E-Book, Englisch, Band 8, 303 Seiten, eBook
Tillman Exploring Perspectives on Creativity Theory and Research in Education
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-3-031-55416-2
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark
E-Book, Englisch, Band 8, 303 Seiten, eBook
Reihe: Creativity Theory and Action in Education
ISBN: 978-3-031-55416-2
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark
Collectively, the sixteen chapters in this book investigate the power of creativity in the classroom, many through the specific lens of limited resources as an opportunity. The chapters are divided into two sections, eight chapters comprising Section I: Theory and Research and then the eight chapters comprising Section II: Additional Perspectives and Future Directions. Within these two sections, the more than two-dozen authors that contributed to this book tackle a wide range of the possibilities for designing creative classroom-based instruction wherein limited resources are highlighted and valued, rather than avoided or lamented. The two main sections of this book are each preceded by a brief introductory summary highlighting those sections’ attributes and objectives, with the intention of providing helpful structure to the reader—but the book has also been designed such that each chapter stands independently and can be jumped to directly like a handbook. In its totality, this book exploring perspectives on creativity theory and research in education is designed to serve as a valuable resource for teachers, teacher educators, school administrators, parents, and education researchers, along with anyone else that is interested in optimizing our opportunities for nurturing creativity within classrooms.
Zielgruppe
Research
Autoren/Hrsg.
Weitere Infos & Material
SYNOPSIS OF EACH CHAPTER (200 words each):
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Preface by book editor Daniel A. Tillman, University of Texas at El Paso
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Section I: Theory and Research
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Chapter 1:
By Danah Henriksen, Arizona State University, USA
This chapter will explore the idea of repurposing as a creative teaching approach to working with constraints and exercising creativity within design-based STEAM settings. Not only are constraints a reality in most education settings, but they are a necessary part of creative work in any domain, particularly teaching. Repurposing, broadly defined, is the use of a tool being re-channeled into being another tool, often for a purpose unintended by the original toolmaker. Koehler et al. (2011) note that most tools or technologies that teachers use have typically not been designed for educational purposes. Instead, teachers often repurpose them for use in educational contexts. This is a process of melioration, or the “competence to borrow a concept from a field of knowledge supposedly far removed from his or her domain and adopt it to a pressing challenge in an area of personal knowledge or interest” (Passig, 2007). Thus, repurposing can be a creative approach to constraints of tools or materials, in the ability to adapt and use what is available, by creatively seeing beyond the immediate or designed purpose of an object. Design literature highlights the fact that “design” as an action is never without constraints and that both users and designers often repurpose objects, tools, or ideas to creatively rethink the possibilities and manage or address the constraints of their immediate situation. A design framing can provide a viable and helpful paradigm to craft STEAM teaching and learning, and we suggest that developing repurposing skills can be part of teachers' exercise of creativity to work with given constraints. In highlighting literature that explores both “teaching as design,” and “learning by design”, I suggest the importance of using design framings that support repurposing and allow creativity to thrive under constraints. Using several teaching examples from STEAM teaching settings I aim to exemplify this notion of teaching and learning as design, with a focus on repurposing to allow creativity under constraint.
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Chapter 2:
By Tracey Hunter-Doniger, College of Charleston, USA
One may think that boundless freedom is liberating. When in actuality allowing endless amounts of possibilities and supplies can paralyze creativity. Too often I have thought I was giving my students a gift with a blank canvas, but it would end with disappointing results. I found that some of my most successful projects engaged my students in STEAM education and particularly the design process. Indeed, creative constrains are an essential part of the design process, it helps students apply what they know to create something new. This includes the iterative process and embracing failure, not as a disappointment, but an opportunity to be creative. Constraints help young artist use STEM in a way that encourages them to avoid familiarity and pursue an uncomfortable route to see what happens. However, constrains alone cannot produce creativity. I argue that a factor that is essential to producing an environment that encourages creativity is autonomy. Knowing the limitation of a STEAM project or lesson is important but if a students’ every step is dictated or scripted, their creativity could be stifled. This chapter will explore the precarious balance between autonomy and constraints to encourage creativity.
