Preamble

Syllabus

Description, Requirements, etc.

Sequence of classes

Bibliography

Collaborative Explorations (CEs)

1. Everyone can think creatively!

September 3, 10, 17, 24

Imagine a "guidebook" to help you appreciate the idea that everyone can think creatively and to help you help others appreciate that idea. The end-product of this CE are drafts of entries to this guidebook, which might take the form of text, maps, schemas, mp3s, or something else (adding up to at least 1200 words or its page-equivalent, in one or more entries). These entries should introduce and organize key resources, i.e., key concepts, issues and debates, references to research, quotes or paraphrases from those references, interactive activities and personal habits, people and organizations to take note of, appropriate stories. CCT630 students are encouraged to focus on thinking creatively in the areas of literature and arts. (Do not be concerned about whether your entries overlap with anyone elses.)

Some questions that might stimulate your inquiries:

• How much have well-worn sources from the 80s and 90s been superceded by more recent research and writing; how much do they hold up? (Is it right to criticize a course or a handbook on creativity for using old references? Can we show the longer-term CCT instructors in 602 ways to update their syllabi?)
• Could the creative process be thought of less as adding creative practices and more as taking away of the obstacles that have come into place and obscured natural creativity, recognizing and removing creative blocks, restoring capacities for play and fantasy?
• How much does the creative process need to involve "context," e.g., establishing one's surroundings as a "studio" or "incubator" to make a space where creative behaviors come easier? What is known about how creative spaces, communities and historical periods came together? What does creative thinking mean in the context of different fields of work?
• To the extent that the creative process involves the capacity to manage, seek out, even welcome risk, struggle and failure, how can we feel more comfortable and supported in allowing failures to happen?
• What is there to support, or contradict, the idea that "everyone can think creatively"? In guiding those who believe that they are not creative thinkers, what steps might be taken to encourage them to at least explore the possibility?

The process towards the end products should involve reading and digesting as much as you can in the time available. Focus on topics that most grab your interest (that is, don't think like a textbook writer who has to cover everything). Entry points for readings are given by:

• the syllabi from relevant CCT courses (http://www.cct.umb.edu/courses.html#602, http://www.cct.umb.edu/courses.html#630, http://www.cct.umb.edu/courses.html#612);
• the readings from recent MOOCs: Learning Creative Learning (http://learn.media.mit.edu) and Creativity, Innovation and Change, https://plus.google.com/communities/116138368307229885649
• the chapters in the Cambridge Handbook of Creativity, partially available online at http://bit.ly/1av7U8O
• the bibliography of J. Szteiter's synthesis, http://scholarworks.umb.edu/cct_capstone/295/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity
• Shekerjian, D. (1990) Uncommon genius.
• Runco, M. A.,. (2007). Creativity theories and themes : Research, development, and practice.
• Cameron, J. (1992) The Artist's Way.

Your explorations may, of course, lead you to more recent or more appropriate sources.

2. Stories to scaffold creative learning

October 1, 8, 15, 22

• It is one thing to know that people are not passive recipients of life forces. But... it is another thing to identify initiatives that might provide a point of entry to the sort of rich story development that brings with it more positive identity conclusions and new options for action in the world. Michael White (2011)

It is said that humans are a story-telling animal. At the very least, we are often moved by stories, especially our own. Yet stories are shaped by conventional structures or sequences, such as the self-making or destiny of the central subject or hero. What would it mean for stories to emphasize "scaffolding"—the supports that other people contribute to our learning, seeing new paths, and not simply continuing along previous lines? In short, what lessons can be drawn about how to foster or support creative learning--in oneself and in others--through telling alternative kinds of stories?

If you want to appreciate why story-telling and scaffolding could be a concern in promoting creative learning, consider the passages and sources in the box below. But, if the broad topic of stories to scaffold creative learning is enough for you to be interested, feel free to get started on the Collaborative Exploration.

