Abstract Summary/Description
This project explores the roles of educators in impacting, fostering, and inhibiting students’ creativity while also reflecting on my own creative identity. In my creative journey, I struggled to identify and embrace myself as a creative person, feeling disconnected from the knowledge and experiences I had accumulated over the years. Through my participation in the M.A. in Creative & Innovative Education (MACIE) program, my creative identity shifted as I pondered the question: How can teachers support students who struggle to recognize their creative selves or even their creative potential? Thus, I examined how spaces, materials, and pedagogical approaches influence learning and, in turn, one’s creativity. The patterns that emerged from my reflection pointed to three key questions that I benefitted from pondering, and I believe other educators would benefit too. (1) Am I (or educators) keeping up to date with new perspectives and ways of thinking through a variety of texts? (2) Am I (or educators) providing necessary, intentional environments? (3) Am I (or educators) keeping up to date with new strategies, ways of teaching? Going back and forth, revisiting my personal experiences through the context of new texts, environments, and strategies not only fostered my creative growth but also reshaped my understanding of creativity as a dynamic, fluid process. Creativity, I concluded, not only is influenced by concepts and perspectives we engage with but also adapts to our environments and interactions. Thus, educators can utilize thoughtful and intentional resources, spaces, and strategies to nurture creativity in their students, especially those who feel disconnected or inhibited.
