Having a working mental model to develop creativity

Maybe creativity is a pretty difficult thing to define. There are plenty of definitions, this one from Brittanica seemed as good as any:

"creativity, the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form."

I have argued the case for creativity in many different ways (for example, here), although best of all you can get a copy of Professor O'Connor's paper here. In this paper Peter and the team provide the research basis for the wellbeing and academic benefits (amongst other things) of creativity.

I can't help thinking however that it may be slightly more problematic to gain general acceptance of a universal definition of creativity. Maybe defining 'creativity' may be as difficult as the Dr Who scriptwriters put it with the Doctor trying to explain the concept of time:

From our experience at Hornby High School, I certainly think that reaching some sort of loosely agreed paradigm, or conceptual framework, is useful, maybe essential, if we are to make sure that we continue to strengthen and embed creativity in all that we do. We began that journey in 2017 by setting a very ambitious vision for our kura "he puna auaha a centre of creative excellence". At least that said what we want to be, although it is still (I think) a work in progress to develop universal understanding of what that looks like within our kura.

In  response to my recent thinking about artificial intelligence and creativity (prompted by a quick dip into ChatGPT), Professor Peter O'Connor of the University of Auckland said this:

"If we looked at the eleven dimensions I’d say that it misses a number of things central to truly creative behaviour.  It is risk free if not averse, simply a tool for synthesising.  Its convergent rather than divergent and it merely solves problems not poses them"

Peter is referring to the 11 dimensions used in the Creative Schools Index identified as being important to the development of creativity.  

 

Source: https://creativeschoolsinitiative.org/creativity/

The index generates a summary of student perceptions about the creativity of their school experience. Here is the Hornby High School report for our Year 7 & 8 students.

Where are the gaps? What could we do better? How could we do it better? I guess you could say that the CSI is our 'theory of change', although I don't mean that in a strictly academic sense (I suspect i don't truly understand what it is in a strictly academic sense).

And then for Hornby High School, as a part of the Manaiakalani kaupapa, we have our 'Learn Create Share' pedagogy, placing creativity at the centre of 'how we cause learning'. Within this kaupapa we define the 'create' component like this:

Thanks to the work of Angela Taylor, our Uru Mānuka Education Programme Leader, for this slide

Here's the thing: in schools, if we have an intellectual framework, a mental model, that helps us to 'define', to 'understand', what we are trying to achieve, to tell us what creativity looks like. If you prefer,  we need a 'mental model' to tell us what behaviours contribute to creativity, then we are much more likely to achieve it.

At Hornby High School we are fortunate to have two complementary paradigms or frameworks within which to understand and frame our work in developing creativity. This is hugely helpful in building our individual and collective understanding of the mahi that we need to do. Each paradigm may appeal tom different teacher personalities, different world views. Some of us need quite specific detail, others of us are happier being given the general view of what something looks like, and then being allowed to get on with it.

AI and creativity: a slightly (too?) philosophical discussion

My very brief dabble with ChatGPT highlighted what I have felt is coming for some time: the capacity and potential of artificial intelligence to usurp our roles as creators. It has led me to think carefully about our vision as a school: 'he puna auaha a centre of creative excellence'. 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Creativity_questioned%3F_%2830255881531%29.jpg

This vision was partly driven by the belief that creativity is one of the key components that defines our humanity. These are the things that separate us from technology and AI. If AI can now replace us as creators (if!!), as it would seem ChatGPT and AI generally could do, then where does it leave us?

This has led me to arrive at a dichotomy best expressed in these two statements. 

1. 'We are creative because we are human'. That is, being creative is a fundamental part of being human. It helps to define us, it is an inherent part of our humanity. 
2. 'Because we are human, we are creative'. If you like, this is the idea that creativity feeds our 'souls' (not intended in a strictly spiritual sense), it nurtures our spirit, it provides a means to express who and what we are. It is an essential outlet for us,  it affirms our identity.

You may not agree with me (and that's fine, we need to be able to disagree), You may think that these mean the same thing, and that's fine too. To my way of thinking they have those different meanings. Maybe there is a better way to express it. With all of that said and done, I now think it is the latter. It is our humanity that drives a need to be creative.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-makes-us-human/ .. albeit a biological discussion, you get the idea

 

So while AI generally might well be able to produce a 'product' that appears to be creative, this does not usurp a fundamental role of creativity as an expression of our humanity. 

Perhaps foolishly I put the two phrases into ChatGPT, and got this back:

"The difference between the two sentences is the order of the clauses. The first sentence, "We are creative because we are human," implies that being human is the reason for our creativity. The second sentence, "Because we are human, we are creative," implies that being human is a prerequisite for our creativity. In other words, the first sentence is saying that our humanity causes our creativity and the second sentence is saying that our humanity is a necessary condition for our creativity."

Sort of... but not quite what I have tried to explain.

Does it matter? Perhaps not. Either way I still hold to my opinion that schools need to nurture creativity in their communities. Given the work of Professor Peter O'Connor and his team on the benefits of creativity to human wellbeing, and school achievement, it seems to me that to ignore its inclusion in our daily school life is foolish at least.

