learning competencies in creative writing

Search Utah State University:

Learning objectives: creative writing.

For the Creative Writing Emphasis in the BA/BS degrees, the three key Learning Objectives are:

• Tone  of writing invites reader into the work
• Anticipates and  addresses potential resistances  on the part of the reader
• Presents a  matter that the reader will care about  or makes a good case why the reader should care about the topic
• Provides  appropriate credit or citing  of others’ ideas
• Shows  knowledge of the appropriate body of literature  associated with the genre and subject of the writing
• Develops and  original  artistic vision, thesis, or research contribution
• Free of problems  at the sentence level (syntax, usage, grammar)
• Uses  clear and descriptive  language
• Flows  well from paragraph to paragraph

• No category

CREATIVE-WRITING-1STQ-LEARNERS-PACKET-LAS

Related documents.

Study collections

Add this document to collection(s).

You can add this document to your study collection(s)

Add this document to saved

You can add this document to your saved list

Suggest us how to improve StudyLib

(For complaints, use another form )

Input it if you want to receive answer

10 Essential Lessons You’ll Learn in a Creative Writing Workshop

by Melissa Donovan | Jul 11, 2023 | Creative Writing | 9 comments

What can you learn in a creative writing workshop?

When I look back over all my years of formal education, from preschool through college, only a few classes stand out as truly educational in a life-changing way.

In sixth grade, we did a section on space, which fascinated me. I retained a lot of what I learned. Later, I took astronomy and learned even more about the universe. A class on women writers exposed me to a whole world of literature I didn’t know existed. And two writing workshops (poetry and creative writing) put me on the path to becoming a professional writer.

The main difference between a regular class and a workshop is that a workshop is interactive. You work together with your fellow students, critiquing each other’s work, asking questions, and exchanging insights. Whatever you can learn from a single instructor is multiplied by all the knowledge and wisdom you gain by sharing ideas with a roomful of your peers.

What You Can Learn from a Creative Writing Workshop

I only took one creative writing workshop, and I’m sure they are not all equal. At an accredited school, you can usually sit in on the first couple of sessions to see if a class or workshop is right for you before you commit. If you find a good workshop, you’ll reap the benefits:

1. Discover yourself and your path. One day, while sitting in creative writing workshop, I was overcome by the strangest sensation. The best way I can describe it is that I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. It was the moment I knew without a doubt that I would be a writer.

2. Find out what your writing strengths are. The best part about receiving critiques from your peers is that they tell you what you’re doing right, which is reassuring. When you know that your writing skills have a solid foundation, it’s easier to accept that you still have work to do.

3. Accept the weaknesses in your writing. No matter how good your writing is now, there are things you can do to improve it. When ten of your classmates agree that certain elements in your prose need touching up or that you need to hit the grammar books, all you can do is accept it and dig your heels in.

4. Learn to handle critiques of your work. The first few critiques might be a bit rough, but once you see how all the suggestions make your writing better, you’ll start looking forward to them. You’ll learn how to separate yourself from your work, and you’ll be able to not only handle but actually embrace (and look forward to) critiques. This will also prepare you for real-world critics and their reviews.

5. Help others improve their work. When other writers put your suggestions into action or express appreciation for your recommendations and then tell you that your feedback helped them improve their writing, it feels good, especially when the arrangement is reciprocal.

6. Meet people who share your passion. There’s nothing like sitting in a room surrounded by people who are just as excited about writing as you are. It’s not only inspiring, it’s comforting. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to meet like-minded people, some of whom may become lifelong friends, writing partners, or your future writing group.

7. Improve your writing. This, of course, is the main reason most people take a creative writing workshop. The ultimate goal is to become a better writer , and a workshop will definitely do the trick. You’ll also put a lot more effort into everything you write because you know it will be scrutinized, and this builds excellent writing habits .

8. Adopt new writing techniques. Between the instructor and your peers, you’ll discover all kinds of interesting new writing tools and techniques, often simply through the course of discussion as well as through observing everyone’s work.

9. Get access to a mentor. The person running the workshop should be knowledgeable and experienced in the world of writing. Maybe the instructor is a published author, or maybe it’s someone who’s worked as an agent, editor, or publisher. This access to a mentor is priceless. Take advantage of it!

10. Gain experience and get a lot of creative writing practice. This is one of the most valuable benefits of a creative writing workshop. When writers work on their own, they tend to procrastinate, get distracted, and generally don’t finish most of the projects they start. But in a workshop, you’re forced to get it done. This gives you lots of great experience and practice, and it also builds good writing habits.

Thinking About Taking a Creative Writing Workshop?

I definitely recommend taking a creative writing workshop if you can find a good one that suits your schedule, budget, and writing needs. If you’ve already taken a creative writing workshop or class, share your experiences by leaving a comment. Did you learn or gain anything? Would you do it again?

You have spoken along these lines before, Melissa, and this entry is, as all your posts, fascinating and carries a great deal of sense. However, and I know I am repeating myself, I am quite unable to allow others to trample over my work, however poor it is and however noble their (expressed) motives.

I cannot help but think of the vast number of ‘real’ writers, men and women who would not have entertained the thought that writing could be learned, like arithmetic, in a classroom.

I am a poor writer and have come to accept the fact I shall always be a poor writer; it is my belief that some things – like arithmetic – can be ‘brought to heel’ by sheer hatd work, while others, like music, painting and writing, will remain ever beyond the reach of some.

Further, I have seen very promising young tennis players taken up by organisations such as the LTA and coached, every shred of flair and originality brutally ‘ironed out’ of them, and my fear is that, for many of us, attending a writer’s workshop would be a similarly dulling experience.

I also realise, however, that there are those of a temperament to survive – and evn thrive in such conditions. Sadly, I am not one of them.

Again, my thanks for a fascinating and informative blog and may it go on to even greater success, but I think you should make it clear that not everyone who has pretensions of being a writer will see their dream come true.

I believe anyone can become a writer. It starts with believing in yourself. I would add that successful authors demonstrate a range of writing skills. Even a “poor writer” (which you are not) can eke out a career in writing. I’ve seen it done. The only way to be sure you will never succeed is to never try.

Writing can be intended for a wide audience but it’s reason for being is that the writer cannot bear not to write. Whether you are a Eudora Welty, basking in prayers se or an Ethel Jackson whose writing fills notebooks only she has seen, your work has much value

Our local university has leisure learning classes that are workshops. We not only get feedback on our work, but we also learn how to workshop a piece, looking parts of the writing process with a discerning eye. The instructors keep the focus on the work, not the author. It’s so helpful for all the reasons you mentioned, but also to learn how to look constructively at my own work before anyone else ever reads it. Being inspired by fellow writers talking about writing is my favorite part. I’m sorry that opsimath feels that way. Whose to say what’s poor writing or good writing? Of course, some is obvious, and the above comment isn’t bad writing. I found it to be well-crafted and conveyed what the author intended. Not everybody is Stephen King or F.Scott Fitzgerald, and there are some who would argue even they aren’t good writers. I had the fear that I would lose myself in critique, but even in that it’s a good exercise. One of my best lessons is that no matter what others said, it’s still my writing. I can choose to take their advice or not. Workshops are only helpful when the focus is on the work, though. It’s a criitique, not a criticism. I’ve been in bad ones and they can hurt more than help. I got out of them quick.

