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Can Creativity be Taught?

4/21/2013

3 Comments

 
It is exciting to see how each of the speakers brings perspectives from their different fields to create a common understanding of creativity.  Malcolm Gladwell talks about the 10,000 hour rule and Mobley talks about how we do not learn to be creative, but rather become creative. 

I wonder if there could be a relationship between the two?

Mobley says that creativity is correlated with self-knowledge, requires taking a job that makes you feel uncomfortable, and requires treating the impossible as possible. Finally and most importantly, Mobley says, “Never quit.” Refusing to quit requires having faith in ourselves. Mobley says, “Transformation, like giving birth, is always a painful process.” 

Our first speaker, Sebastian Seung is modeling this in his quest for seeking to map and understand the human brain.  The task is daunting, seemingly impossible especially since the only connectome currently mapped is that of a worm.  But it is his persistence and yearning to understand our identity that drives him onward. Might he have the recipe Mobley discusses to make this dream a reality?

In a New Culture of Learning, Thomas and Brown speak about a culture that that responds to its surroundings organically. It not only adapts, it integrates change into its process as one of its environmental variables.  This tolerance for ambiguity will need to embraced as we don’t know what jobs or problems the 21st Century World will face.  So connecting Howard Gardner’s 5 minds of the future will be especially important as we prepare our youth for what lies ahead.  Gardner says that it is important to be disciplined, respectful, ethical, synthesizing, and creative.  He gives us ideas about how to build that character in our students.

Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we are educating our children and encourages us to teach to the multiple intelligences of our students.  When we focus on our strengths it helps us to overcome our challenges.  When you connect that to Daniel Pink and his ideas about motivation, he shows that choice is one of the highest motivators.  He believes that autonomy, mastery, and purpose are what people yearn to have in their daily lives.

Put this all together and I can apply it to my own career.  Can creativity be taught?  I agree with Mobley.  I don’t think it can be taught in the traditional sense, but I do think that one can become creative.  I never thought of myself as a creative person.  There are many artists in my family so I always thought of creativity as being artistic.  It wasn’t until I was asked to become the GATE TOSA for the district that I found my creative side.  When I was asked to be the GATE TOSA it made me feel sick to my stomach.  I had negative feelings about GATE.  My expertise was working with English Learners at Title I schools.   I knew I loved teaching children, but was I really capable of teaching ALL children?  Was there one type of learner I preferred over another?  I had no formal GATE training and what was a TOSA anyway?  I was placed in a situation that was uncomfortable.  Families were unhappy and I had to figure out why.   I had to ask myself could I advocate for ALL learners.  When I reflected on my years of teaching, I realized that with or with-out GATE training it was all about moving students forward. Many said it was impossible to really adopt an All Means All model within our district.  It took the ability to look at our system in a new way and it took persistence to stick with it even when it was only .40 of my week.  But now we have a program called ALPS to be proud of in our district.  It looks at all of our learners and reinforces that we all need to keep moving forward academically and social- emotionally.  As Pink would say, “This work has given me a sense of purpose and autonomy.”  I am thankful for that!

3 Comments
Lori Welty
4/27/2013 09:20:50 am

The Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hour rule should be taught to every student. My girls own a copy of Outliers and have to listen to Mom and Dad talk about the 10,000 hour rule. As teachers, we have a clear understanding of that rule. Many seasoned teachers talk about the learning that occurred during the first 10 years of teaching.
I appreciate the way you related the assignment to an experience in your educational career as a GATE TOSA. Thanks for taking a risk to make a difference in the lives of our children. You've done an amazing job as a GATE TOSA!!!

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Kirsten Gerhardt
4/27/2013 12:10:55 pm

Dana, I totally relate to the feeling of doing something outside of your comfort zone. That has been me for the last 3 years! I am so happy that I did took the job that I have right now because I have grown is so many ways. I can't imagine NOT having the experiences and learning opportunities that I have had. I am a totally different teacher with very different beliefs! My work has also give me a sense of purpose and autonomy, ultimately leading to my motivation to continue to learn more through this masters program.
I remember the GATE program before you got your amazing hands on it! It was mostly an after school extra class sort of program. I do not remember any other part of the program. Now I see the many amazing things that students are doing in the classroom each day. They are motivated and excited about the work they are doing. I think Daniel Pink was right!

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Genevieve
4/29/2013 01:36:19 pm

It seems to me that anyone who stays in teaching lives Mobley's ideas of taking a job that makes you feel uncomfortable. I have changed skins so many times in this profession. I have questioned, altered, searched, changed and reflected on my teaching practices.

Similarly, Pink echoes another aspect of strong teachers and creative souls: autonomy, mastery and purpose. You have presented this in your dedication to changing the ALPS program. You just might be creative in spite of yourself!

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    Dana Cope

    An educator for 17 years who loves exploring new ways to support and facilitate learning and make it meaningful to students of all ages.

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