Making it "click": collaborative perceptions of creative practice in art education /

Making it "Click": Collaborative Perceptions ofCreative Practice in Art Education examined the teaching practice of 6 art educators who conducted their work through the Niagara Falls Art Gallery's (NFAG) in-schools and Children's Museum programmes. These community resources service the elementary levels of participatory Public, Catholic and French schools in the Niagara Peninsula. The goal of this research was to find ways in which these teachers could explore their creative potential as art educators. The "click," a term introduced by participants indicating the coming together of all positive factors towards creativity, became the central theme behind this study. Research revealed that the effective creative process was not merely a singular phase, but rather a series of 4 processes: 1 , gathering knowledge; 2, intuitive and experiential; 3, the informal presentation of information in which creativity as a process was explored; and 4, formal presentation that took the analysis of information to a deeper, holistic level. To examine the ways in which experience and knowledge could be shared and brought together through a collaborative process, this study employed data collection that used literature research, interviews, focus group discussions, and personal journal entries. Follow-up discussions that assessed the effectiveness of action research, took place VA months after the initial meetings. It is hoped that this study might assist in creative educational practices, for myself as a member of the NFAG teaching team, for colleagues in the art programmes, art educators, and other teachers in the broader disciplines of education.

Perceptions of creativity in a fashion design course /

Creativity is important to the growth and development of society, to educational institutions, and to the personal growth of individuals. Students who are aware of their creativity are assumed to have innovative ideas and fresh insights. Limited research has been conducted to see if students can identify their own creative abilities. In this study, I explored the students' perceptions and experiences in a fashion design course. This study documented the creative journey from the concept stage of an apparel collection to the final product. Participants were asked to reflect and document their creative moments, describe a creative process, and identify a creative environment. The participants were students who were enrolled in a fashion design course and were asked to participate in this study because they experienced all stages of the design process. Data were collected through personal reflection surveys, focus groups, and personal interviews. Themes of creative moments that emerged from this study were experiences that the participants had as they proceeded through the stages of the fashion design process. All of the participants identified a creative process, but the stages varied for each participant The participants identified themes related to promoting creativity in an environment, including the atmosphere, creative people, teachers, reflection, student needs, and assignments. The participants identified potential barriers in an environment, including rules and guidelines, teachers, the classroom, deadlines and time, feedback, and other important issues. The results ofthis study suggest that there needs to be a better understanding of creativity and greater support and encouragement for creativity in the classroom. Instructors need to support environments that are conducive to creative development and lead to effective learning for students. Students need to learn how to enhance their creativity as well as understand the barriers that block their creative development.

Creativity and the working artist/teacher : the relationships

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the relationships between creativity and the working artist/teacher employed by an art college. The topic emerged from my job as an instructor at The Ontario College of Art which was used as the primary data resource and provided the highest caliber of professionals to chose from. Existent data were used to facilitate the study generated by the research of Cawelti, Rappaport, and Wood (1992). The data were generated by a group of 5 faculty members from The University of Northern Iowa, recognized for their expertise in the arts (a painter, a poet, a sculptor, a novelist, and a photographer). They were asked to respond to the following statement: "In as much detail as you like, list the things that you did, thought, or felt the last time you created an artistic product. II Cawelti, Rappaport, and Wood (1992) produced three models of the creative process, each building on the previous, with the resultant third,being in my opinion, an excellent illustration (text/visual) of the creative process. Model three (Appendix D) presented a "multi-dimensional view of the creative process: time, space, observatility, and consciousnessll (p. 90). Model three utilized a visual mapping device along the bottom of the page linked to text segments above. Both the visual and the text were interrelated so that they harmonized into a comprehensive "picture." The parti'cipants of this qualitative study were asked to consider model three from their professional perspective as artist/teachers. The interpretive sciences directed the methodology. The hermeneutic circle of continuous reflection from the whole to the part and back to the whole was an important aspect of the data analyses. Four members of the Foundation Department at The Ontario College of Art were the key participants. A series of conversational interviews was the primary source of data collection, this was augmented by observation, fie,ldnotes, and follow up telephone interviews. Transcripts of interviews were returned to participants for reflection and the telephone was used to discuss any additional -points raised. Analysis consisted of coding and organizing data according to emerging themes. These themes formed the basis for the narrative stories. The text of the narrative stories were given back to each participant for further comment. Revisions were made until both the researcher and the participants felt that the stories reflected reality. The resultant whole was critiqued from the researcher's perspective. The significance of this study was discussed as it pertains to the working artist/teacher and areas in need of further study are pointed out.

Sinister creativity: a phenomenological exploration of some of the experiences and perceptions of six lefthanded visual artists

Six lefthanded artist-educators were interviewed to attempt to discover any patterns t6 their perceptions and experiences. Artists have their own culture and priorities. According to the literature, lefthanded people appear more likely to suffer from dyslexia, allergies, asthma and other auto-immune diseases as well as machinery and equipment injuries. Patterns emerging suggested that lefthanded people indeed suffer more from dyslexia. More startling was the distinct possibility that many artists have traumatic childhood histories. This would commonly include negative school experiences, and for a significant number sexual assault, perceived or actual abandonment by parents, and/or consistently low selfesteem. The researcher discovered possible reasons why creative people frequently have problems at school, why they tend to be rebellious and anti-establishment oriented, how many of them perceive societal rules, and why they are more likely to be lefthanded. These characteristics all have significant implications for art school administrators.

