Creativity and Education
Creativity is a funny thing, some people want it but don’t know how to get it, others have it and don’t really tap into it as much as they could. When on the topic of creativity in education there are many different approaches, but in the long run everyone has some sort of creativity to use and work with. For this exploration into creation I interviewed two different teachers from my district, one an Art teacher, the other an English teacher, both seasoned veterans of their trades. Before going into the breakdown of the interviews I want to preemptively state this, though both work in different educational fields both, when broken down past the surface level, had very similar though processes and explanations.
The English teacher, let’s call her ME, is a teacher that works with students who need a little extra help. She has also worked many other positions throughout her time with the school district, including Library and Science, but has primarily been middle school English lab for many years now. The other teacher, given the code name KS, is a practicing artist, a dedicated art teacher for high school, and runs a after school art program that has elementary, middle school, high school, and even adult participants from all over the mid-Michigan area. These two teachers were asked 5 questions, the first one being “how does creativity play into your job/profession?” Both answers included talking about how teaching was something that kept a person’s perspective fresh and flexible due to creative problem solving. Another question, “How would you define creativity?”, had answers from ME and KS that connected to the one before wherein they talked about being able to “think on your feet” and “look outside the box”. One question that I thought was especially interesting was “How does one gain creativity, or “become” creative? Is there a process someone can go through to become “creative”? Are they born with it? etc.” Both mentioned creativity being something a person is born with, but neither mentioned one “obtaining” creativity. I found this interesting because they continued by explaining that they interpreted creativity as a skill where someone could improve through time and effort.
These questions really made me think about creativity, not as a thing to reach for, but a already obtained skill that can be “worked out” like any other muscle. One creative “work out” that comes to mind is the ability to play. Now let me explain my now understanding and interpretation of play. Play is what is needed in order to succeed, grow, and improve. Albert Einstein “played” with many different materials, equations, etc., some of which came great inventions and theories, others of which helped him become a better creative problem solver and thinker. So even from what others might consider “failed” experimentation comes learning. On the surface one would learn what does not work, but when pressed deeper the idea that an action, a thought, or even something as simple as a unusually placed line could be the “Eureka” moment the person needed to make a connection with something totally unrelated. As an artist and an art teacher I have my students do “brainstorm” sketches where they draw out their idea of what they want their project to look like. This allows them to see their ideas come to light and judge and alter them to have them take on a final form. These are all examples thoughts, actions, and exercises used to build up a person’s already possessed creativity, whether it be dormant or excessive there is always something to be built upon.
gerehead's MAET year 1 