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Chapter 3:
By Erkko Sointu, Sanna Väisänen, Laura Hirsto, Mohammed Saqr and Teemu Valtonen, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
Learning analytics (LA) have been heavily utilized to support teaching and learning during the past decade. LA is defined as “measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for the purposes of understanding and optimizing learning and the environments in which it occurs” (LAK, 2011). However, the actual implementation of implications from LA in instructional contexts is still nontrivial for classroom teachers unless they are provided considerable support. It seems that the rich data provided by LA does not transform automatically or simply into impacts upon pedagogical practice (Greller & Drachsler, 2012). Additionally, the potential of use of LA within primary school educational settings has only minimally been investigated. The overall aim for this chapter is to examine the usage of LA at primary school levels, wherein the teaching is arranged following the principles for inclusive education established by the Finnish legislature. We conclude by discussing the pedagogical and technological approaches for using the empirical data obtained from LA to support primary school educators in their mission to teach 21-century students. Our main aim is to apprehend the creative solutions available for teaching STEAM education with learning analytics.
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Chapter 4:
By Lucia Dura, The University of Texas at El Paso, USA
Macrostructures are ubiquitous and tend to be easily nameable. In the context of education, macrostructures are orientations, methodologies, tools, objects, and groups/places (organizations, buildings) that characterize our work. They are the elements that make it into our methods sections. Microstructures are embedded in those macrostructures, and they are just as important but easier to overlook. Microstructures include invitations (or questions), how space is arranged, how groups are configured, how participation is distributed, how steps are sequenced, and how time is allocated (McCandless & Lipmanowicz, 2014). Even when exigency and time constrict the depth and scope of our interactions, tweaking just one microstructure, such the question we ask, or the way we arrange participants, makes a difference in building reciprocal experiences (Dura, Perez, & Chaparro, 2019; Gonzales, Potts, Turner, & Brentnell, 2017; Andersen, 2013; Andersen, 2011). This chapter uses the example of improve prototyping as a way to imagine and play that elicits tacit knowledge and facilitates difficult conversations in classroom and extracurricular settings. It proposes that paying attention to microstructures yields more creative interactions, especially within constraints of time, space, or vulnerability (Hennigan, 2019).
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Chapter 5:
By Janna Kellinger, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA
This book chapter explores the different constraints within a particular kind of game-design, curricular games, and lays out a way to approach designing curricular games that fosters creativity. In my book, A Guide to Designing Curricular Games, I instruct readers to play a game where they make up decks of cards for different aspects of gameplay such as number of players, randomly choose one from each deck, and then make up a game based on those aspects. I have them start with one category and then, each round, add a category. I then ask them to gauge how many constraints are the ideal number to be the most creative and productive at coming up with games. When I teach this in my Introduction to Game-based Teaching class, students generally report 3-4 constraints. More than that and it is too restrictive. Less than that and it is too open-ended. That might seem counterintuitive. After all, isn’t open-ended, divergent thinking the crux of creativity? Whether it be poetry or game-design or naming your child, too many choices can overwhelm the system.
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Chapter 6:
By Karime Smith, Canutillo Independent School District, USA
In a nutshell, Gestalt theory looks at the description of the components of a system and their part in the totality of the full situation. The method can be explained as respecting the simplicity, strength and spontaneity of children; many of us might be familiar with the experience of observing a young toddler surrounded by expensive and complex toys and witnessing helplessly how said toddler is attracted to engage in play with the big box the toys came in. As a result, Gestalt principles have been described as aiding perception, understanding, identification, memorization and recognition of basic characteristics of things and its distinguishment from others. Good design and good art rely on the reduction of elements that could overstimulate the senses and their effective use, favoring a smarter, simpler and more abstract solutions to visual art problems. The Gestalt principles of similarity, proximity, continuity, closure, figure and ground coupled with the simplicity and familiarity effect cannot be all used at once. Contrary to common sense, more options in art and design in regard to materials, themes, symbolism, storylines, history, art styles, principles and elements of design would unnecessarily overcomplicate the semiotic content. Graphic designers or artists can deliberately play with Gestalt principles to varying results; Lisa Frank and Ed Hardy exemplify an overstimulation of the senses while Piet Mondrian and Mark Roth showcase a limited color palette and textures.