The ChatGPT response to leading for creativity in schools

 I have been prompted to take a look at the latest AI ChatGPT as a research and writing tool. I asked it this question: 'How do we lead schools to ensure greater creativity?'

Leading schools to foster greater creativity can be achieved through several strategies, such as: 

1. Encouraging a growth mindset: By promoting the idea that intelligence and abilities can be developed through hard work and perseverance, schools can create an environment that encourages students to take risks and explore new ideas.
2. Providing opportunities for self-directed learning: Allowing students to take ownership of their learning by giving them choice and autonomy can lead to more creative thinking.
3. Introducing a multidisciplinary curriculum: Offering a diverse range of subjects can broaden students' perspectives and spark new ideas.
4. Creating a supportive and safe environment: When students feel safe and valued, they are more likely to share their ideas and take risks.
5. Providing access to resources and technology: Providing students with access to a variety of resources and technology can inspire creativity and innovation.
6. Encouraging collaboration: Collaborative projects and activities can foster creativity as it allows students to bounce ideas off one another.
7. Implementing a Maker Space or Innovation Lab: Creating a dedicated space in school where students can experiment, create, and collaborate can inspire creativity and innovation.
8. Hiring and training teachers who are passionate about creativity and innovation.
9. Incorporating design thinking and problem-solving methodologies in the classroom
10. Celebrating and sharing student's creativity and innovation.

It's worth noting that fostering creativity is not only the responsibility of the school's leadership but also the teachers and students. It's also important to note that creativity may be fostered differently depending on the students and the context.

 It;'s relatively generic, but still useful. I need to sit back a digest this.

A culture of creativity, or a creative culture, or ... ?

It was early November 2022, and I was sitting on stage at our senior prize giving, a fairly traditional affair, but I like tradition. I like the celebration of achievement. At the end of the evening I was deliberate in acknowledging that not all achievement looks like this, that for example there are those for whom achievement is battling anxiety and getting to school in the morning. That comment alone drew an email of gratitude from a parent the day after the prize giving.

Anyway I was sitting on stage listening to the Head Student addresses (we have three Head Students, one for each 'kāhui' - our vertical pastoral groupings) and yet again one of our head students made reference to creativity, and our vision of creative excellence. No, this is not the first year that this has happened, I'd guess at least three times over the past few years, but memory is a dodgy thing, eh. 

Source: http://www.pz.harvard.edu/50th/creativity

This unprompted student reference (we don't tell them what to say) led me to thinking that something may be going on here. I wondered in particular if we are finally seeing something happening within the school culture itself. I wondered if we are seeing creativity embedded as part of 'how we do things' at Hornby High School.

That's traditionally how we define 'school culture'.  We tend to recognise this as 'the way we do things around here', and on the one hand this could be interpreted as the ways and means that we employ, the mechanistic approaches we use, in getting things done. At Hornby High School we make this visible on our staff site in this way. 

On the other hand it could really mean 'the way we do things around here', as in what we value, the beliefs we hold that drive our daily actions. And this reference to creativity made me wonder what progress we had made: do we have a creative culture, do we have a culture of creativity, do we have something else, something far less interesting and profound? These are not the same things.

To be honest I don't know. I'd LIKE to think that we are growing a culture of creativity, a culture in which increasingly staff, students, Board members, and community, share a common belief in the importance and value of creativity as we go about our business. I have worked hard to try to bring creativity to the fore in our mahi. In 2022 we published our first ever student poetry year book- ka rawe!!!! Each year we award a prize for 'creative excellence' (sponsored by the Hornby Rotary Club), something NOT limited to the creative and performing arts (although this year with Nadia we had a truly outstanding recipient with an extraordinary performing arts background).

I've written before about this idea that we are what we repeatedly do, what we repeatedly talk about, what we repeatedly think about. In a quote usually attributed to Aristotle, we'd say “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." It does appear that this quote in fact comes from a more recent philosopher, Will Durant. Try a quick Google search. Frankly though I'm not too worried about who said it, but more about the sentiment, one that I hold close. If we repeatedly talk about valuing creativity, AND if we repeatedly ensure that our actions demonstrate that value, then over time I believe that we will build a culture of creativity in our community.

We see increasing levels of creativity across many curriculum areas. For a second year in a row we have made a successful application to the Ministry of Education to host a 'Creatives in Schools' programme with the amazing Dr Claire Hughes (thank you Ministry of Education). We foster and publish student creative work, whether poetry or art, tech projects or maths.

Many staff have embraced our creative approaches to timetable and curriculum innovation, despite the pressure this puts on them to change how they personally do things. The year 2023 will see a significant shift in timetable and curriculum, as a consequence of their thinking.

So, are we creating a culture of creativity? Are we creating a creative culture? I'd like to think that both statements are correct, but it's perhaps not for me to judge, but rather for our community, our tamariki, our staff, to judge. I may be 'over egging the custard' as a former Headmaster of mine used to say (I loved that saying), but I can't help feeling that there is something quite profound to be read into these spontaneous references to creativity being made by head students after their 7 years in our kura.