The relationship between creativity and moral judgment

A sample of 50 male and female subjects ranging in age from 12 to 73 were divided into three groups according to the scale of maturity of moral judgment developed by Lawrence Kohlberg. Subjects were also tested on a measure of creativity developed by Torrance after the formulations of Guilford in order to test the hypothesis that the re^- lationship between creativity and maturity of moral judgment is curvilinear. Researchers have failed to develop any working hypothesis concerning the relationship between creativity and moral judgment or postulate any consistent theoretical framework concerning the possible relationship between these two constructs. The empirical investigation involved a scientific testing of a random selection of elementary subjects9 high school adolescents, and creative adults. Tests included Kohlberg8s Moral dilemmas and Guilford's Product Improvement Task. A trend analysis was conducted to reveal whether or not a curvilinear relationship existed between the independent variable (Moral Maturity Stages) and the de~ pe dent variable (creativity performance under each level). Curvilinear trends were observed in two out of four creativity subscales but were not statistically significant. It was concluded that these contradictory findings were due to the relatively small number of subjects tested, the narrow range or moral judgment scores, and the limited conception of creativity defined by the creativity measure used (The Product Improvement Task). It was suggested that an instrument assessing an identity status would be most useful as well as a creativity measure better suited for a theory of creativity essentially developmental in perspective.

The status of drama in education in an Ontario school board

Drama in education has been describea- as a valuable pedagogical medium and methodology, enriching child development in the cognitive, skill, affective, and aesthetic domains, and spanning all areas of curriculum ~ oontent. However, despite its considerable versatility and cost-effectiveness, drama appears to maintain low status within the education system of ontario. This thesis investigated teacher perceptions of both the value and status of drama in education in one ontario school board. Data were gathered in the form of an attitude questionnaire, which was devised for the purpose of this research and administered to a stratified cluster sample of 126 teachers employed in the board's elementary schools. These data were then used to examine teacher perceptions based on their knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behaviour in the classroom. Teacher characteristics of gender, teaching assignment, years experience, and courses taken in drama were also analyzed as potential determinants of teacher attitudes towards drama in education. Results of the study confirmed apparent discrepancy between teacher perceptions of the value of drama and its current educational status. It was indicated that what teachers value most about drama is its capacity to enhance creativity, social skills, empathy, personal growth, and problem-solving ability among students. Teachers attribute its low status both to school and board priorities of time and resources, and to deficiencies in their knowledge and confidence in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of drama in the classroom. Teacher subgroup analysis revealed no significant differences in attitudes towards the status of drama in education; it did, however, suggest that both teachers who have studied drama and teachers with between ten and twenty years experience are most likely to value drama more highly than their colleagues. Recommendations proposed by the study include the provision of increased - time and resource allotment for drama within the elementary curriculum as well as increased teacher training at both faculty of education and board inservice levels.

Raising Creativity: Exploring How Creativity Can be Nurtured in Educational Contexts

The question of how we can encourage creative capacities in young people has never been more relevant than it is today (Pink, 2006; Robinson as cited in TEDtalksDirector, 2007; Eisner as cited in VanderbiltUniversity, 2009). While the world is rapidly evolving, education has the great challenge of adapting to keep up. Scholars say that to meet the needs of 21st century learners, pedagogy must focus on fostering creative skills to enable students to manage in a future we cannot yet envision (Robinson as cited in TEDtalksDirector, 2007). Further, research demonstrates that creativity thrives with autonomy, support, and without judgment (Amabile, 1996; Codack [Zak], 2010; Harrington, Block, & Block, 1987; Holt, 1989; Kohn, 1993). So how well are schools doing in this regard? How do alternative models of education nurture or neglect creativity, and how can this inform teaching practice all around? In other words, ultimately, how can we nurture creativity in education? This documentary explores these questions from a scholarly art-based perspective. Artist/researcher/teacher Rebecca Zak builds on her experience in the art studio, academia, and the art classroom to investigate the various philosophies and strategies that diverse educational models implement to illuminate the possibilities for educational and paradigmatic transformation. The Raising Creativity documentary project consists of multiple parts across multiple platforms. There are five videos in the series that answer the why, who, how, what, and now what about creativity in education respectively (i.e., why is this topic important, who has spoken/written on this topic already, how will this issue be investigated this time, what was observed during the inquiry, and now what will this mean going forward?). There is also a self-reflexive blog that addresses certain aspects of the topic in greater depth (located here, on this website) and in the context of Rebecca's lived experience to complement the video format. Together, all video and blog artifacts housed on this website function as a polyptych, wherein the pieces can stand alone individually yet are intended to work together and fulfill the dissertation requirements for Rebecca's doctorate degree in education in reimagined ways.

Myths of Modern Education

My focus is on assessment criteria of language proficiency in community college education. To demand clear writing is an application of scientism; it seeks to keep separate the fact/value distinction of positivism. This dangerously undermines the democratizing possibilities of education, since clear writing, taken to its extreme, is ultimately anonymous and dehumanizing. The active student-as-citizen is, therefore, subsumed under the neoliberal dictate of the passive student-as-consumer. The process of language acquisition is reduced to a fictitious act of knowledge transmission and regurgitation, and, therefore, those subversive aspects of language learning, such as creativity and critical inquiry, are undermined. An initial overview of the tenets of modernity will provide a conceptual framework for this examination.