Creative Evaluation: Rethinking How We Reflect
I’ve recently taken part in an Evaluation Bootcamp with Heritage Insider – a brilliant and practical training that’s got me thinking deeply about how I evaluate my creative work with children.
So often, evaluation can feel like a tick-box exercise, but this training challenged that. It encouraged me to explore ways that reflect the spirit of the sessions themselves – playful, reflective, and child-led.
I’m now experimenting with more creative, responsive methods of capturing what children feel, think, and remember. That might look like:
- Story circles where children talk or draw what they’ve enjoyed
- Observation cards for capturing moments of wonder or curiosity
- Visual feedback tools – like emotion stones or “which part was your favourite?” voting with natural materials
- Or even sound recordings and photographs that document process over product
It’s a work in progress, but I’m excited by the potential to make evaluation feel meaningful and embedded, rather than something that sits outside the creative work.
Thanks to Heritage Insider for the inspiration — and I’m looking forward to seeing where this takes me next.
