Creativity Is a Natural Part of Scientific Thinking
World Creativity and Innovation Day, observed on April 21, highlights that creativity is not an add-on to science, but its fundamental principle and an integral part of scientific thinking. The ability to ask questions, seek new connections, and verify them through experiments lies at the heart of every scientific discovery and innovation that moves society forward.
“At the Slovak Academy of Sciences, we translate this idea into concrete action through the Creative Science project, which is part of the System Education programme. It focuses on developing critical and scientific thinking in primary school and eight-year grammar school students through experiential and experimental learning,” explains Miroslav Ferko from the Institute for Heart Research, Centre of Experimental Medicine, SAS and a member of the Creative Science project team. The project is based on the principle that students should not merely absorb knowledge, but actively discover it – by exploring phenomena, formulating hypotheses, testing them, and linking knowledge across different areas of natural sciences.
Creative science introduces a comprehensive system into schools, encompassing teaching methodologies and experimental activities, and integrating physics, chemistry, biology, and technology into meaningful frameworks. The emphasis is on understanding phenomena, identifying connections, and developing problem-solving skills rather than memorising isolated facts. This approach nurtures students’ natural curiosity and fosters creative thinking, which is essential for their further education and future roles in a knowledge-based society.
This creative approach is supported by collaboration among several SAS institutes, which bring their scientific expertise directly into education: the Institute for Heart Research, Centre of Experimental Medicine SAS; the Polymers Institute SAS; the Institute of Chemistry SAS; and the Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics SAS. “Together, we are building a bridge between cutting-edge research and modern education,” adds Ferko.
World Creativity and Innovation Day reminds us that the future will depend not only on what we know but above all on how we think, discover, and create new solutions. The Slovak Academy of Sciences, therefore, actively contributes to making creative and scientific thinking a natural part of education from an early age.
Prepared by: Miroslav Ferko, Institute for Heart Research, CEM SAS
Photo: canva.com