Yes! Everything you said is spot-on. Your experiences in workshop give all of us reason to feel optimistic about finding good writing workshops and the benefits that we’ll gain from them. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I hope it inspires others to take the plunge and try workshopping for themselves.

You have talked thusly some time recently, Melissa, and this section is, as every one of your posts, interesting and conveys a lot of sense. On the other hand, and I know I am rehashing myself, I am very not able to permit others to trample over my work, however poor it is and however honorable their (communicated) thought processes.

I really want to think about the incomprehensible number of “genuine” essayists, men and ladies who might not have entertained the prospect that written work could be learned, similar to math, in a classroom.

I am a poor essayist and now acknowledge the actuality I should dependably be a poor author; it is my conviction that a few things – like math – can be ‘conveyed to heel’ by sheer hatd work, while others, similar to music, painting and composing, will remain ever past the compass of some.

Further, I have seen extremely encouraging youthful tennis players taken up by associations, for example, the LTA and instructed, each shred of energy and innovation mercilessly ‘resolved’ of them, and my trepidation is that, for a significant number of us, going to an author’s workshop would be an also dulling knowle

Hi Shamit. Receiving feedback and critiques is not the same as people trampling all over your work. A good critique is designed to make your writing better. If you want to be a better writer, you can certainly work toward that. It’s your choice. There are people who have a natural talent for writing. However, great writing requires a lot of different skills (grammar, storytelling, word-craft, etc.). Even the most talented writers will find some area of the craft where they need to learn skills they don’t possess. The idea that writing can’t be learned is simply not true, as evidenced by thousands upon thousands of people who worked hard to learn the craft and then became successful. The myth that talent is a requirement is an unfortunate one.

A writer is someone who writes. However, the object of writing is not necessarily to get published or make a living by writing. Read, for example, the notebooks of Thomas Edison. One of the best writers I knew was my grandmother, who maintained weekly correspondence with seven high school girlfriends for over 50 years.

That’s true, Ann. People write for many reasons and not only for professional purposes.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

• 10 Essential Lessons You'll Learn in a Creative Writing Workshop | Creative Writing | Writing Forward « Project Chiron - [...] via 10 Essential Lessons You'll Learn in a Creative Writing Workshop | Creative Writing | Writing Forw.... [...]
• No Wasted Ink Writer’s Links | No Wasted Ink - […] 10 Essential Lessons You’ll Learn in a Creative Writing Workshop […]

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Subscribe and get The Writer’s Creed graphic e-booklet, plus a weekly digest with the latest articles on writing, as well as special offers and exclusive content.

Recent Posts

• 10 Reasons Storytellers Should Dabble in Poetry
• When Poets Don’t Read Poetry
• Writing When You’re Not in the Mood
• How to Write Faster
• Writing Tips For Staying on Your Game

Write on, shine on!

Pin It on Pinterest

It's Lit Teaching

High School English and TPT Seller Resources

• Creative Writing
• Teachers Pay Teachers Tips
• Shop My Teaching Resources!
• Sell on TPT

Creative Writing Skills: 6 Lessons You Need To Teach Today

So, you’re going to teach Creative Writing. Congratulations! Now comes the hard part–what exactly does that mean? What should you be teaching? What skills should your students be learning? In this post, I’m going to share some essential Creative Writing skills you should be teaching in your high school Creative Writing class. 

If you’re looking for more tips to teach Creative Writing, check out this post . And if you need help planning the Creative Writing semester, this post should help . 

(Looking to skip the planning entirely? Grab all of my Creative Writing skills lessons right here! )

Creative Writing Skills #1: Show. Don’t Tell.

The advice to “show, don’t tell” is some of the oldest and most consistent advice given to young writers. And it’s for a good reason–they really struggle with it!

About half of my students come into Creative Writing with these big elaborate stories they want to tell. But when they actually get into writing, their stories feel more like a list of events that happened. 

I’ve seen months of plot happen in just a paragraph of my students’ writing. Students need to learn to slow down and create an experience for their readers. It’s how a story unfolds, after all, that makes it worthwhile–not the events themselves. 

Tips for Teaching “Show. Don’t Tell”

Like all creative writing skills, you’ll want to show your students some really good mentor texts first . Find some excerpts from books with really juicy descriptions. Share these with your students. 

After they have some examples, give students time to try “telling” an event, description, or emotion instead of “showing” it. 

I do this by giving each student a “telling sentence” and asking them to turn it into a “showing” paragraph. A student might get a sentence that says something like, “Billy felt angry.” Then, they’ll have to write a whole paragraph that implies Billy is angry without actually saying it bluntly. 

If you want to save yourself some time (and the mental anguish of brainstorming a bunch of bland sentences), you can get my “Show. Don’t Tell” Mini-Lesson right here. It includes a slideshow, student worksheets, and those telling sentences.  

Engage your students in more creative writing!

Sign up and get five FREE Creative Writing journal prompts to use with your students! 

Opt in to receive news and updates.

Keep an eye on your inbox for your FREE journal prompts!

Creative Writing Skills #2: Precise and Concise Language Choice

Now that your students are learning to slow down and offer descriptions in their writing, it’s time to help them focus on their word choice. 

Diction is immensely important to a writer–especially when storytelling gets more advanced. A lot of our students want to write down the first words that come to their minds and then “be done.” 

But we know great writing doesn’t happen like that. We have to teach our students to find the best word, not the first word–without abusing a thesaurus. 

Tips for Teaching Better Word Choice

First, you’ll want to show your students some examples of really great concise and precise word choice. You’ll also want to show some not-so-great examples. The comparison should be eye-opening for your students. 

Now, the best way to become more precise in your diction is to improve your vocabulary. We probably can’t make great strides in improving our students’ vocabulary in just a quarter or semester of Creative Writing. 

But we can show them how to improve some of the most commonly used vague language . One great example of this is the word “got.” 

It’s pretty rare that “got” is the best verb for a situation, but we–and our students–use it all the time. If we can teach students that “got” is a red flag for vague language, that’s a huge step!

We can also teach our students to avoid filler words. 