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Section II: Practice and Application
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Chapter 7:
By Dr. William Robertson, University of Texas at El Paso, USA
How can you get young people interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)? What efforts are there to integrate the importance of creativity in STEM that connects students with the things they need to do and learn in school? How can action sports, like skateboarding and bicycle motocross BMX, be used to teach physics, algebra, data collection, and help students to grow in their creativity and innovation in the STEM fields? The answer lies in part to an approach termed as action science. Action science is an example of the use of transformative educational strategies to enhance the study of STEM education. The term “action science” can be defined as the use of familiar objects, circumstances and situations within the lives of students in order to explain specific concepts in science built around student interests, including action sports like skateboarding and bicycle motocross (BMX). In schools, the approach to these topics is also done in very traditional manners that employ content delivery mechanisms that are often not put in relevant terms for the K-16 learner. The main idea is to place the content in an interesting format with creativity as the focus, and this, combined with the use of constructivism, presents a purposeful way to bring STEM content to the classroom.
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Chapter 8:
By Yazmin Rivera, Young Women’s Leadership Academy of El Paso, USA
Green Architecture is a philosophy that advocates for building with the environment in mind using sustainable sources of energy, designing efficiently to reduce energy use, and updating existing buildings with new technology. Green Architecture is a lifestyle that our new generation of students are acknowledging the need for change. Needless to say that architecture will always be a concept and a career that will always be around. On the other hand, Mathematics has been a course that has generated a negative connotation for the abstractness and irrelevancy that it is presented. Therefore, the integration of Green Architecture to mathematics can aid by reinforcing skills through the engagement and relevance it provides. Green Architecture is a concept that can be integrated with the ease of the limited sources. Indeed, time is of an essence to teachers whose content is state tested. Therefore we will present the skills that Green Architecture covers and align them to the mathematics vertical alignment K - 12. This will alleviate the investment of time teachers need to do of what part of Architecture can be used when covering a certain concept. The activities and the respective materials will be presented as a concrete way to contextualize Green Architecture in a math class.
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Chapter 9:
By Sukran Ucus, Ahi Evran University, Turkey
Social studies is an active subject, at the heart of which lies creativity. We can think of creativity in several ways: Commonly, it is associated with imagination and being inspired, creating new ways of looking at or making something, whether an idea or object. Creativity, therefore, is actually about understanding the world around us as much as it may involve generating something fictional or imagined. Children are innately interested in their world. They are learning to understand who they are, who their family members are, and what it means to have friends. They are curious about the communities who live and work there, and how things are made. They are beginning to ask questions about their environment and the greater world. In this context, they develop the ability to construe problems and consider creative solutions, beginning the path to participative and active citizenship. Creative activities invite children to explore the world around them, learn about different cultures, investigate a variety of careers, and discover the uniqueness of their own neighborhood and country. Children’s curiosity can be supported by using creative social studies instruction to teach them to engage with their community and deepen their understanding of the world around them. This chapter will examine why critical thinking and creative learning environments are essential for effective teaching and learning in social studies, via a series of examples illustrating how these points apply to practice. This chapter will also raise some questions about social studies education, including: the importance of creative people for the future of the society; values in social studies education; developing a creative curriculum for social studies. This chapter will also provide in-depth examination of the conditions and possibilities for creative responses to curricular subcategories such as citizenship education, teaching geography, history, and economics.
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Chapter 10:
By Qianqian Shi and Bo Wang, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China
Abstract: In today's society, resources are increasingly scarce, and misallocation of resources occurs frequently. This chapter will examine instructional strategies such as gamification, makification, and other 21-century approaches to pedagogy, for encouraging and preparing Chinese K-12 students to become innovative and creative engineers. As engineers and engineering educators working in China for the last several decades, thinking about how to maintain the stimulation of creativity within K-12 STEM education and even nurture and improve student creativity under challenging circumstances has been a major focus. In particular, we are interested in how the lack of educational technology resources can be approached from an asset-based approach emphasizing opportunities for creativity, rather than the more customary deficit-based approach which generally emphasizes a lack of opportunities for creativity. Using this approach, we intend to address the challenge of creating the next generation of high-quality Chinese engineering students and practitioners. In this chapter, we discuss how “less resources” can – from a pedagogical perspective – actually be “more resources” when it comes time for STEM students to exercise and develop their capacity for innovation and creativity during STEM education that employs engineering tasks. The conclusion of this chapter will make recommendations for future development of innovative STEM pedagogy that highlights the advantages of design under constraints, and how specifically Chinese K-12 STEM education can be improved to encourage creativity within the future engineering workforce.