A colleague said recently that story-telling is a form of scaffolding. To develop this idea, we need to explore what story-telling is--or could be; ditto for scaffolding; then link them together. Story-telling According to the Soviet theorist of folktales, Propp, story-telling adopts familiar structures, in which, the story... often begins in a state of equilibrium..., where we find the hero leading a relatively safe and untroubled existence [but] somehow different... Whether by choice or compulsion, the hero is eventually dislodged from [their] home... This turning point is often depicted as the beginning of a journey or adventure...Having departed, the hero moves in a new realm where [they] must survive a series of tests... imposed either by the environment... or by qualities of [their] own character... [T]he tests are specifically designed... to bring out the human in the hero. As in folktales and myths, this transformation depends on a beneficent power or "donor." The appearance of the donor... is thus crucial to the outcome of the story.... [T]he hero initially suffers from some deficiency, usually physical, and it is often in nonphysical form that the donor appears... Still [they are] not finished, for, to prove [their] humanity, the hero must be tested again... Yet there is a final irony, as in many myths. Again and again we hear how a hero, having accomplished great deeds, succumbs to pride or hubris and is destroyed (Landau 1984; see also http://www.the-cma.com/images/openmagazine/201210/seven-steps.png). Scaffolding and creative learning We have all seen tubular scaffolding used in construction or renovation. The "scaffolding" metaphor makes us think, therefore, of someone starting with a final structure in mind and providing the workers a reliable, safe arrangement of physical elements they can use to complete the structure. In education scaffolding has been used to refer to an analogous arrangement of elements (more conceptual and procedural than physical) that allow students to come to understand the relevant ideas and end up proficient in the practices. But scaffolding has other connotations that might be fruitful to explore. For example, if we think about the maintenance of our bones, a scaffold could connote a dynamic structure with components that are constantly replenished with new materials, doing so, moreover, in ways that maintain its integrity as a structure while adapting to changes in its contexts (like new stresses strengthening the bones) and, in turn, generating possibilities not seen or experienced before. Suppose we focus on the potential of everyone for creative learning. (Use of this term invites elaboration, but for now let it simply point to generation of alternative ideas, connections, practices, and solutions, in contrast to memorizing knowledge that others transmit to us.) In the context of everyone becoming creative learners we have to notice the variety of projects of inquiry and engagement different adults and children pursue in their work, education, and lives. We also have to acknowledge the pragmatic concerns people have in pursuing those various projects. But can we still imagine benefiting from "connecting, probing, and reflecting" that stretches us beyond particular concerns? If so, what can we learn from and contribute to other people inquiring and engaging in a creative spirit. In other words, in what ways does creative learning get scaffolded: When do different people keep to themselves or interact in a private, trusted circle? How have people reached out to build constituencies and counter feelings of isolation? How are people influenced by the cultural story of the "self-made man"? When and how have they sought support in not continuing along previous lines—that is, in taking initiatives where they cannot rely simply on the skills, resources, networks of connected people that they have built up over time and, in to a large extent, have embodied? What stock-taking routines go on before they proceed from one phase to another; on from an activity or event; into dialogue with others; or at a branch point, when choosing an activity or path to pursue? What role have they given to mentors and mentoring? To friends and cultivating friendship? Linking these two realms into questions for the CE What stories in literature (including memoir and biography) and the arts emphasize scaffolding over the self-making or destiny of the central subject or hero? What structures or sequences of steps can be seen in those stories? Can lessons be drawn about how to foster or support creative learning--in oneself and in others--especially through story-telling? Stories that might stimulate our thinking about scaffolding creative learning P. Fleischman, Seedfolks, Mind's Eye, Borning Room, Saturnalia L. Cunningham, Sleeping Arrangements Mildred Taylor, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll_of_Thunder,_Hear_My_Cry, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_the_Circle_Be_Unbroken V. Paley, The Girl with the Brown Crayon Apollo 13 movie Other sources: Gladwell, M. Outliers: The Story of Success Gottschall, J. The Storytelling Animal Landau, M. (1984). "Human Evolution as Narrative." American Scientist 72(May-June): 262-268. White, M. Maps of Narrative Practice

3. Young people designing their own lives: Sketching a book or screenplay

October 29, November 5, 12, 19

• “When [children] solve one problem, they create another to act on. By proving they are necessary and useful in a story, they demonstrate that they have a reason to exist, to be here with others.” Vivian Paley, The Boy on the Beach (p. 25)

The development of one’s life, from its very earliest days, can--although we would have to find different words to convey this to children--be thought an expression of creativity as we form relationships, manage multiple identities-in-formation, respond to complexity and unexpected dramas, and recognize resources and opportunities as the tools available to us to make changes and direct—or design—where we want our lives to go. In this Collaborative Exploration participants develop a storyboard or sketch as the basis for a book, a screenplay, or another piece of literature aimed at young people to encourage them to design or "compose" their own lives.

If you want more stimulation or guidance about why and how to write to young people, consider the passages and sources in the box below. But, if the broad topic of sketching a book or story board about young people designing their own lives is enough for you to be interested, feel free to get started.