If you need help putting this all together in a lesson, I have a no-prep Precise and Concise Langauge Mini-Lesson right here for you . Included is a slideshow, students worksheets, and a reference handout for students they can use every day. 

Creative Writing Skills #3: Dialogue

Your students are starting to put words on a page and–hey–they’re not bad!

But at some point, your students are going to have their characters talk to each other. And this can be when stories get really, really bad. 

Early on in your Creative Writing class, encourage your students to start listening to the way others speak. Where do they pause? What slang do they use? When do they use complete sentences and when don’t they? You can even ask students to jot down conversations they overhear.

A great writer has an ear for dialogue, and this skill begins when students become aware of speech around them. Encouraging them to eavesdrop will help them write realistic dialogue later.  Just remind them to be respectful. Eavesdropping in the cafeteria is one thing. Listening outside someone’s bedroom door is another.

Our students not only struggle with mimicking real, authentic speech, but they also struggle with punctuating it. Depending on the skill level of your students, you may have to pick your battles here. Cheesy speech might be worth ignoring if there’s no quotation mark in sight. 

Tips for Teaching Dialogue Writing

First, and foremost, I like to cover punctuating dialogue first. For one reason, it’s because punctuating dialogue is either right or wrong. It’s easier to learn something that is objective. 

For another reason, I, personally, can’t stand reading poorly punctuated dialogue. My English teacher’s eyes just can’t see past it. 

Only once the quotation marks, commas, and periods are at least close to the right spot do I focus on trying to improve the content of students’ dialogue. 

Students’ dialogue writing is only going to get better through practice and observing real-life speech. However, you can give them some tips for writing dialogue better. 

For example, remind your students not to have characters talk too much . I’ve seen stories with pages and pages of dialogue. Each character’s every little “hi,” “‘sup?” and “‘nothin’ much” gets recorded. Let your students know they can skip anything that doesn’t add value to the story. 

If you need help planning this lesson, I have a done-for-you Dialogue Mini-lesson right here. It includes a slideshow lesson, worksheets for focusing on both punctuation and craft, and a writing exercise. Get it here. 

Creative Writing Skills #4: Mood

If you can only teach your students the above Creative Writing skills, you will no doubt improve their writing tremendously. But if you want to take your students’ writing up a notch, encourage them to think about the mood in their poetry and stories.  

Students will no doubt have heard this literary term from their regular English classes, but it’s always worth reviewing first. Plus, they’ve probably read for mood, but creating it is a totally different game. 

Tips for Teaching Mood

There are so many ways you can teach your students to create mood. It’s a pretty fun topic!

You might want to begin with some brainstorming. Like, what kind of mood might a horror story have? A comedy? You want students to understand why, as a writer, mastering mood is important to them. 

Then, like always, you’ll want to share some solid mentor texts. I love horror stories for showcasing well-written mood, but love poems are also good for this. 

Whenever possible in Creative Writing, I like to mix up the media, so I have students first analyze the mood of various classic paintings. As an English teacher, it tickles me to show students that these literary terms apply to art of all kind. Film clips would work really well, too. 

Then, challenge students to write a scene and evoke a specific mood. You could randomly assign the mood or let students pick. 

In my Mood Mini-Lesson , I have students analyze the mood in painting first. Then, I have them choose a card. Each card has a different mood written on it. Then, students must describe a setting that evokes that mood. You can get this mood lesson for yourself here.  

Creative Writing Skills #5: Tone

Well, if you’re going to teach mood, then tone is the likely next skill, right?

Teaching tone and mood is important because their differences are subtle, but important. Until students study tone, they might mistake it for mood and mix the two together. 

I never expect my students to master tone. It’s difficult and something that even professional writers polish over the course of many drafts. But it doesn’t hurt to get students thinking about the impact of their word choice. 

Don’t forget to remind students of the importance of choosing those precise and concise words. With tone, it’s truly what makes a difference. 

Tips for Teaching Tone

After defining tone and showing great examples of it to your students, give them some space to practice identifying it.  

I like to cover informal and formal tones–not just emotional tones. Identifying whether a piece of writing is formal or informal is a great first step for students. It’s a little easier but an important skill and might give your students a bit of confidence in their tone-identifying skills. 

Once they know what tone looks like, they can try to create it themselves.  

The activity I do involves having students write a short scene.

I randomly give my students a tone to use. I also randomly give them a situation. So, a student may have to describe “eating lunch in the cafeteria” with a “romantic” tone. The results can be pretty entertaining!

If that sounds like a lesson you’d like, you can get my Tone Mini-Lesson right here . Includes are a slideshow, students worksheets, and the slips for tones and situations.

And, if you’re teaching mood and tone, I have a FREE Mood and Tone Handout right here!

Creative Writing Skills #6: Voice

I put voice last in this blog post, but it could just as easily have been first. Voice is difficult to define for students, but it’s something they should be working on crafting throughout your whole Creative Writing class. 

Even if your students never quite master their literary voice (who does?), it’s a good skill to discuss with them. If students understand the concept of literary voice, it will make them better writers and more analytical readers. 

Tips for Teaching Literary Voice

You’ll first have to define voice for your students. This can be challenging. It might be easier to focus on a few aspects of voice–like diction or syntax–in order to explain the concept. 

Discuss with students their favorite authors. What does their “voice” sound like? What about the authors you’ve read and studied together?

Give students examples of strong voice to examine (the stronger the better). Have them discuss the techniques and style of each mentor text. 

To drive this home, I do a fun activity with my students. I take three very different poems by authors with very different voices. Then, I cut them up, line by line, and mix the three poems together. My students are then tasked with putting the poems back together!

To do this successfully, they’ll have to look for styles that match. Rhyming may be part of one author’s voice, but not another. One author may create a dark mood while another uses humor consistently. It’s a great way to drive home how voice can be an author’s calling card. 

This activity and some additional practice are included in my Voice Mini-lesson . Also included is a slideshow to introduce the concept. You can save yourself some time and get the lesson here. 

These are some skills that I think are essential for any Creative Writing class. There’s no one right way to teach any of these skills, and teaching from multiple angles is best. 

Whenever possible, I like to make my Creative Writing lessons hands-on. Even the most die-hard students get sick of writing every minute of every class. 

If you, too, would like some hands-on lessons and short activities that cover these essential skills, check out my Creative Writing Workshops Bundle . Each lesson includes everything you need to teach, model, and help your students master these skills one at a time. 

Earning A Master’s In Creative Writing: What To Know

Updated: Nov 1, 2023, 1:51pm

Do you want to create written work that ignites a reader’s imagination and even changes their worldview? With a master’s in creative writing, you can develop strong storytelling and character development skills, equipping you to achieve your writing goals.

If you’re ready to strengthen your writing chops and you enjoy writing original works to inspire others, tell interesting stories and share valuable information, earning a master’s in creative writing may be the next step on your career journey.

