gold”,
ME educators should use their creativity to apply
traditional ways to merge into technology and create
a more suitable way to educate students morally.
diploma moral
8. Creativity is fostered in organisational cultures
that value independent thinking, risk taking,
and learning. They are tolerant of failure and
they value diversity. Open communication, a
high degree of trust and respect between
individuals are crucial (Naiman, 2010).
diploma moral
