CREATIVITY and INNOVATION have a powerful presence in educational philosophy. While most educators agree that teaching creativity is important, there are limited tools that exist to support the teaching and assessment of creativity in the classroom. The purpose of this work is to develop a broadly usable model that identifies and captures the core components of creativity and assesses the depth of a PBL (Project Based Learning) experience so that educators and students have what they need to be successful in the 21st century.
Character and Growth
We believe that participating in creativity contributes to the ongoing development of character. Through the creative process, students gain a new understanding of the world, themselves and others.
Creative Capacity
We believe that all students and teachers are rich in creative potential and are capable of contributing to the ongoing development and exploration of ideas in the classroom and in the world.
Ideas are Collaborative
We embrace a participatory model of creativity and recognize that ideas are strengthened when people with different skills and experiences come together to work towards a common purpose.
Build the CONTAINER: Define the tools and structures that guide student thinking
Engage in the EXPEDITION: Pursue purpose, motivation and meaning in the real world
Reflect through TRANSFERENCE: Synthesize, share the experience and tell the story of how the pieces fit together
CAPTURING CREATIVITY is a tool that gives students and educators the practical structures needed to capture a PBL experience and discern what happens when ideas are acted upon in specific ways. The intentional use of four domains provide a lens into the creative process.
Ideas are strengthened when you share them with others.
Conditions create opportunity or resistance.
Skills and knowledge impact the evolution of creative work.
Research, curiosity and learning stimulate creative thinking.
The Creative Process Intensive: In the fall of 2015, a group of Hawken Upper School educators came together to establish a new three week PBL course dedicated to giving students the space to unlock and shape the development of their ideas. In December of 2016, twenty Hawken Upper School students will spend three full weeks refining their creative process through a variety of real-life situations with immediate application. The ultimate goal of this work is to build a model that is scalable and can be used in a variety of educational settings.