The skills learned in a creative writing master’s program qualify you to write your own literary works, teach others creative writing principles or pursue various other careers.

This article explores master’s degrees in creative writing, including common courses and concentrations, admission requirements and careers that use creative writing skills. Read on to learn more about earning a master’s degree in creative writing.

Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Education

Forbes Advisor’s education editors are committed to producing unbiased rankings and informative articles covering online colleges, tech bootcamps and career paths. Our ranking methodologies use data from the National Center for Education Statistics , education providers, and reputable educational and professional organizations. An advisory board of educators and other subject matter experts reviews and verifies our content to bring you trustworthy, up-to-date information. Advertisers do not influence our rankings or editorial content.

• Over 3,868 accredited, nonprofit colleges and universities analyzed nationwide
• 52 reputable tech bootcamp providers evaluated for our rankings
• All content is fact-checked and updated on an annual basis
• Rankings undergo five rounds of fact-checking
• Only 7.12% of all colleges, universities and bootcamp providers we consider are awarded

What Is a Master’s in Creative Writing?

A master’s in creative writing is an advanced degree that helps you develop the skills to write your own novel, poetry, screenplay or nonfiction book. This degree can also prepare you for a career in business, publishing, education, marketing or communications.

In a creative writing master’s degree program, you can expect to analyze literature, explore historical contexts of literary works, master techniques for revising and editing, engage in class workshops and peer critiques, and write your own original work.

Creative writing master’s programs usually require a thesis project, which should be well-written, polished and ready to publish. Typical examples of thesis projects include poetry collections, memoirs, essay collections, short story collections and novels.

A master’s in creative writing typically requires about 36 credits and takes two years to complete. Credit requirements and timelines vary by program, so you may be able to finish your degree quicker.

Specializations for a Master’s in Creative Writing

Below are a few common concentrations for creative writing master’s programs. These vary by school, so your program’s offerings may look different.

This concentration helps you develop fiction writing skills, such as plot development, character creation and world-building. A fiction concentration is a good option if you plan to write short stories, novels or other types of fiction.

A nonfiction concentration focuses on the mechanics of writing nonfiction narratives. If you plan to write memoirs, travel pieces, magazine articles, technical documents or nonfiction books, this concentration may suit you.

Explore the imagery, tone, rhythm and structure of poetry with a poetry concentration. With this concentration, you can expect to develop your poetry writing skills and learn to curate poetry for journals and magazines.

Screenwriting

Screenwriting is an excellent concentration to explore if you enjoy creating characters and telling stories to make them come alive for television or film. This specialization covers how to write shorts, episodic serials, documentaries and feature-length film scripts.

Admission Requirements for a Master’s in Creative Writing

Below are some typical admission requirements for master’s in creative writing degree programs. These requirements vary, so check with your program to ensure you’ve met the appropriate requirements.

• Application for admission
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Transcripts from previous education
• Writing samples
• Letters of recommendation
• Personal statement or essay

Common Courses in a Master’s in Creative Writing

Story and concept.

This course focuses on conceptualizing, planning and developing stories on a structural level. Learners study how to generate ideas, develop interesting plots, create outlines, draft plot arcs, engage in world-building and create well-rounded characters who move their stories forward.

Graduate Studies in English Literature

Understanding literature is essential to building a career in creative writing. This course prepares you to teach, study literature or write professionally. Expect to discuss topics such as phonology, semantics, dialects, syntax and the history of the English language.

Workshop in Creative Nonfiction

You’ll study classic and contemporary creative nonfiction in this course. Workshops in creative nonfiction explore how different genres have emerged throughout history and how previous works influence new works. In some programs, this course focuses on a specific theme.

Foundations in Fiction

In this course, you’ll explore how the novel has developed throughout literary history and how the short story emerged as an art form. Coursework includes reading classic and contemporary works, writing response essays and crafting critical analyses.

MA in Creative Writing vs. MFA in Creative Writing: What’s the Difference?

While the degrees are similar, a master of arts in creative writing is different from a master of fine arts in creative writing. An MA in creative writing teaches creative writing competencies, building analytical skills through studying literature, literary theory and related topics. This lets you explore storytelling along with a more profound knowledge of literature and literary theory.

If you want your education to take a more academic perspective so you can build a career in one of many fields related to writing, an MA in creative writing may be right for you.

An MFA prepares you to work as a professional writer or novelist. MFA students graduate with a completed manuscript that is ready for publishing. Coursework highlights subjects related to the business of writing, such as digital publishing, the importance of building a platform on social media , marketing, freelancing and teaching. An MA in creative writing also takes less time and requires fewer credits than an MFA.

If you want to understand the business of writing and work as a professional author or novelist, earning an MFA in creative writing might be your best option.

What Can You Do With a Master’s in Creative Writing?

Below are several careers you can pursue with a master’s in creative writing. We sourced salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Postsecondary Creative Writing Teacher

Median Annual Salary: $74,280 Minimum Required Education: Ph.D. or another doctoral degree; master’s degree may be accepted at some schools and community colleges Job Overview: Postsecondary teachers, also known as professors or faculty, teach students at the college level. They plan lessons, advise students, serve on committees, conduct research, publish original research, supervise graduate teaching assistants, apply for grants for their research and teach subjects in their areas of expertise.

Median Annual Salary: $73,080 Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in English or a related field Job Overview: Editors plan, revise and edit written materials for publication. They work for newspapers, magazines, book publishers, advertising agencies, media networks, and motion picture and video production companies. Editors work closely with writers to ensure their written work is accurate, grammatically correct and written in the appropriate style for the medium.

Median Annual Salary: $55,960 Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism or a related field Job Overview: Journalists research and write stories about local, regional, national and global current events and other newsworthy subjects. Journalists need strong interviewing, editing, analytical and writing skills. Some journalists specialize in a subject, such as sports or politics, and some are generalists. They work for news organizations, magazines and online publications, and some work as freelancers.

Writer or Author

Median Annual Salary: $73,150 Minimum Required Education: None; bachelor’s degree in creative writing or a related field sometimes preferred Job Overview: Writers and authors write fiction or nonfiction content for magazines, plays, blogs, books, television scripts and other forms of media. Novelists, biographers, copywriters, screenwriters and playwrights all fall into this job classification. Writers may work for advertising agencies, news platforms, book publishers and other organizations; some work as freelancers.

Technical Writer

Median Annual Salary: $79,960 Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree Job Overview: Technical writers craft technical documents, such as training manuals and how-to guides. They are adept at simplifying technical information so lay people can easily understand it. Technical writers may work with technical staff, graphic designers, computer support specialists and software developers to create user-friendly finished pieces.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About a Master's in Creative Writing

Is a master’s in creative writing useful.

