Academically Informed Creative Writing in LIS Programs and the Freedom to be Creative

Dali, Keren; Lau, A; Risk, Kevin

doi:10.3138/jelis.56.4.298

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A frequent complaint is that assignments appear to be “busywork” (Dow, 2011, p. 32; see also McDowell and Sambell, 2003) and prove boring, uninspiring, and un-motivating; that they resemble undergraduate assignments and do not live up to the expectation of graduate-level projects; that they do not make use of students’ unique talents, previous educational backgrounds, and personal interests (e.g. Dali et al , 2015). Such assignments perpetuate a situation whereby a real or perceived gap between university education and professional practice becomes pronounced (e.g.…”

Section: The Waldorf Model – Waldorf In Course Assignmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dali and Caidi, 2016; Cherry et al , 2011, 2013; Fisher et al , 2005; Theakston, 2000) and students feel that they have to socialize into the new professional environment at the price of relinquishing their passions and previous education (e.g. Boud, 2000; Dali et al , 2015). Now and then in conversations, students refer to specific elements of assignments and projects as obstacles or barriers that cause writer’s block and do not allow them to think freely.…”

Section: The Waldorf Model – Waldorf In Course Assignmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They recognize other elements, albeit not particularly exciting, for their utility and usefulness, and they are thrilled with built-in flexibility and options that capitalize on their individual interests (e.g. Dali et al , 2015; Dow, 2011; McDowell and Sambell, 2003, pp. 71-72).…”

Section: The Waldorf Model – Waldorf In Course Assignmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This will serve as a learning motivator and contribute to their professional confidence (e.g. Dali et al , 2015).…”

Section: The Waldorf Model – Waldorf In Course Assignmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The way of WalDorF: fostering creativity in LIS programs

Dali

2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to call into question the most longstanding pedagogical practices in academia while analyzing their potential to foster student creativity and innovation in the classroom. While some suggestions advanced in this paper may not have the same importance in other fields and disciplines, they are highly relevant in the applied, interdisciplinary, and very fast moving field of Library and Information Science (LIS). Design/methodology/approach Positioning creativity as a teachable skill and relying on the learner-centered pedagogy of Carl Rogers, the paper presents a model that can serve as a litmus test for the creative potential of graduate-level assignments in LIS programs. The model is called “Walls,” “Doors,” and “Fences” (WalDorF); these terms refer to specific statements in graduate assignment descriptions that are necessary (“Walls”); conducive to creative expression (“Doors”); or unjustifiably restrictive (“Fences”). The paper uses a sample assignment from a “Foundations of LIS” course to illustrate the model; it also provides several examples of the WalDorF model application in other LIS courses. Findings Using the WalDorF model, the paper revisits and challenges some of the most common pedagogical practices in graduate LIS teaching, including the prevalence of written papers as course assignments; the implications of equating “research” with an overview of secondary literature; the need for professors’ approvals of research topics; the meaning of the “quality of writing;” the imperative of “academic” writing as opposed to other types of writing; the word/page limit; the use of standardized reference styles; the class participation requirement; and the late assignment policies, among others. Originality/value The real change in education is foundational and goes beyond cosmetic improvements. If we want to develop learning experiences that tap into students’ creative potential, the very core of our approaches needs to be scrutinized and questioned, even the centuries-old staples of academic teaching. At the end of the day, we may decide that changing things is not in the best interests of learning. However, a complete critical analytical work must be done to convince and reassure ourselves that tried-and-true methods are the best way to go. The proposed WalDorF model presents one possible frame for critical revision.

show abstract

Section: The Waldorf Model – Waldorf In Course Assignmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Waldorf Model – Waldorf In Course Assignmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Waldorf Model – Waldorf In Course Assignmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This will serve as a learning motivator and contribute to their professional confidence (e.g. Dali et al , 2015).…”

Section: The Waldorf Model – Waldorf In Course Assignmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The way of WalDorF: fostering creativity in LIS programs

Dali

2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Do they know who and what immigrants were before they became "newcomers" and "ESL"? While the aggregate findings and ensuing conclusions about the reading preferences and behaviours of immigrants are of the utmost importance in understanding this group of readers (Dali et al, 2015;Dali, 2013b), individual readers' stories draw out the faces, names and unique life situations from generalized discourse and numeric data. Readers' histories and the individual stories they unveil are at the heart of the current article, which focuses on a sample of Russian-speaking readers living in Canada.…”

Section: Reading Histories and Immigrant Readersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Readers’ histories as a way of studying and understanding multicultural library communities

Dali

2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Personal readers’ histories have long had a respected place in reading research. They add a human, personalized dimension to the studies of reading practices, often reported through aggregate findings and generalized conclusions. Moreover, they introduce a private context of readers’ lives, which complements other reading contexts (e.g. historical, socio-economic and cultural) required for an understanding of reading behaviours. The purpose of this paper, based on a selected data set from a larger reading study, is to introduce a gallery of portraits of immigrant readers with the aim to facilitate the library practice with immigrant communities. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative face-to-face intensive interviews with immigrant readers. Findings The knowledge of reading contexts and the opportunity to see readers as individuals rather than anonymous statistics are crucial for librarians who come in contact with multicultural populations. Personal histories can also serve as a step in building interpersonal relationships between librarians and community members. Originality/value The value of the study is in introducing a methodological approach which, through collecting and writing reading histories, allows librarians to gain insight into the cultural practices of multicultural communities and to adjust their work accordingly. This approach can also be used as a prototype for researching other community groups.

show abstract

Do que estamos falando quando falamos de Escrita Criativa

Amábile

2020

Rev. Cria. Crít.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

O presente ensaio discute a Escrita Criativa como um espaço de encontro. A discussão se alicerça por meio de uma cartografia de definições de Escrita Criativa, mesclada às reflexões advindas da experiência do autor como ministrante de oficinas e pesquisador da área. A metodologia consiste em investigar fontes diversas, como sites de universidades, trabalhos acadêmicos, livros teóricos, manuais, centrais de acolhimentos de escritores e, por fim, relatar experiências pessoais como ministrante de oficinas e cursos de Escrita Criativa para propor uma definição própria. A base teórica inclui Karen Lockney, D. G. Myers, Paul Dawson, Mark Mcgurl, João de Mancelos e Luiz Antonio de Assis Brasil.

show abstract

Academically Informed Creative Writing in LIS Programs and the Freedom to be Creative

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

The way of WalDorF: fostering creativity in LIS programs

The way of WalDorF: fostering creativity in LIS programs

Readers’ histories as a way of studying and understanding multicultural library communities

Do que estamos falando quando falamos de Escrita Criativa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About