Session Information
27 SES 02 B, Creative Pedagogical Practices
Paper Session
Contribution
In a bid to develop a more competitive and dynamic Europe, creativity and innovation are receiving increased attention and emphasis in both education and industry sectors (Cachia, Ferrari, Ala-Mutka, & Punie, 2010; Ferrari, Cachia & Punie, 2009; Gibson, 2005). In particular, schools are identified as having a key role to play in fostering and developing the creative and innovative capacities of children for further learning and working life (Cachia, Ferrari, Ala-Mutka & Punie, 2010). In the context of education, creativity may be conceptualized as a transveral and cross-curricular skill or an ability to make unpredicted connections and to generate new and appropriate ideas. (Cachia et al., 2010; Ferrari et al., 2009). It is argued that creativity can be developed in everyone and teachers and educational actors have the power to release the creative potential in learners (Cachia et al, 2010; Ferrari et al, 2009). Creative learning is based on learner empowerment and learner centeredness (Ferrari et al, 2009 p. iii). It is any learning which involves increasing understanding, developing new awareness and focusing on thinking skills (cf. ICEAC Study). It other words, it is the opposite to the reproductive experience (ibid). Teachers who are ‘themselves creative’ are the ones who ‘create the best conditions for enabling pupils or students to become creative’ (Tanggaard, 2011, p. 220; Ferrari et al, 2009). Creative learning requires innovative teaching (Ferrari et al, 2009 p. iii). Across European schools there is huge potential for creative learning and innovative teaching (cf. ICEAC study). However, within contemporary classrooms at a European level, there is little research evidence relating to creativity IN action or the pedagogies that support and/or hinder the creative process (Cachia et al., 2010).
This paper draws on findings from a small-scale SCoTENS-funded project focusing on creativity in action in primary and post primary classrooms in Ireland, north and south. The Creative Classrooms in Ireland Project explores how teachers and school leaders perceive creativity in action in Irish primary and post primary classrooms, north and south, its enablers and impediments. Through interview and lesson observation it compares and contrasts their perceptions of creativity in action with their practice in classrooms. The paper makes reference to a framework developed for DG Education and Culture by the JRC-IPTS Information Society Unit, Seville - the Scale Creative Classroom (Scale CCR) project (2011-2013) - around how trans-sectoral creative classroom practices can be scaled-up in a sustainable and meaningful manner. Our work aims to contribute to this European-level Scale CCR project by offering a deeper understanding of what creativity in action entails, the learning experiences it affords, the factors that promote or impede it and potential challenges in mapping it to a proposed framework.
Our research questions explore:
What are teachers’ and school leaders’ perceptions of the nature of creativity in action and its defining pedagogies?
- How do their articulated perceptions of creativity in action compare and contrast with their practice in classrooms?
- What is the role of intangibles in creativity in action pedagogies and what is their impact on the inter-relationships between pedagogy, technology, school infra-structure and systemic innovative practice?
- What are the complexities of mapping creativity in action?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Bassey, M. (1999). Case study research in educational settings. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press. Bocconi, S., Kampylis, P., & Punie, Y. (2012). Innovating learning: Key elements for developing creative classrooms in Europe. Seville: European Commission – Joint Research Centre – Institute for Prospective Technological Studies. Accessed Dec 2013 http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC72278.pdf Cachia, R., Ferrari, A., Ala-Mutka, K., & Punie, Y. (2010). Creative learning and innovative teaching: Final report on the study on creativity and innovation in education in the EU member states. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Accessed Dec 2013: http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC62370.pdf Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education (6 ed.). USA Canada Routledge. Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. Ferrari, A., Cachia, R., Punie, Y. (2009) Innovation and creativity in education and training in the EU member states: Fostering creative learning and supporting innovative teaching – literature review on innovation and creativity in E &T in the EU member states (ICEAC). Seville: European Commission Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS). Accessed Dec 2013: ftp://ftp.jrc.es/pub/EURdoc/JRC52374_TN.pdf Galvin, C. (2009). eTwinning in the classroom: A showcase of good practice (2008-2009). Brussels: Central Support Service for eTwinning (CSS). Gibson, H. (2005) What creativity isn’t: The presumptions of instrumentalism and individual justifications for creativity in education. British Journal of Educational Studies 53 (2): 148-167. Saldaña, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed.). London: Sage. Simons, H. (2009). Case Study Research in Practice. London: Sage *Notes: 1) Links to CCIT-Ireland research workshops: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UJTEQMoKwSRtzP7N6NJulmlSitoUASQi9nH5Enld30/edit http://scotens.org/wp-content/uploads/SCoTENS_programmeFINAL.pdf http://media-and-learning.eu/files/pdf/media-and-learning-2013_programme.pdf http://www.esai.ie/sites/default/files/documents/conference-34/2014/ESAI-programme-2014-final.pdf 2) ICEAC study: http://is.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pages/EAP/iceac.html 3) SCALE CCR Study: http://is.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pages/EAP/SCALECCR.html
Search the ECER Programme
- Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
- Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
- Search for authors and in the respective field.
- For planning your conference attendance you may want to use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference
- If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.