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Chapter 11:
By John Lee, North Carolina State University, USA
Creativity and curriculum, two words that don’t always appear in close proximity. After all, creativity is a concept in education that is mostly devoid of negative connotation. Curriculum, well that’s another story. More often than not, teachers view curriculum as a yoke rather than an inspiration. Yet as with many things demanding in life and learning, retreating from this challenge is not an option. With the overriding importance of curriculum in shaping the everyday experiences of students, curriculum certainly deserves our attention. In this chapter, we explore a creative approach to curriculum development called the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) and how intentional creative constraints can power this curriculum work. IDM is a style of curriculum thinking that puts students’ interests and their intellectual needs first, seeking to know as much about students’ learning as possible and designing pathways for them to grow in their knowledge and engage in civic life. Teachers who are using IDM are pushing the limits of curriculum to breathe new life into their teaching and their students’ learning. This collective energy is a form of IDM thinking that when carefully constrained enables creative approaches to curriculum design.
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Chapter 12:
By Justice T. Walker, The University of Texas at El Paso, USA
For the last decade, innovations in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computing (STEM + C) education have signaled the importance of creativity in learning processes. Examples in life sciences include the development of accessible biotechnologies (Kafai & Walker, 2020a) for use in pre-college settings and that enable learners to freely make novel artifacts like synthetic bio-based fragrances, medicines, food ingredients, and biosensors, to name a few (Kuldell et al., 2015; Walker & Kafai, 2020b). In many ways, these developments represent a paradigm shift in life science education (Walker, 2019)—from participation that is largely inductive, to one that also involves constructing functional objects, typically to fulfill some social or cultural need (e.g., in manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, environmental health, etc.). However significant these strides toward modernizing K-12 infrastructures used to support 21st century life science learning, they are persistently undermined by a dearth of insight in the literature and practice about ways to design learning environments to support creativity—in expression, production, and practice. This is in part due to the fact that learners are able to imagine new possibilities in life science in ways that often outpaces practical possibilities. A reevaluation of speculative design in the context of life science offers new opportunities for supporting modern life science learning, beyond what is materially or even theoretically implementable. In this analysis we frame speculative design practices as an important and potentially necessary way to support expanded participation and productivity in modern life science fields to support innovation and creativity.
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Section III: Future Directions
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Chapter 13:
By Rhonda Christensen & Gerald Knezek, University of North Texas, USA
One goal of the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) STEAM Innovation Lab is to provide accessible resources and innovative technology tools for engaging learners about space science. Research indicates that technology used in teaching and learning enhances engagement, increases participation in learning (Schilling, 2009; Sadik, 2008) and improves motivation to learn (House, 2009; Hsu, 2008). Additional research studies (Liu, Horton, Olmanson, & Toprac, 2011; Small, 2011) have shown there is a positive relationship between motivation and science learning when using innovative technologies. While there are many high-end technology resources available, there is typically not a large budget in educational environments with which to purchase resources. Research educators at the University of North Texas have been working with middle school teachers and students to engage them in low cost space science resources through engaging technology activities. Results of research indicate that students are motivated by and learn from these activities. Activities have included the involvement of students engaging in as well as creating augmented reality and virtual reality environments. The use of 2D cutters as well as 3D printers is included in the activities with a focus on designing in freely available software as well as adapting designs in freely available databases of files.
