Embedment – Shaping the Creativity Curriculum

In my observation of Jim’s weekly Creativity lesson with one class of year seven students Jim’s style of lesson delivery was subtle, almost casual to the observer. Students collaborated with their teacher, collectively steering the direction of travel. A key feature of enactment was Jim’s position and role as teacher/facilitator.

At the start of each of Jim’s year seven Creativity lessons that I observed, Jim set the ‘parameter’ of learning by sharing a personal story or his general thoughts with pupils in a class huddle. Pupils literally pulled their chairs to the front of the classroom or around the piano, which Jim sometimes sat at,

playing random musical notes, phrases and tunes. Jim drew upon his personal experiences, past and present, to illuminate the notion of creativity. This

tended to relate to music or some form of creative arts practice, but also included references to family members and friends. Jim followed this by reflecting on the previous weeks’ lesson, encouraging dialogue from pupils about what they had achieved and experienced.

Jim spoke of his role as guide, facilitator and participant within the lesson.

So facilitating can mean a number of things, really. It can mean letting anything happen as long as it’s within that creative framework, if you like, but also be being that creative guide, making sure that the parameters that are set, within that, whatever they might be, maybe resources, or how we express the ideas, or groupings or things, the practical things, making sure that they happen in order to let the real juicy things happen as well. So, yeah, you teach, you advise, you challenge, you facilitate, you set those parameters, but you’re also learning to take part yourself, as well, as a teacher. (Jim)

In the huddles observed, there was a keen and active show of hands from pupils wanting to engage and respond to Jim’s initial conversation about creativity. Jim drew in responses from more reluctant or reticent class

members through the technique of asking their opinion rather than a direct question and required answer. Links between the previous week’s session and new or developmental activity planned for current session were made. Jim reiterated what the lesson aimed to achieve in terms of pupil learning, pointing to the visual illustrations displayed on the wall (see Appendix 2) as a

‘reminder’ to pupils of the shared language of creativity and how this related to their learning. Pupils then set off across the classroom gathering in small groups or working individually on their self-directed tasks.

The ritualistic ‘huddle’ at the beginning of each lesson can be viewed as a gateway and enabling mechanism for participants to enter what was a new learning space for both teacher and pupil. Creativity was ‘different’ in terms of style of teaching and lesson content to other curriculum subjects. Through the ‘huddle’ vehicle, Jim related closely to pupils, drawing upon the

technique of storytelling to ground the lesson in reflective practice and open exchange. I made the following observational note in my fieldwork diary.

Pupil’s behaviour in the huddle was high spirited, almost silly. Pupil Lizzie unusually, was deliberately disruptive in her behaviour, scraping her chair along the floor. Jim told the huddle a personal family story, his pregnant wife being given first aid on a train when she fainted by a young man with tattoo’s and dreadlocks. Jim had panicked and flapped whilst the young man had been calm and very efficient helping his wife, not someone, Jim said, who he would have thought to turn to or believed would have medical knowledge and skills. “How wrong” he said to the group it was for him to have made a value judgement and been prejudiced. In the huddle, pupil’s discussion focused upon stero-typing people, characters and characteristics including the notion of what makes us who we are.

(Field note diary entry – 7^th March 2013)

By sharing narratives based on personal history and life experiences whilst simultaneously maintaining control and instructing, Jim’s ‘teacher’ role can

dimension (Day et al 2006) was significantly drawn upon by Jim in terms of identity. He placed himself in the ‘front window’ of the lesson, influencing and shaping the relationship or involvement between the teacher and class members.

Pupil Peter, aged twelve years old, a member of Jim’s year seven Creativity class at Enderby, believed Jim’s approach fostered pupil understanding and enjoyment of creativity.

Mr Smith teaches like that I think so that we can learn easier and so that we actually are interested in it (creativity), instead of just saying words, so that we actually take it in, but some people learn different ways and I think Mr Smith adapts to it. (Peter)

Enmeshed in the relatedness and communion happening in the lesson was Jim’s apparent need to understand through reflection and consideration his own connection to creativity. He drew upon and made references to

historical influences and contingencies that had brought him to the ‘present moment’ of the classroom and belief in creativity, explained to and shared with pupils. Jim spoke of what he wanted pupils to experience.

I want them to experience those creative buzzes, those creative highs that I’ve had, and if there are ways we can teach them how to have that, that’s brilliant. (Jim)

Jim’s actions accord with Spilt et al’s (2011) belief that teachers' emotional involvement with students in the classroom was driven by a basic

psychological need for relatedness or communion. Pupils appeared to relate well to Jim, perceiving his lessons as ‘fun’, as described in my field diary entry;

In the huddle Jake (pupil) called out “this is far more fun Sir than other lessons”. Jim looked pleased but didn’t comment.

(Field note diary entry – 14th March 2013)

Pupils Alex, Ella, Mae and Peter aged eleven and twelve years old, members of Jim’s year seven Creativity class at Enderby, spoke of the lesson as being differently taught to other curriculum subjects. Alongside pupil Jake, they believed the lesson and Mr Smith to be ‘fun’.

