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Why the future belongs to creative thinkers—and how the arts shape the way we learn.
For decades, arts education in Hong Kong has struggled to find its place within an exam-driven school system. In Evolving Creative Mindsets, Lynn F. C. Yau argues that the arts are not an extracurricular luxury but a vital force in shaping innovative minds. Drawing on over fourteen years of research and conversations with artists and educators, Yau makes a compelling case for integrating the arts more deeply into education, both as a subject and as a way of thinking.
From fostering critical problem-solving skills to preparing students for an unpredictable world, the arts provide tools for creativity and meaningful learning. This book is an essential resource for policymakers, educators, arts institutions, and those invested in reimagining the role of the arts in education.
For decades, arts education in Hong Kong has struggled to find its place within an exam-driven school system. In Evolving Creative Mindsets, Lynn F. C. Yau argues that the arts are not an extracurricular luxury but a vital force in shaping innovative minds. Drawing on over fourteen years of research and conversations with artists and educators, Yau makes a compelling case for integrating the arts more deeply into education, both as a subject and as a way of thinking.
From fostering critical problem-solving skills to preparing students for an unpredictable world, the arts provide tools for creativity and meaningful learning. This book is an essential resource for policymakers, educators, arts institutions, and those invested in reimagining the role of the arts in education.
300 pages | 83 color plates, 20 tables | 6 x 9 | © 2025
Education: Curriculum and Methodology, Education--General Studies, Philosophy of Education

Table of Contents
Foreword viii
Preface x
Acknowledgements xiii
Introduction 1
Part A: Origin
1. Cracking the Creativity Code: The Future Starts Now 15
2. The Power of Imagination: Redressing Poverty? 36
Part B: Passage
3. In Praise of Gaps: Programming with Voids 47
4. Passivity to Engagement: Sm-ART Youth Case Study 69
5. Reflections as Assessment: Acknowledging Considered Thinking 90
6. Those COVID Days: The Arts and Well-Being 129
Part C: Bearing
7. Creative Mindsets, Creative City: OECD PISA Creative Thinking Test 157
8. Museums and Performing Spaces: Sites of Creative Learning 190
9. Contextualising Human Resource Planning: A Triumvirate Concept 218
10. Myths and Misunderstandings: Musings and Replies 254
Epilogue: First-Class Humans 263
Appendix 269
References 276
Index 282
Preface x
Acknowledgements xiii
Introduction 1
Part A: Origin
1. Cracking the Creativity Code: The Future Starts Now 15
2. The Power of Imagination: Redressing Poverty? 36
Part B: Passage
3. In Praise of Gaps: Programming with Voids 47
4. Passivity to Engagement: Sm-ART Youth Case Study 69
5. Reflections as Assessment: Acknowledging Considered Thinking 90
6. Those COVID Days: The Arts and Well-Being 129
Part C: Bearing
7. Creative Mindsets, Creative City: OECD PISA Creative Thinking Test 157
8. Museums and Performing Spaces: Sites of Creative Learning 190
9. Contextualising Human Resource Planning: A Triumvirate Concept 218
10. Myths and Misunderstandings: Musings and Replies 254
Epilogue: First-Class Humans 263
Appendix 269
References 276
Index 282
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