If your goal is to launch a career as a writer, then yes, a master’s in creative writing is useful. An MA in creative writing is a versatile degree that prepares you for various jobs requiring excellent writing skills.

Is an MFA better than an MA for creative writing?

One is not better than the other; you should choose the one that best equips you for the career you want. An MFA prepares you to build a career as a professional writer or novelist. An MA prepares you for various jobs demanding high-level writing skills.

What kind of jobs can you get with a creative writing degree?

A creative writing degree prepares you for many types of writing jobs. It helps you build your skills and gain expertise to work as an editor, writer, author, technical writer or journalist. This degree is also essential if you plan to teach writing classes at the college level.

• How To Become A Journalist
• How To Become A News Anchor
• What Can You Do With A History Degree?
• What Can You Do With A Journalism Degree?
• Writing Careers: 6 Jobs To Check Out
• Where Can You Complete An Online Art Therapy Master's Program In 2024?
• Where Can You Earn An Online Art History Master's Degree?
• Best Online Creative Writing Degree Programs
• Best Online English Degrees
• Best Master's In English Online Programs
• Best Journalism Schools Online
• Best Master's In Math Education Online
• Best Online Master’s In History Degree
• Best Online Master’s In Interior Design
• Best Online Master’s In Journalism Programs
• Fashion Merchandising Degrees
• Earning A Creative Writing Degree
• Earning An English Bachelor’s Degree
• Earning A Bachelor’s Degree In History
• Bachelor’s Degrees In Journalism
• Earning A Bachelor’s Degree In Music
• 9 Types Of Music Degrees, Plus Concentration Options

Where Can You Complete An Online Art Therapy Master’s Program In 2024?

Where To Earn An Online Photography Degree In 2024

Best Master’s In Math Education Online Of 2024

Best Online Master’s In Music Education Of 2024

Best Online Master’s In History Degrees Of 2024

Best Online Master’s In Journalism Programs Of 2024

Sheryl Grey is a freelance writer who specializes in creating content related to education, aging and senior living, and real estate. She is also a copywriter who helps businesses grow through expert website copywriting, branding and content creation. Sheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Indiana University South Bend, and she received her teacher certification training through Bethel University’s Transition to Teaching program.

A Framework of Key Competences and New Literacies

• First Online: 23 August 2023

Cite this chapter

• Maria Dobryakova 19 ,
• Isak Froumin 20 ,
• Gemma Moss 21 ,
• Norbert Seel 22 ,
• Kirill Barannikov 23 &
• Igor Remorenko 23  

Part of the book series: UNIPA Springer Series ((USS))

280 Accesses

This chapter presents the authors’ attempt to develop a conceptual framework of key competences and new literacies. We aspire to identify theoretical roots underpinning most of the other frameworks of the twenty-first century skills and, thus, offer a clue to their diversity. We analyzed over 180 national and international frameworks of key competences, trying to align them with seminal theories of cognition, development, language, personality, and learning. First, we learn to differentiate between synonyms and conceptually different elements in the frameworks, sorting out competences and literacies. Second, we divide the pool of new literacies into two fundamentally different sets: domain-general and domain-specific literacies (this lets us explain the substantive difference between, e.g., digital literacy and health literacy). Finally, we discuss the structural place of such influential concepts as problem-solving, decision-making, and learning-to-learn. The resulting framework accommodates the thinking and reasoning competence, the interpersonal competence, and the intrapersonal competence. Together with the instrumental (tool-mediated) kind of literacies (i.e., the wide use of communication tools based on sign systems), they are nested under the domain-general umbrella. Other new literacies belong to specific domains and require domain-specific knowledge, as well as domain-general competences and literacies as their prerequisites.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save.

• Get 10 units per month
• Download Article/Chapter or eBook
• 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
• Cancel anytime
• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

English Language as a Promoter of Media Literacy Education

It’s Not All About the Learner: Reframing Students’ Digital Literacy as Sociomaterial Practice

A Dilemma for the Teacher Educator: Navigating the 21st Century Literacy Landscape

30 August 2019. Skills change, but capabilities endure. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/technology-and-the-future-of-work/future-of-work-human-capabilities.html .

https://globaled.gse.harvard.edu/21st-century-education .

http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework .

To be specific, it is all the three components: knowledge + skills + attitudes. However, we deliberately highlight skills here, as it is the major component of a competence. Systematic training of skills constitutes the fundamental basis for the development of competences. See Sect.  2 for more detail.

This is where the notion of domain-specific literacy stems from. It is essential to understand not only specific symbols but also to make sense of texts (broadly understood) which describe both one’s practical experience, and complex contemporary reality.

Just like the three key competences we single out.

https://en.unesco.org/themes/literacy .

https://literacytrust.org.uk/information/what-is-literacy/ .

This point is also addressed in [ 56 ], p. 33.

We thank J.-F. Rouet for this comment.

http://npdl.global/making-it-happen/new-pedagogies/ .

1946 WHO constitution.

Domain-general problem-solving …touches on several cognitive and noncognitive skills such as information processing, representation and evaluation of knowledge, reasoning, self-regulation, metastrategic thinking, proactive planning and decision-making [ 102 ].

WEF (2015) New vision for education/world economic forum in partnership with Boston consulting group. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEFUSA_NewVisionforEducation_Report2015.pdf

Kereluik K, Mishra P, Fahnoe Ch, Terry L (2013) What knowledge is of most worth. J Digit Learn Teach Educ 29(4):127–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2013.10784716

Pei-Ling Tan J, Choo SS, Kang T, Liem GAD (2017) Educating for twenty-first century competencies and future-ready learners: research perspectives from Singapore. Asia Pac J Educ 37(4):425–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2017.1405475

Pellegrino J, Hilton M (eds) (2012) National Academies Press, Washington, DC

Google Scholar  

Voogt J, Roblin NP (2012) A comparative analysis of international frameworks for 21st century competences: implications for national curriculum policies. J Curric Stud 44(3):299–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2012.668938

UNESCO (2018a) Future competences and the future of curriculum. In: Marope M, Griffin P, Gallagher C (eds) http://www.ibe.unesco.org/sites/default/files/resources/02_future_competences_and_the_future_of_curriculum_30oct.v2.pdf

EC (2018a) Annex to the proposal for a council recommendation on key competences for life long learning. COM(2018)24 final. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52018DC0024&from=IT

Aragon SR, Johnson SD (2002) Emerging roles and competencies for training in e-learning environments. Adv Dev Hum Resour 4(4):424–439

Boon J, van der Klink M (2002) Competencies: the triumph of a fuzzy concept. Acad Hum Resour Dev Annu Conf Proceed 1:327–334

Winterton J, Delamare Le Deist F, Stringfellow E (2006) Typology of knowledge, skills and competences: clarification of the concept and protype. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg

