Creatives Teaching Creativity

In the books and articles I have been reading and researching on Students as Designers a pattern has emerged.  In today’s world creative thinking and problem solving are a capital all leading countries are striving to obtain to create the next economic breakthrough.  The ability to think and create new ideas from existing patters occurs through multiple disciplines and be possessed for the survival in the future.  In the article Creatives Teaching Creativity the authors discuss how it is expected for teachers of creative disciplines such as the arts to teach and foster creativity skills it is not clear students are learning it.

I believe students need to be creating every opportunity the can.  Students need to be designing and problem solving through authentic problems.  The article Creatives Teaching Creativity almost argues that Creatives (people in creative fields) have a monopoly the ability to teach creativity.  I disagree.  I believe that creativity in certain disciplines can be fostered easier because of the abstract nature of the discipline but all teachers can teach students to design, to create, and problem solve.  The hurdles of being a teacher makes teachers creative and makes them problem solvers.  Teaching creativity and problem solving just needs to be practiced.  Teaching creativity can be messy and chaotic in world where  time is strictly regulated and test taking strategies rule supreme.   

Students as Designers

The DDLS definition for Students as Designers:  Good learning designs engage students in using content to construct meaningful outcomes by comprehensively scaffolding students’ ability to design. I believe  Bruce Nussbaum would wholeheartedly support this definition and the concept of Students as Designers.  Bruce uses the example of Apple’s success to success to prove the point that fruitful enterprises are no longer based on energy extraction, manufacturing, or technology.  To gain success like Apple one must design with originality and use creative processes. 

Bruce believes promoting creative skills in the classroom will directly affects entrepreneurial ventures in the business world.  Creative designers who can frame new patters and use their knowledge to create new products and ideas are worth the most in the marketplace. Creativity is not rare, given to the few.  Creativity is in all.  It is a skill that can be nurtured, grown, and improved.  

Because the problems of the 21^st century require more than one solution answers, the people who have developed deep creative skills will be the ones to solve these problems.

Good lesson design incorporates multi - literacies and promotes students ability to design in an authentic situation.  These lessons should teach students proper design techniques like CRAP and the encoding process (DEAPR) while being connected to the PICKLE.