PHILIPSBURG:--- At a recent international gathering of scholars and innovators in Lisbon, Portugal, Dr. Delroy Pierre, an organizational and educational change researcher based on Sint Maarten, unveiled a provocative new chapter examining how colonial legacies continue to shape classrooms across the Caribbean.
His work, “Educational Change, Creativity and Sensemaking in a Caribbean Colonial Context,” appears in the newly released volume The Power of Creative Thinking: Identifying and Solving Problems in Business, Education, and Society, edited by Dr. Fredricka K. Reisman, Emerita Professor at Drexel University and founder of its School of Education.
The book was launched at the Knowledge, Innovation and Enterprise (KIE) Conference in Lisbon, bringing together academics and practitioners from around the globe to discuss the role of creativity in tackling society’s most pressing problems.
In his chapter, Dr. Pierre argues that education reform in the Caribbean is inseparable from the region’s colonial past. Drawing on Sint Maarten as a case study, he shows how educators’ capacity for creative problem-solving, essential for improving schools and advancing educational equity, depends heavily on how they interpret their environment, or what scholars call “sensemaking.”
“Educational change in the Caribbean cannot be separated from its colonial history, as that history forms part of the current context that provides meaning” Dr. Pierre said. “By fostering creativity and deepening educators’ sensemaking, we can challenge restrictive structures and build pathways toward more just, inclusive, and context-sensitive educational futures.”
The broader book features contributions from international experts who examine creative thinking in fields as varied as business, education and social policy. Dr. Reisman, the editor, is also Director of the Freddie Reisman Center for Translational Research in Creativity and Motivation and the Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity and Innovation.
For Dr. Pierre, who works at the Creative Leadership and Innovation Management Bureau (CLIMB) on Sint Maarten, the publication represents a critical step in the development of his Caribbeanized educational change model that places participatory approaches and the Caribbean’s unmatched creativity at the center of educational change. By placing Caribbean realities at the center of global debates about creativity and reform, he hopes to inspire educators and leaders to rethink how schools can break free from inherited structures and better serve their communities.
The book, The Power of Creative Thinking, is now available through academic publishers and can be downloaded for free at https://kiecon.org/creativity-books/.