Mulder M (2011) The concept of competence: blessing or curse? In: Torniainen I, Mahlamäku-Kultanen S, Nokelainen P, Ilsley P (eds) Innovations for competence management. Lahti University of Applied Sciences, Lahti, pp 11–24

EC (2018b) Council recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018H0604(01)&from=EN

OECD (2005) The definition and selection of key competencies. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/35070367.pdf

Economist (2015) Driving the skills agenda: preparing students for the future. An Economic Intelligence Unit Report sponsored by Google for Education. https://www.eiuperspectives.economist.com/sites/default/files/Drivingtheskillsagenda.pdf

Ontario (2016) Towards defining 21st century competencies for Ontario. http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/About21stCentury/21CL_21stCenturyCompetencies.pdf

Griffin P, Care E (eds) (2015) Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Springer. https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/citizenship/socioeconomic/docs/ATC21S_Exec_Summary.pdf

Delors J et al (1996) Learning: the treasure within/UNESCO. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/rethinking-education/resources/

Faure E et al (1972) Learning to Be/UNESCO. http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/15_60.pdf

UNESCO (2018b) Future competences and the future of curriculum. A global reference for curricula transformation. In: Marope M, Griffin P, Gallagher C (eds) IBE UNESCO. http://www.ibe.unesco.org/sites/default/files/resources/02_future_competences_and_the_future_of_curriculum_30oct.v2.pdf

Yuan K, Stecher BM, Hamilton LS (2015) The Ffeasibility of developing a repository of assessments of hard-to-measure competencies. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif; RR-1204-WFHF, p 7. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1204.html

Russell C et al (2016) System supports for 21st century competencies/center for global education. Asia Soc. https://asiasociety.org/sites/default/files/system-supports-for-21st-century-competencies-2016_0.pdf

Reimers F, Chung C (eds) (2016) Harvard Education Press, And Curricula From Six Nations

World Bank (2018) World development report 2018: learning to realize education’s promise. World Bank, Washington, DC, p 103. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1096-1

Official Norwegian Reports NOU (2015) The school of the future. Renewal of subjects and competences. https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/da148fec8c4a4ab88daa8b677a700292/en-gb/pdfs/nou201520150008000engpdfs.pdf

WEF (2016) The future of jobs: employment, skills and workforce strategy for the fourth industrial revolution. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_FOJ_Executive_Summary_Jobs.pdf

Adomßent M, Hoffmann T (2013) The concept of competencies in the context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Concept Paper. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9ec3/118c915b2b11fd1017a1691398346f46af45.pdf

Leisen J Kompetenzorientiertes Lehren und Lernen. http://www.leisen.studienseminar-koblenz.de/uploads2/02%20Der%20Kompetenzfermenter%20-%20Ein%20Lehr-Lern-Modell/3%20Kompetenzorientiertes%20Lehren%20und%20Lernen.pdf

Hambrick DZ, Meinz EJ (2011) Limits on the predictive power of domain-specific experience and knowledge in skilled performance. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 20(5):275–279

Johnson A (2003) Procedural memory and skill acquisition. In: Healy AF, Proctor RW (eds) Handbook of psychology, vol 4. Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, pp 499–525

Ackerman PL (1989) Individual differences and skill acquisition. In: Ackerman PL, Sternberg RJ, Glaser R (eds) Learning and individual differences: advances in theory and research. Freeman, NY, pp 165–217

Oosterhof A (2012) Types of changes that occur as declarative knowledge increases. Center for Advancement of Learning and Assessment Tallahassee, FL

Miller SP, Hudson PJ (2007) Using evidence-based practices to build mathematics competence related to conceptual, declarative and procedural knowledge. Learn Disabil Res Prac 22(1):47–57

Wagner RK, Sternberg RJ (1986) Tacit knowledge and intelligence in the everyday world. In: Sternberg RJ, Wagner RK (eds) Practical intelligence. Nature and origins of competence in the everyday world. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA, p 51–83

Seel NM (2003) Psychologie des Lernens, 2nd edn. Reinhardt, München

Allport GW (1935) Attitudes. In: Murchison CM (ed) Handbook of social psychology. Clark University Press, Winchester, MA

Breckler S, Wiggins EC (1992) On defining attitude and attitude theory: once more with feeling. In: Pratkanis AR, Breckler SJ, Greenwald AC (eds) Attitude, structure and function. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ

Eagly AH, Chaiken S (1993) The psychology of attitudes. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers

Jain R (2014) Consumer attitude towards adoption of green technology: an application of the CAC model. Int J Indian Cult Bus Manage 8(3):349–365

Baartman LKJ, de Bruijn E (2011) Integrating knowledge, skills and attitudes: conceptualising learning processes towards vocational competence. Educ Res Rev 6(2):125–134

Evers FT, Rush JC, Berdrow I (1998) The bases of competence: skills for lifelong learning and employability. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco

Ericsson KA, Roring RW, Nandagopal K (2007) Giftedness and evidence for reproducibly superior performance: an account based on the expert performance framework. High Ability Stud 18(1):3–56

McCrae RR, Costa PT (2008) The five factor theory of personality. In: John OP, Robins RW, Pervin LA (eds) Handbook of personality: theory and research. Guilford Press, NY, pp 159–181

Corr PJ, DeYoung CG, McNaughton N (2016) Motivation and personality: a neuropsychological perspective. Soc Personal Psychol Compass 7(3):158–175

Deci EL, Ryan RM (2000) The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychol Inquiry 11:227–268

Ericsson KA (1996) The acquisition of expert performance: An introduction to some of the issues. In: Ericsson KA (ed) The road to excellence: the acquisition of expert performance in the arts and sciences, sports, and games. Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ, pp 1–50

Harvey N (1997) Skilled performance. In: Baum A et al (eds) Cambridge handbook of psychology, health and medicine. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp 50–60

Schott F, Ghanbari A (2012) Bildungsstandards, Kompetenzdiagnostik und kompetenzorientierter Unterricht zur Qualitätssicherung des Bildungswesens. Waxmann, Münster

Ericsson KA, Krampe RT, Tesch-Römer C (1993) Deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychol Rev 100(3):363–406

Bloom BS (1981) All our children learning—a primer for parents, teachers, and other educators. McGraw-Hill, NY

Garavan T, McGuire D (2001) Competencies and workplace learning: some reflections on the rhetoric and the reality. J Workplace Learn 13(4):144–164

Van De Ven AH (2004) The context-specific nature of competence and corporate development. Asia Pac J Manage 21(1–2):123–147

Granovetter M (1973) The strength of weak ties. Am J Sociol 78(6):1360–1380

NCTE (2013) National council of teachers of english. The NCTE definition of 21st century literacies. http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/21stcentdefinition

