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Participatory Creativity
Participatory Creativity in the Classroom presents a systems-based approach to examining creativity in education that aims to make participating in creativity accessible to all students. Moving beyond the gifted-versus-ungifted debate present in many of today s classrooms, the book s inclusive framework situates creativity as a socially distributed process. This dynamic framework provides action-based strategies for teachers, scholars, policymakers, and others who seek to understand the ethical dimensions of fostering creativity and develop exciting teaching and learning environments."
- GenresNonfiction
218 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2016
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July 22, 2017
Edward P. Clapp has written a mostly accessible book around his theory of creativity.
The crux of the theory hinges on the paradigm shift from creativity situated in an individual or in a product like a painting or book to creativity as a socially constructed idea. This shift is best illustrated through chapters in which Clapp tells the biography of an idea. For example, he illustrates this idea by shifting the creative work associated with the Grunge movement of the early nineties from the biography of Kurt Cobain to the biography of the idea of Grunge that developed from the participation of multiple actors.
The strength of this idea is that creativity is no longer viewed as the domain of lone geniuses, but is seen as something that everyone can and should participate in. In addition, we shouldn't focus on specific cognitive skills or mindsets in defining the creative individual. Instead we should look at each person's profile of participation in the process of contributing to development of a creative idea.
The question that it leaves me with is the question of transference. Clapp makes the argument that classrooms and other environments that nurture the social creativity build individual's content knowledge and skills, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, and their perception of themselves as a creative person. All of that is great, if it actually does build skills that stick. But how do we know?
The idea of profiles of participation are intriguing, particularly when viewed from the perspective of formative assessment. But Clapp's book doesn't provide much guidance in how to collect data on these profiles nor what specific attributes should be included or elevated. Surely there are many ways people might participate in creativity, but even with a robust list, are there not specific attributes that should be elevated, named for students, and given intentional focus as students work to improve their ability to productively participate in creativity?
Regardless of these questions, Participatory Creativity is an important addition to the literature on creativity and it's implications in education.
The crux of the theory hinges on the paradigm shift from creativity situated in an individual or in a product like a painting or book to creativity as a socially constructed idea. This shift is best illustrated through chapters in which Clapp tells the biography of an idea. For example, he illustrates this idea by shifting the creative work associated with the Grunge movement of the early nineties from the biography of Kurt Cobain to the biography of the idea of Grunge that developed from the participation of multiple actors.
The strength of this idea is that creativity is no longer viewed as the domain of lone geniuses, but is seen as something that everyone can and should participate in. In addition, we shouldn't focus on specific cognitive skills or mindsets in defining the creative individual. Instead we should look at each person's profile of participation in the process of contributing to development of a creative idea.
The question that it leaves me with is the question of transference. Clapp makes the argument that classrooms and other environments that nurture the social creativity build individual's content knowledge and skills, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, and their perception of themselves as a creative person. All of that is great, if it actually does build skills that stick. But how do we know?
The idea of profiles of participation are intriguing, particularly when viewed from the perspective of formative assessment. But Clapp's book doesn't provide much guidance in how to collect data on these profiles nor what specific attributes should be included or elevated. Surely there are many ways people might participate in creativity, but even with a robust list, are there not specific attributes that should be elevated, named for students, and given intentional focus as students work to improve their ability to productively participate in creativity?
Regardless of these questions, Participatory Creativity is an important addition to the literature on creativity and it's implications in education.
Displaying 1 of 1 review