Multiple thinking and creativity in multi-level learning for sustainable development

In a context of rapid globalization and huge transformation in the new century, life-long education, action learning, creativity, and multiple intelligence are often strongly emphasized in ongoing educational reforms and believed as the key elements for sustainable development of next generation. But, people are puzzled about how thinking, creativity and intelligence are related to multi-level learning (MLL) in school, including students’ action learning, teachers’ professional learning and school’s organizational learning, such that development and effectiveness of students and school practitioners can be enhanced and sustainable in a complicated and fast changing environment. Based on the concept of action learning process, this paper aims to elaborate a framework for re-conceptualizing the multiple nature of thinking and creativity in MLL for sustainable development. The profiles of multiple thinking in MLL are mapped in terms of characteristics of technological thinking, economic thinking, social thinking, political thinking, cultural thinking and learning thinking. The approaches to multiple creativity in MLL are re-conceptualized in terms of cross-level thinking and cross-type thinking. With this framework, a new paradigm can be proposed to broaden the possibilities and approaches to re-designing curriculum and learning and facilitating multiple thinking and creativity in school MLL that can contribute to sustainable development and effectiveness of students, teachers and schools in the new century.