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Chapter 14:
By Daniella Scalice and Alice Carron, NASA and Navajo Technical University, USA
This chapter on Navajo educational experiences examines the findings of a fifteen-year project entitled NASA and the Navajo Nation that ,juxtaposed Traditional Navajo origin stories alongside NASA astrobiology. The project engaged middle school, high school, and undergraduate Navajo Nation students and teachers in a series of week-long residential summer camps as well as formal and informal activity sessions. Additionally, Navajo educators and community members attended a series of Origins Workshops exploring NASA astrobiology and Traditional Navajo educational materials. All of the programs were led by both Navajo Medicine People and NASA scientists. The topic of limited resources as an inspirational strategy is one that is embedded in Navajo Philosophy of Education Principles. While mainstream educators tend to incorporate an over-abundance of tools and resources, Traditional Navajo educational practices rely on Storytelling as a principle educational tool supplemented with desert landscape natural resources serving as demonstration materials. The majority of Reservation-based Navajo’s do not have internet connections or computers at home, and a large majority of elders live in Traditional Hoogans without running water. Yet despite this lack of resources- or some maintain it is a consequence- Navajo ingenuity prevails. Early in the project the significant undersupply of culturally relevant scientific materials suitable for Tribal students was discovered. Significant investigation was undertaken by teams of Navajo and NASA personnel to identify NASA and Navajo scientific resources on the topic of origins and an investigation ensued to determine appropriate actions to countermand the deficit of culturally appropriate resources. The project, funded by NASA, broke ground through its accomplishment of formalizing relations between the Navajo Nation and NASA however the road to that achievement was riddled with challenges. This chapter provides a frank disclosure of both the challenges and achievements of a fifteen-year journey undertaken by federal agency and Native American personnel whose goal was establishing equity in education for Tribal students by engaging Tribal peoples in educational materials development while maintaining respect for Traditional approaches of resource management.
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Chapter 15:
By Edwin Creely, Monash University, Australia
Educational makerspaces have been an emerging phenomenon in a range of instructional and recreational contexts since the movement began in 2006. However, the origin of the concept of makerspaces has a much longer history, taking ideas from experiential learning, hands-on learning, social constructivism and learning with technologies. Intrinsically, makerspaces are about strategically designing and building a space for imagination, play, collaboration and shared interests, design-thinking, hands-on experiences, and experimentation. They often involve a range of technologies—digital and analogue—from simple materials to the use of computer technologies. Makerspaces are, by their very nature, sites for being creative and for taking risks through maker activities that are fun but challenge learners to find novel ways of designing, making, building and problem-solving. However, understanding the ways that such spaces operate ontologically (their properties, specificities, and characteristics) and afford creativity and risk-taking is a developing area of research. This chapter considers the creative ontology of makerspaces through a tri-modal model of creativity. The modes of visceral, ideational, and observational are used to identify key properties of makerspaces, with specific examples used to illustrate each mode. Of course, these modes are not mutually exclusive and involve fluidity and interaction as they are applied to a particular context such as makerspaces. The chapter offers some proposals about what constitutes an effective and creative makerspace, employing the tri-modal model to suggest some possible success-criteria. One conclusion is that successful makerspaces do not necessarily require high levels of funding or extensive resourcing. Indeed, constraints with resources can often mean that there is more innovation and participants have greater agency and scope in being creative.
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Chapter 16:
By Thomas J. Soto, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, USA
There exist many variables in healthcare simulation contexts. Simulationists toggle with technology and pedagogical approaches the way an architect uses measurement and formulas to create a building. The overarching goal is immersion that supports a realistic experience. Once the simulationists create the suspension of disbelief, learning objectives are deliverable, and learning outcomes are achievable. Arguably, the concept of realism that supports immersion is equal to the amount of technology implemented in a scenario. There exists a notion that more tech transfers to a comprehensive learner experience. Yet, a reservoir full of water dyed with red coloring and flowing through a PVC pipe into artificial limbs wrapped with gauze, gorilla glue, topped with red spray paint supported tourniquet training for hundreds of soldiers in the middle of the desert. My first challenge supporting medical training with limitations was experienced as a contracted instructor assigned to a medical simulation program in Kuwait. Thirteen manikins needed daily maintenance, and facilities included a didactic tent, and a practicum tent. We initially used medical supplies that were excess from redeploying units. The manikins did have functional breathing and the capability to support physiological changes like blinking and pulse rate. Blood flow was controlled by an operator with a lever valve system. When these assets were unavailable, instructors used soldiers who were students in training to support the application of life-saving interventions. I understood then that the transfer of information relied on psychomotor skills that supported the cognitive process in thinking through saving a life.
