Creativity, clarity, and compassion: the essential components of inclusive academic practice

The neurodivergent student experience can be a negative one with a focus on deficits and support needs rather than strengths and unique and valuable contributions. Viewing inclusive practices, including creative pedagogies, through the lens of neurodivergency and the differences experienced by neurodivergent individuals gives us an opportunity to examine how we create learning environments that enable and value diversity of thought, skill and behaviour. By creating learning spaces that set the conditions for belonging, students of all neurotypes will benefit. Creative pedagogies can provide a more inclusive and equitable basis for which students with differences and disabilities can connect with the learning experience more effectively. It is my opinion that creative and compassionate approaches to learning are an essential approach in an inclusive classroom. Ensuring a learning space that encourages curiosity, expresses compassion, and is demonstrably clear in how diversity is valued is a key responsibility of educators in today’s higher education. It is also my opinion that creative pedagogies are heutagogical (self-determined learning) in nature which strongly aligns to neurodivergent cognitive strengths, while not disadvantaging neurotypical individuals. This opinion piece clarifies the characteristics of creative pedagogies, provides examples of cognitive skills and strengths in neurodivergent individuals, and suggests key examples of creative heutagogies. A set of recommendations is provided for practitioners which have been developed through the lens of neurodivergency and with an inclusive approach that benefits all students by encouraging engagement in learning through creativity, clarity, and compassion.