Lesson 2: The Reality of Education
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Welcome back! Alright, now that we've discussed what an ideal learning environment that supports creativity looks like, we also need to talk about the elephant in the room – it isn't always possible to achieve an "ideal" environment.
Let's Review
Before we begin, let's review what we learned in the previous lesson about creative learning environments. To do this, please utilize the Venn diagram template below to record your information. Be sure to to only fill out the left side of the Venn diagram right now. Use doodles or words to describe your learning, and as always, be sure to make it your own!
Great work! Continue adding to your Venn diagram on the right side as we move through this lesson.
Dealing with Limitations
There are several limitations in the world of education that hinder teaching for creativity. Most of which are entirely out of a teacher's control. When asked, most teachers will attest that they do value creativity in themselves and their students. However, as we discussed in the first unit, teachers typically also have misconceptions about creativity. These misconceptions, such as believing that academically successful students are those who are most creative, result in a disconnect where creativity is rarely practiced in classrooms despite its perceived value (Anderson et al., 2022).
As we have also briefly mentioned, teachers are reluctant to teach for creativity because of a lack of training on how best to do so. Think about your own knowledge of creativity before coming into this course – you've probably already learned something that you hadn't known before. There may also be a reluctance to teach for creativity because teachers may not see a benefit or incentive. This is because thinking creatively often does not align with standards or standardized testing (Bullard & Bahar, 2023). Other concerns teachers have about teaching for creativity include time constraints, managing classroom behaviors, and a lack of funding or resources.
Can you think of any other limitations to teaching for creativity that teachers face? Be sure to add them to your Venn diagram on the right side.
The Benefits of Creative Constraints
With all of that being said, these limitations do not necessarily have to have a negative association. In fact, in some cases, limitations can help us think more creatively. Watch the video below to learn about creative constraints.
Having limitations forces us to look at things with a different perspective. In fact, you may already be exercising your creativity if you have found ways to "make do" with what you have. If you're interested in learning more about creative constraints and how they can unleash you and your students' creativity, consider viewing the optional video below, a TED Talk given by the same creator as the video above (pssst – I highly recommend you watch this video too! It is a bit lower quality, but I promise it's worth the watch).
Now, take a look at your Venn diagram. In the middle section, try to come up with at least one way you can take those limitations on the right side, and see it as a creative constraint you can merge with one of the ideals on the left side. Choose something that pertains to your classroom specifically.
Wrapping Up
For the final part of this lesson, we're going to participate in an activity to test our ability to work with creative constraints. In the Google Form below, you'll find a specific prompt for a teacher who wants to improve student engagement with the limited resources she has. Please take the time to read through the prompt and submit a response. Use your thoughts from your Venn diagram to help you! Please note: Your personal information will not be recorded, but your response will be viewable by other participants of this course.
Hopefully you've learned some valuable information in this unit about creative learning environments, and how it is possible to be creative with the resources we already have at our disposal. If you'd like to learn more about the research mentioned in this lesson, you can find links to the articles under the "Lesson Resources" heading below. In the next unit, the real fun begins! We will specifically look at examples of teaching for creativity and how to help students be creative (It's my favorite unit in the whole course!). I encourage you to take a break and engage in a creativity activity of your own before moving on.
Click here to begin Unit 3: Teaching for Creativity
Click here to return to the Teaching for Creativity Course Homepage
Lesson Resources
Anderson, R. C., Katz-Buonincontro, J., Bousselot, T., Mattson, D., Beard, N., Land, J., & Livie, M. (2022). How am I a creative teacher? Beliefs, values, and affect for integrating creativity in the classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 110, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103583
Bullard, A. J., and Bahar, A. K. (2023). Common barriers in teaching for creativity: A literature review. Journal of Creativity, 33, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjoc.2023.100045
Spencer, J. (2016, January 19). Thinking inside the box: The power of creative constraint [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/lGyjGwSQXpg
TEDx Talks. (2015, September 11). Creative power of limitations: John Spencer: TEDxPennsburgED [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/_hxl049rcQc