2nd Global Conference
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Thursday 14th July - Saturday 16th July
2005
Mansfield College, Oxford
Conference Programme, Abstracts & Papers
Session 1: Creativity, Engagement and Education
Chair: Phil Fitzsimmons
Creative Engagement: Where Teaching and Learning
Meet
Sharon
Lee
Department of Philosophy, University of Waterloo
What is creativity? It is often assumed that a creative product or idea is original, novel, or groundbreaking, or perhaps useful, adaptive, or even revolutionary. It is also often assumed that a creative product or idea requires the input of an individual who is gifted, perceiving the world in radically different ways. But is creativity limited to being a property of innovative products or exceptional individuals alone? Some would say yes, and furthermore, they would recommend that it is best not to attempt to unpack our understanding of creativity any further because it would diminish its rarity. But given the latent possibilities that creative thinking can release, it is an interesting question to also ask, as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi does: where does creativity happen? It has been argued that personal creativity occurs whenever an individual constructs a new understanding. For that individual, the new understanding can be merely informative, providing the individual with knowledge and skills that may be new to the individual but are part of a larger body of societal knowledge. Or it can be transformative, altering not only the worldview of that individual but of society at large as well. When this occurs, the creative act shifts from one that is personal to one that is social and of course, brings with it the risk of acceptance. The cost of engaging in personal creativity is minimal, requiring only that the individual be intrinsically motivated with a desire to explore and an ability to accept open questions. Conversely, the cost of social creativity can be extreme because of the difficulty associated with overcoming a society’s previously established knowledge and procedures. The potential to be found in innovative thought can only be realized if there is both a societal desire to foster this potential and an individual desire to take appropriate risks. A complete understanding of the creative process is required to successfully engage creative thinking with discretionary decision-making. And an appropriate place to encourage this engagement is the institution of education. With this in mind this paper is going to argue that creative and critical thinking rather than merely the dissemination of existing knowledge should be the guiding priority of education. Using a systems approach like that of Csikszentmihalyi , I will explain why creative and critical thinking cannot be disassociated from its social or cultural context. I will argue that the current educational trend to emphasize standardized curriculum and testing, job skills training, and a back-to-the-basics approach to teaching not only hinders the creative problem-solving skills necessary to understand the structure of societal preferences but also diminishes the community of inquirers necessary to recognize, validate, and support the innovative thought necessary for the maintenance of positive social progress.
“Creativity in its Broadest Sense” and
its Role in the Education of Children with Severe Disabilities – A
Case Study
Lefkothea
Kartasidou
Faculty of Educational and Social Policy,
University of Macedonias (Greece), Thessaloniki, Greece
Creativity as part of
the aesthetic education helps the child to express itself. Creative thinking
is the possibility that every human being has to express himself, his preferences
and choices. The question that arises regarding special education is the meaning
of creative thinking and acting especially in the case of children with severe
disabilities. Very few creative activities are organized and integrated
in the daily educational program for these children and most of them
as free time activities. All educational programs are academic oriented
and very little space is left for other activities that could promote
functional life skills. The complication and the “degree” of
the disability play further an important role regarding the intensity
and the frequency that a teacher will consider to give to creative
activities. In order to make it possible for children with severe
disabilities to be part of all possible activities in daily school
programs it is important to redefine the meaning of creativity. The
opportunity to express preferences and to make choices is very seldom
given to these children and the educational programs and environments
are very restricted and controlled.
This paper endeavors to show
possible solutions for a teacher to integrate creative – aesthetic
activities as rituals/ routines in special school settings in order
to help children with severe disabilities to communicate and interact.
The educational program took place in a special school setting in
Greece for over 6 months and a child (9 years old) with severe disabilities
(severe mental retardation, epilepsy, visual impairment) participated
in this program. The results of this case study show that creativity
in its broader sense combined with daily routines can help a child
with severe disabilities increase interactions. Further investigation
regarding similar educational programs is to be considered for the
future.
Human Centred Education
Deborah
Whitford
Director, Harmonic Studies, Artarmon, New South Wales, Australia
Education
practices in most developed countries, based on hard-core materialist
philosophies as they are, prepare children for the limitations of
the world in which they live. The children are stifled if successful
and discarded if they cannot or will not jump the hurdles that are
put before them. The devastations created in the environment are mirrored
in the devastations we create in our children.
By contrast, human-centred
education endeavours to understand each individual child and honours
every stage of his or her development through a curriculum that balances
academic and artistic activities in an atmosphere of respect for children’s
individual emotional and cognitive needs.
Human centred education is
a comprehensive system of educational philosophy and pedagogic practice
developed by Garry Richardson (recently deceased) who modified and substantially
extended Rudolph Steiner’s
ideas. Within this system particular emphasis is placed on creative
and cognitive experiences of young children at kindergarten and primary
school levels.
This paper provides an account of the salient features
of human centred education. My understanding of human centred education
is based on my study of Garry Richardson’s writings on philosophy
and education, and is grounded in my roles of both parent and teacher
associated with a school in NSW (Australia) founded by Garry Richardson.