Discussion Article: Disciplinary Boundaries for Creativity

Abstract

Creativity is a very topical issue and indeed a political one. For example, the very notion of ‘little c creativity’ seems to be a reflection of the requirements of what could be described as a ‘Post-Fordist’ economy. However, the call to develop creativity in education is largely based on the idea of creativity as the production of novel ideas. The central argument of this article is that creativity cannot be seen purely in terms of novel ideas but that it is intrinsically bound with the teaching of the academic disciplines. It is within the context of creativity in the sense of transforming the disciplines that two paradoxes are discussed. The first paradox is that the truly creative act is not the preserve of the genius but the potential for the whole of humanity. Secondly, creativity involves both thinking within the constraints of the discipline and challenging those constraints. This implies the need for students to engage in meta-discourse, involving the nature and history of the subject-matter taught

Reviewing the Learning Process through Creative Puzzle Solving

“…Again, the old saying that creativity is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration should be noted (Rowlands, 2011).…”

Promoting Creativity and Self-efficacy of Elementary Students through a Collaborative Research Task in Mathematics: A Case Study

“…Furthermore, mathematical creativity ensures the growth of the field of mathematics as a whole (Sriraman, 2009). A first step towards achieving this goal is to assist teachers to view creativity as inherent in learning (Beghetto & Kaufman, 2009), and to inspire teachers to believe that all students can become creative, as creativity is not an exclusive trait of the gifted (Rowlands, 2011).…”

Creative Education, Globalization and Social Imaginary

“…From the overall perspectives of research in creativity and creative education, Dacey (1999: p. 321) suggested that modern creativity research has developed across a range of disciplines as "psychological and contextual influences received more recognition". Furthermore, creativity should not be seen purely in terms of novel ideas but that it is intrinsically bound with the teaching of academic disciplines (Rowlands, 2011).…”

“…As suggested by Rowlands (2011) that a truly creative idea, not one that is merely novel but innovative with respect to a background of ideas, does not come out of the void; it must rely on the insights of predecessors. From the educational philosophy, Jaworski (1994) confirms that the accumulation of global and local knowledge contribute to how students conceptualize their views to the world.…”