OECD (2000) Literacy on the information age. Final Rep Int Adult Literacy Surv. http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/41529765.pdf

UNESCO (2004) The plurality of literacy and its implications for policy and programmes. Position Paper. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000136246

Rouet J-F, Britt AM (2017) Literacy in 2013. In: Working paper for the education 2013 project. OECD, Paris. Rouet J-F, Vörös Z, Pléh C (2012) Incidental learning of links during navigation: the role of visuo-spatial capacity. Behav Inf Technol 31:71–81

Litster J (2013) The impact of poor numeracy skills on adults. Research review. National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC) at the Institute of Education (IOE), University of London

Street BV (1984) Literacy in theory and practice. Cambridge University Press, NY

Street B (2003) What’s “new” in new literacy studies? critical approaches to literacy in theory and practice. Curr Issues Comp Educ 5(2):1–14. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d35d/71ecf9e68cd6f8b80a0be05cb2d595f73aac.pdf

Naumann J (2015) A model of online reading engagement: linking engagement, navigation, and performance in digital reading. Comput Hum Behav 53:263–277

Kress G (2009) Multimodality: a social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. Taylor & Francis

Jakobsen M (2015) Teaching in a participatory digital world. In: Education Canada Magazine, Fall 2015 55(3)

Rubin A (2005) Math that matters. J Math Sci Educ 28(1):3–7

Esposito A (ed) (2017) Research 2.0 and the impact of digital technologies on scholarly inquiry. IGI Global, Hershey, PA. https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/book/150396

Ferneley E, Heinze A, Child P (2009) Research 2.0: improving participation in online research communities. In: European conference in information systems 2009, Verona, Italy. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/14628/

Koltay T, Špiranec S, Karvalics LZ (2016) Research 2.0 and the future of literacy research. Elsevier, Amsterdam

Ackoff RL (1989) From data to wisdom. J Appl Syst Anal 16(3):9

Silver N (2012) The signal and the noise. Why so many predictions fail—but some don’t. Penguin Press, NY

Carlson JR, Fosmire M, Miller C, Sapp N, Megan R (2011) Determining data information literacy needs: a study of students and research faculty. In: Libraries faculty and staff scholarship and research paper 23. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/lib_fsdocs/23

Koltay T (2015) Data literacy: in search of a name and identity. J Doc 71(2):401–415

Martin ER (2014) What is data literacy? J eSci Libr 3(1). http://dx.doi .org/ https://doi.org/10.7191/jeslib.2014.1069

Johnson CA (2012) The information diet: a case for conscious consumption. O’Reilly Media, Sebastopol, CA

Garner SD (2006) High-level colloquium on information literacy and lifelong learning. Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt

Limberg L, Sundin O, Talja S (2012) Three theoretical perspectives on information literacy. Hum IT 11(2):93–130

Jerde CL, Taper ML (2004) Preparing undergraduates for professional writing: evidence supporting the benefits of scientific writing within the biology curriculum. J College Sci Teach 33 34 37

Scaramozzino JM (2010) Integrating STEM information competencies into an undergraduate curriculum. J Libr Admin 50:315–333

Hunt K (2004) The challenges of integrating data literacy into the curriculum in an undergraduate institution. IASSIST Quart 28(2):12–15

Shorish Y (2015) Data information literacy and undergraduates: a critical competency. Coll Undergr Libr 22(1):97–106

Firooznia F, Andreadis DK (2006) Information literacy in introductory biology. J Coll Sci Teach 35:23–27

Wallman KK (1993) Enhancing statistical literacy: enriching our society. J Am Stat Assoc 88(421):1–8

Gal I (2004) Statistical literacy—meanings, components, responsibilities. In: Ben-Zvi D, Garfield J (eds) The challenge of developing statistical literacy, reasoning and thinking. Kluwer, NY, pp 47–78

Ridgway J, Nicholson J, McCusker S (2007) Teaching statistics—despite its applications. Teach Stat 29(2):44–48

Bunimovich E (2011) Combinatorics, probability, and statistics in the Russian school curriculum. In: Karp A, Vogeli BR (eds) Russian mathematics education. Programs and practices. World Scientific Publishing, Singapore, pp 231–264

Holmes P (2000) Statistics across the English national curriculum. Roy Stat Soc Centre Stat Educ. http://www.rsscse.org.uk/resources/natcur.htm

Lajoie SP (1998) Reflections on statistics: learning, teaching, and assessment in grades K-12. Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ

Ottaviani MG (2005) Research into statistics education as a discipline. Int Stat Rev 73(2):207–209

Tal J (2001) Reading between the numbers: statistical thinking in everyday life. McGraw-Hill, NY

Kahneman D (2013) Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, NY

Gigerenzer G et al (2007) Helping doctors and patients make sense of health statistics. Psychol Sci Pub Interest 8(2):53–96

Ridgway J, Ridgway J (2011) Telling the story of the data in the media. Teach Stat 33(1):18–22

Tishkovskaya S, Lancaster G (2012) Statistical education in the 21st century: a review of challenges, teaching innovations and strategies for reform. J Stat Educ 20(2)

Schield M (2004) Information literacy, statistical literacy and data literacy. IASSIST Quar 28(2):6–11

Bruce C (2004) Information literacy as a catalyst for educational change. A background paper. In: Danaher PA (ed) Proceedings lifelong learning: whose responsibility and what is your contribution? the 3rd international lifelong learning conference. Yeppoon, 13–16 June. Queensland

Eisenberg MB, Lowe CA, Spitzer KL (2004) Information literacy: essential skills for the information age, 2nd edn. Greenwood Publ, Westport, CT

Eisenberg M, Johnson D, Berkowitz B (2010) Information, communications, and technology (ICT) skills curriculum based on the big6 skills approach to information problem-solving. Libraries Unlimited, Santa Barbara, CA

Bostock S, Steptoe A (2012) Association between low functional health literacy and mortality in older adults: longitudinal cohort study. BMJ 344:e1602. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e1602

Kopera-Frye K (2017) Health literacy 101. Kopera-Frye K (ed) Health literacy among older adults. Springer, NY, pp 1–16

Kickbusch I, Maag D (2008) Health literacy. Int Encycl Public Health 3:204–211. http://www.ilonakickbusch.com/kickbusch-wAssets/docs/kickbusch-maag.pdf

Sørensen K et al (2012) Health literacy and public health: a systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health 12(80)

Zarcadoolas C, Pleasant A, Greer DS (2005) Understanding health literacy: an expanded model. Health Promot Int 20(2):195–203

McKenna VB, Sixsmith J, Barry MM (2017) The relevance of context in understanding health literacy skills: findings from a qualitative study. Health Expect 20:1049–1060