Mary Catherine Bateson, author of Composing a Life, offers this introduction: “The composition of our lives” is a creative act that engages everyone. “In a stable society, composing a life is somewhat like throwing a pot or building a house in a traditional form: the materials are known, the hands move skillfully in tasks familiar from thousands of performances, the fit of the completed whole in the common life is understood. Traditional styles of pottery or building are not usually rigid; they respond to chance and allow a certain scope for individual talent and innovation. But the traditional craftsperson does not face the task of solving every problem for the first time. In a society like our own, we make a sharp contrast between creativity and standardization, yet even those who work on factory production lines must craft their own lives, whether graceful and assured or stunted and askew. Today, the materials and skills from which a life is composed are no longer clear. It is no longer possible to follow the paths of previous generations…Our lives not only take new directions; they are subject to repeated redirection…Many of the most basic concepts we use to construct a sense of self or the design of a life have changed their meanings: Work. Home. Love. Commitment.” If we think about composing our lives as a creative act, then we might consider further how our experiences can be offered as a scaffold for young people to be encouraged to design, or compose, their own lives. Within the structure of a Collaborative Exploration, we consider how young people relate to literature and stories as a way of thinking about developing their own lives. Images and words form building blocks of dialogue, setting, plot, and character and extend to themes, voice, relationships, and other issues. Imagine a process of using these elements creatively and then developing a storyboard or sketch as the basis for a book, a screenplay, or another piece of literature aimed at young people about designing or composing a life. Through this process, we might recall how we have responded to stories during our own younger years, review themes of designing a life from existing literature for young people, and create the storyboard for an original work intended to help young people develop a sense of designing their own lives. The framework mentioned here suggests that we are not simply looking to write a children's book or screenplay, but rather acknowledging that our own engagement with stories, especially during our younger years, and as both creator and audience, may have established a space that contributes to how we understand our own lives and our role in designing it for ourselves, separate from a range of forces that may have shaped or imposed upon us a life (or parts of life) designed by others. By reaching into those personal experiences, we then have a starting point for connecting personal creativity to the design of our lives; moreover, we can engage in the act of creativity by developing a storyboard in the interest of sharing this experience with young people, and with the idea that young people may be encouraged to form insights into how they may creatively address the design of their own lives as well. This emphasis of sharing our experience means that we are using this creative act as an offer to a wider community -- an opportunity for others to build upon it, rather than something that we keep to ourselves as a private creative expression. The following kinds of questions may prompt us further: What experiences of listening to, reading, and/or writing stories from our own young lives were most meaningful, and why? How have those experiences connected to our efforts to design our lives? What models and examples from the literature for young people present the possibilities of designing a life? How might young people regard stories as a way to express themselves, solve problems, assert agency, make sense of complexity, explore identity, and connect thought to action in the interest of the design of their lives? What resources, interactions, and principles and practices of creativity inform and facilitate the process of developing a storyboard that will that will serve as a foundation of a book for young people about the design of one's own life? Possible sources and readings: Bateson, M. C. (2001). Composing a life. Grove Press. Booker, C.,. (2004). The seven basic plots : Why we tell stories. London; New York: Continuum. Salas, J.,. (1999). Improvising real life : Personal story in playback theatre. New Paltz, N.Y.: Tusitala, c1996. Botelho, Maria Jose´,, Rudman,Masha Kabakow.,. (2009). Critical multicultural analysis of children's literature : Mirrors, windows, and doors. New York: Routledge. Kaufman, James C..,Baer, John.,. (2005). Creativity across domains. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. , Especially Chapter 2: Perry, Flow and the Art of Fiction Stokes, P. D.,. (2006). Creativity from constraints : The psychology of breakthrough. New York: Springer Pub. Co. Especially: Chapter 1: The Creativity Problem, Chapter 2: Constraints and First Choruses, Chapter 3: Constraints for Creativity in Literature

4. Manifestos for ongoing Creative Thinking and Problem-Solving

For the course this won't take the form of a full CE, but students are welcome to participate in the public CE on the scenario. For the course, November 26--review manifestos from a past course and work on ones for this course, December 3 (or 2 as part of CCT Open House--present work-in-progress manifestos, 10--take stock of the course as a whole.

• "If there is one basic rule... that I, as a novice, have learned it is
• DON'T BE AFRAID! (Frangie, Novice Sage Manifesto)

Books such as Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way provide readers with a program for developing one's creativity. If, however, a mark of creativity is to develop one's own program, not follow someone else's, what would your program—or "manifesto"—for creative thinking and problem solving (602 students) or for criticism and creativity in the literature and arts (630 students) look like? Can it make clear the set of principles or elements—in Ben Schwendener's terms, what "vertical unity"—from which changes (i.e., improvisation or creativity) "horizontally" flow?

If that charge is not quite enough to get you started, consider the following additional detail:

All invention involves borrowing, so the challenge is really to synthesize elements from sources encountered during and before this course. These syntheses or manifestos should be selected and organized so as to inspire and inform your efforts in extending creative thinking and problem-solving beyond the course. For a brief intro to the experience of past students who wrote manifestos for critical thinking, see section 2 of http://www.faculty.umb.edu/pjt/journey.html. For the full manifestos from a 1999 class, including Frangie's, see Readings.

In asking that the manifesto express the vertical unity of the field you are working in, we are following Ben Schwendener, a musician, composer, teacher of music and composing, who offers a graduate Seminar on Creativity at UMass Boston. One way to convey the vertical unity is to lead into the manifesto with a publicity bio that explains how you came to be the person for whom this creative work is important. Now, Ben does not give us a recipe for articulating the vertical unity. Indeed, he is critical of method because to work from method is to pursue the horizontal without attention to the vertical unity of elements upon which change flows naturally. An example of this problem might be a curriculum that says topics A-H must be covered. In contrast we might identify the six themes that underlie the subject matter (as proposed by science educator Paul Jablon, Lesley University). The student in a course that "covers" the required topics is assumed to be able to draw on knowledge stored in their brain (subject to an inevitable decay if the knowledge is not used). However, a student who appreciates the six themes approach has a coherent, integrated perspective from which to address future areas of learning. Other approaches to articulating a vertical unity, even though they were not created with that idea in mind, are the 4R’s sequence (Respect->Risk->Revelation->Re-engagement) of developing as a collaborator or the many Rs of developing as a Reflective Practitioner during the CCT program of studies.