Trenčín schools report improved creative thinking via new methodology

A study conducted in Trenčín, Slovakia, has shown that the ‘Creative Partnerships’ methodology significantly improves creative thinking in primary school students. During the last school year, 27 classes from six local schools participated in measurements of creative thinking using the Torrance Test.

Twelve of these classes utilized the Creative Partnerships method, which involves a tandem of a teacher and a professional artist (such as a designer or theater artist) teaching core subjects like biology, history, and Slovak language through artistic techniques. While the participating students initially had lower scores than the control group, they showed a much more significant improvement over the year, eventually closing the gap.

The program is being implemented by the organization T-Tudok as part of the Trenčín 2026 European Capital of Culture initiative. The methodology is based on a British model that has previously reached over a million children in the United Kingdom.