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Chapter 17:
By Catrinel Tromp, Rider University (New Jersey), USA
Creativity is a choice: first, to engage in creative problem-solving and to set a creative outcome as the goal, and second, to either settle or continue searching for something truly creative. At each step, there is choice among options: which creative domain and problem to select from among many possibilities, and which direction among many alternatives to pursue once the creative process is underway. The paradox of choice in creativity mirrors the one documented in decision-making (Schwartz, 2016): less is more, because all constraints have two related functions that work together in a complementary, yin-yang, fashion: an exclusionary function that is framed by a negation (Do not include X) and a focusing function that is framed by a positive and directive statement (One must include Y). Grounded by a recently proposed Integrated Constraints in Creativity (IConIC) model (Tromp, in press), this chapter outlines how the choice of experimenting with diverse constraints can facilitate creativity, including via the development of a constraint-leveraging mindset. Practical applications to the field of STEM education highlight the value of focusing constraints for creative thinking. Although largely viewed in a negative light, constraints have been acknowledged, both anecdotally (e.g., McPhee, 2013) and empirically (e.g., Haught-Tromp, 2017) to benefiting some domains, such as creative writing, constraints may still be viewed in a negative light in STEM education. The chapter highlights practical applications of theoretical advances from the psychology of creativity to the field of education. For example, instead of general, broad creative prompts to K-12 STEM students, such as: design a new experiment, generate a new invention, or program a creative computer game – more constrained and focused creative tasks are likely to stimulate creative thinking.
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Chapter 18:
By Nicoletta Di Blas, Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy
Since 2006, HOC-LAB at Polytechnic University of Milan, the largest technical university in Italy, has been running a national contest on collaborative digital storytelling for K-12 students, which has collectively gathered artifacts from more than 42,000 participants. The contest is national, though during the World Expo 2015 (which took place in Milan), international participants were admitted as well. Participants took part as groups of 20-25 students under the supervision of one or more teachers. Using the authoring tool (developed by HOC-LAB), they created multimedia interactive stories, composed of “chapters” and “sub-chapters”. Topics ranged from curricular subjects such as “the physical laws of floating” or “the philosophical paradigm of complexity” to reports on school outings or special projects such as a social program in cooperation with a retirement home, and short “documentaries” on the cultural heritage displayed in local museums. A number of strong constraints characterized not only the tool but also the creation process: the tool could include only chapters and subchapters, no further layers; for several years it allowed inclusion of pictures only, which the tool would turn into slide-shows combined with audio (videos were included from 2017 onward). Further, advanced editing features such as fine-grained synchronization were not supported—and this simplicity was intentional, supporting the aim of the program which was to enable teachers and students to "communicate" culture with technology but without technology being a problem.
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Chapter 19:
By book editor Daniel A. Tillman, The University of Texas at El Paso, USA
This book has sought to provide a harmonizing addition to the “Creativity Theory and Action in Education” book series. Building upon the ideas presented in the two previous books from this series, this new book examined creativity from the perspective of how limiting the number of options available often results in more creative designs—whereas when vast resources are available to enable creative pursuits without constraints poor productivity and other problems often result. The book took a wide survey of the possibilities for design of effective STEAM education where limited resources are both highlighted and valued. Beginning with a chapter examining the use of repurposing as a creative teaching approach, the book proceeded through “Section I: Theory and Research” by addressing various relevant topics. Next, “Section II: Practice and Application” addressed such topics as creative action science using extreme sports and contextualizing green architecture in the math classroom, among other themes. Finally, “Section III: Future Directions” concluded the book by discussing such topics as space science engagement through low cost technology implementations with NASA resources and Navajo educational experiences. In totality, has aimed to serve as a valuable resource for teacher educators and education researchers interested in optimizing creativity, as well as K-12 teachers and administrators that share the same goals.