Greiff S et al (2014) Domain-general problem solving skills and education in the 21st century. Educ Res Rev 13:74–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2014.10.002

Berge ten T, Hezewijk van R (1999) Procedural and declarative knowledge: an evolutionary perspective. Theory Psychol 9(5):605–624

CEDEFOP (2006) Typology of knowledge, skills, and competences: clarification of the concept and prototype. In: Winterton J et al (ed) Cedefop reference series 64. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg. https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/3048_en.pdf

EC (2016) Validation of non-formal MOOC-based learning. European Commission. JRC Science for Policy Report. https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC96968/lfna27660enn.pdf

Gardner H (1983) Frames of mind: the theory of multiple intelligences. Basic Books, NY

Hicks D (1995) Discourse, learning, and teaching. Rev Res Educ 21:49–95

Hirsch ED Jr (1988) Cultural literacy: what every American needs to know. Vintage Books Edition

ILO (2006) Glossary of key terms on learning and training for work Gianni Rosas. International Labour Office. International Training Centre of the ILO

Kuzminov Y, Sorokin P, Froumin I (2019) Generic and specific skills as components of human capital: new challenges for education theory and practice. Foresight STI Gov 13(2):19–41. https://doi.org/10.17323/2500-2597.2019.2.19.41

Leigh T, Blankinship LA (2015) Teaching information literacy skills to sophomore-level biology majors. J Microbiol Biol Educ 16(1): 29–33

Ridgway RA, Ridgway J (2010) Crimes against statistical inference: forcing teachers to be accessories after the (absence of) fact. Online Educ Res J 11:1–11

Squiers L et al (2012) The health literacy skills framework J Health Commun 17(3):30–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2012.713442

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Institute of Education , National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

Maria Dobryakova

Jacobs University, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany

Isak Froumin

University College London, 11 Woburn Sq, London, WC1H 0NS, UK

Freiburg University, Freiburg Im Breisgau, Germany

Norbert Seel

Moscow City University, Moscow, Russia

Kirill Barannikov & Igor Remorenko

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Dobryakova .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

Head of the Observatory of Higher Education Innovations, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany

Kirill Barannikov

University College London, London, UK

Igor Remorenko

University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Jarkko Hautamäki

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Dobryakova, M., Froumin, I., Moss, G., Seel, N., Barannikov, K., Remorenko, I. (2023). A Framework of Key Competences and New Literacies. In: Dobryakova, M., Froumin, I., Barannikov, K., Moss, G., Remorenko, I., Hautamäki, J. (eds) Key Competences and New Literacies. UNIPA Springer Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23281-7_3

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23281-7_3

Published : 23 August 2023

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-031-23280-0

Online ISBN : 978-3-031-23281-7

eBook Packages : Education Education (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

• Azerbaijani
• Chinese (Simplified)
• Chinese (Traditional)
• Haitian Creole
• Kinyarwanda
• Kurdish (Kurmanji)
• Kurdish (Soranî)
• Odia (Oriya)
• Scots Gaelic

Students explore creative flair through in-school grants

• More than $400,000 for school students to discover their artistic passions
• Thirteen projects granted funding under Creative Learning election commitment

From writing and drawing to explorations in flora, students at a number of Western Australian schools will be exploring their creative side, thanks to the latest round of culture and the arts grants.  

As part of the Creative Learning election commitment, round four of the Creativity for Schools (CFS) grants have funded $443,093 for creative activities and exposure to the arts.

The program partners schools with creative professionals to embed creativity into students' learning and understanding across curriculum areas. The funding supports activities in schools and aims to increase access for students and teachers to engage in enriched learning through arts processes and experiences.

The CFS has two funding categories: Collaboration and Residency.

The Collaboration category awards up to $60,000 to projects and programs designed to connect Western Australian arts organisations and creative practitioners with schools.

In this round, eight applications were recommended for total funding of $357,525. The recipients are:

• Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) - $47,634 for year-long creative work with primary school communities in Balga and Highgate;
• Studio Schools of Australia - $59,401 for a collaborative project involving Yiramalay Studio School, Theatre Kimberley, Broome artist Jacky Cheng and Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency Aboriginal Corporation for Fitzroy Crossing students to develop skills across a range of artistic disciplines;
• Alkimos Primary School - $12,290 for a creative learning project focusing on native flora and fauna with artist James Giddy and bird specialist Simon Cherriman;
• City of Fremantle - $45,400 for a young people-led public art mural project in collaboration with artists, Whadjuk Elders, three high schools, local business and the City to co-design a framework for a mentorship residency program;
• City of Melville - $60,000 to engage students from low socio-educational backgrounds to build their literacy skills, self-confidence and creative capacity, culminating in a book and exhibition of student art and stories;
• Port Hedland Primary School - $60,000 for a collaboration with Kariyarra Aboriginal Corporation and FORM to work with students to create a book, videos and a visual arts display on local flora;
• Sensorium Theatre - $60,000 to work with three Perth schools to explore the provocation of play being the highest form of learning; and
• Dardanup Primary School - $12,800 for nurturing a culture of creativity and imagination as students discover their unique artistic voices and unleash their full potential in art, dance and filmmaking across two terms.

The Residency category awards up to $20,000 to projects involving artists-in-residence in schools for approximately 25 days. Five applications were recommended totalling $85,568 and included three recipients from education support centres. The recipients are:

• Broome Primary School - $11,600 for the Yawuru Seasons Song Composition and Performance as students learn about electronic music composition, lyric writing, recording and performance;
• Calista Primary School - $19,992 for students to work with musician Ken Allen and members of Junkadelic Brass Band to co-design, make and perform with large-scale puppets and musical instruments made from reused and recycled materials;
• Geographe Education Support Centre - $19,930 for three artists to work with students across dance, drama and music;
• Warnbro Community High School Education Support Centre - $16,729 for students to work with a local Noongar artist to explore language and build cultural responsiveness; and
• Gwynne Park Education Support Centre - $17,317 for an arts residency to support staff development and a creative learning experience for students with disability which results in a picture book.

These grants are administered by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

Comments attributed to Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman:

"These grants give primary and high school-aged students the opportunity to explore and perhaps discover what kind of art makes their heart sing and how they can apply creative skills to different subject areas.

"They also give professional artists across a range of disciplines the opportunity to teach and share their skills and passions with young people. Who knows, we might find our next notable artists in this crop of students.

"The State Government is committed to creating a vibrant and healthy arts scene, and by exposing young people to art, we help nurture an understanding and respect for it amongst the next generation."

Hon. David Templeman

Acknowledgement of country.

The Government of Western Australia acknowledges the traditional custodians throughout Western Australia and their continuing connection to the land, waters and community. We pay our respects to all members of the Aboriginal communities and their cultures; and to Elders both past and present.