The ‘art’ of creative teaching: implications for higher education

Abstract

Richard Florida's The rise of the creative class (2002) delivered a strong wakeup call to higher education institutions worldwide. By linking creativity to technological innovation and economic prosperity, Florida argued that universities and colleges should nurture creativity in their students. But for many years, the higher education enterprise has been criticised for dampening creativity rather than fostering it. This paper explores the subversive nature of creativity, the value of creative teaching and proposes a number of strategies higher education should consider if they hope to graduate the future leaders of twenty-first century society.

The contradictions of policy and practice: creativity in higher education

“…The (disturbed) creative genius, powerfully and amusingly deconstructed by Schlesinger (2009Schlesinger ( , 2012, still underpins much of what passes for biographical history in many disciplines. And even in the more 'hard-headed' business-like approach in favour with management, incentivisation, rewards and bonus payments are at least contestable if not fully contradicted by much research on motivation which emphasises, rather, intrinsic drive, commitment and self-satisfaction (Hennessey & Amabile, 1998;2010). Sawyer (2006) in his exposé of the myths of creativity, quotes Gladwell (2002): "the talent myth assumes that people make organisations smart.…”

“…Amabile et al, 1994Amabile et al, , 1996Amabile et al, , 2005Hennessey & Amabile, 1998, 2010. Their work identifies critical factors that are vital for any organisation that seeks to nurture creative endeavour and output: (a) organisation-wide supports; (b) psychological safety; (c) recognition of the value of intrinsic motivation; (d) sufficient time; (e) autonomy; (f) developmental feedback; (g) creativity goals.…”

“…There is nonetheless scope to consider aspects of creative development, critical analysis and richer student engagement in the design of programmes (Gibson, 2010;KWP, 2010), but many curricular reforms (eg. Hennessy et al, 2010) have tended, in practice, to focus on structures and content (for example, a repackaging of modules in thematic clusters, with perhaps an increased element of choice or 'non-core' options), 'transferable skills', sometimes being provided in clearly delineated skills modules, rather than, for example, as part of a pervasive ethos of an institution or programme.…”

Perceções sobre criatividade: Estudo com estudantes do Ensino Superior

“…Este e outros autores (Barak, 2009;Deverell & Moore, 2014) sublinham a necessidade de o ensino superior fomentar características como a tomada de risco, a autonomia, a flexibilidade, a abertura à experiência, a espontaneidade, sendo espaço encorajador e, de facto, formador face ao mundo de trabalho. A universidade tem de ser um campus criativo (Pachucki, Lena, & Tepper, 2010) para a força de trabalho futura altamente especializada que liderará todos os domínios da vida social (Gibson, 2010;McWilliam, Hearn, & Haseman, 2008).…”

“…Como expressa Gibson (2010), é necessário ouvir "a voz dos estudantes" (p. 611). Há, porém, necessidade de mais investigações sobre o tópico a nível atual e internacional (Pachucki et al, 2010;Slate, LaPrairie, Schulte, & Onwuegbuzie, 2011).…”