I hope we still get Mr Smith in Year Eight, he’s just a fun teacher, and good discussions and we get to do what we want to do. It’s not like teachers telling us what to do. We are allowed to do what we want to do. Get it done. (Alex)

It is my favourite, definitely one of my favourites. I thought it (Creativity lesson) was going to be drama or something, and I was really dreading that, because I hate stuff like that, it’s just, but no I enjoy it and its good. Yeah. I hope I get the same teacher, because Mr Smith’s just nice and quite funny sometimes, and if he always, like if you want more time he will just give you more time, just change the whole lesson plan so we can have more time. So Mr Smith’s just a nice teacher and tells us stuff like how we could be different to other people and not be stereotypical. (Ella)

Instead of just sitting at a desk, writing in textbooks, you explore different ways of learning and it’s a fun thing to do, instead of just writing down, copying. You’re learning so many different ways and you learn skills that you can take out of lessons and go home and share them and you learn skills for a job and stuff like that. (Mae)

Well I think it’s fun because Mr Smith always tells stories, so we don’t exactly have to do much work and the things we have to do we just, I think it’s fun, it’s not like we have pressure, like in English or something else where we have a time limit. (Peter)

Jim being perceived as a ‘fun teacher’, inspiring pupils in the lesson and engendering positive social interaction was balanced against the need to instruct, as Jim explained.

I think there is a balance on a number of issues that has to be struck. One, you’re a teacher, you’re in a classroom, you’re responsible for twenty five to

centre of it, there has to be learning taking place. In terms of the creative journey, there are a number of things you have to be. (Jim)

The creative journey Jim spoke of appeared to involve experimental free-flowing academic content and a high level social interaction in the classroom.

In the huddle, Jim reflected on the ‘Where’s Wally’? topic students had worked on over the previous three weeks, asking for comments from the class members. Pupil Ellis, said, “Sir we have been thinking into things”. Jim looked pleased and said, “This is the significant phrase of today we have been observant and inquisitive in our learning”. There was a general lively discussion on characters, the conversation moving and flowing from Charles Dickens ‘Scrooge’ to the origin of the species, people in the world and how we think and behave as humans. Jim allowed conversation to continue with few interjections or direction from him. Some pupils were passive and did not take part at all in the debate, but there was sharp attention paid by all to the discussion. Conversation in the huddle extended well into the lesson time. Jim instructed his pupils to take the remaining time of the lesson to

“finish up on your drawings”.

(Field note diary entry 18^th April 2013)

Jim spoke of being pleased with ‘making creativity happen’ through the vehicle of a bespoke lesson. His position can be considered ‘central’ in terms of teacher knowledge, belief and intent.

If I just think about creativity, I’d almost say, yeah I’m really, really pleased with many things this year. I’m pleased with response. I’m pleased with the use of shared language. I’m pleased with the openness of things. Maybe I would look back and think have we got away with something here, because we don’t, I personally don’t plan a lesson with i’s dotted and t’s crossed before, I almost, I have an idea, but I almost gauge on a number of factors exactly how I do things and doesn’t that feel a little bit rebellious by doing that? I don’t know. I guess I’ve got to think sometimes that yeah I do, actually. But then I see the outcomes and I see how things are working and, you know, we’re telling kids to take risks, so why not? I think that sense of belief and that passion for making it happen has led to some fantastic things this year. (Jim)

Jim’s reflection of the years achievement accords with Craft’s (2005) belief that pedagogical practices fostering and growing creativity were part a teachers ‘professional artistry’ in sharing the process of education with pupils, risk taking and journeying from the known to unknown.

It must be acknowledged that Jim’s year seven class members had joined Enderby with Creativity as a ‘given’ on their timetable, along with established curriculum subjects such as English and Maths. In effect, curriculum

experimentation and a bespoke space for creativity was a cultural norm in school for those pupils in transition from primary to secondary education. Jim may have spoken of feeling ‘a little bit rebellious’ in his approach, however his pupils responded to his approach and behaviour in lessons as new entrants to secondary teaching and learning.

According to Tobbell and O’Donnell (2013) new entry students within the transition year of secondary education, ‘sometimes perceive staff behaviour to lack the basic behaviours necessary for the formation of effective

interpersonal relationships’. They argued that decisions regarding learning and teaching in this year needed to be made ‘in the service of the provision of opportunity for relationship formation’ (2013: 15). Teaching and learning in Jim’s Creativity lessons for year seven pupils appeared to overtly facilitate the development of effective interpersonal, trusting relationships between

teacher and pupil, extending to ‘pupil to pupil’. Jim believed ‘sitting down together’ was a successful approach.

It’s worked better for me and for the students where we sat down and looked and said together, ‘right that’s worked, well that hasn’t worked, we still need to try and get this out of it, let’s try that’. And that’s been quite successful, I think. (Jim)

Jim’s approach accords with Heimonen (2014) belief that borders between the teacher as educator and pupil as educatees were in flux, with educators sometimes learning from children. She argued that learning was a

cooperative process to achieve knowledge, formulated together. Enactment of creativity involved Jim taking a central position in facilitating learning.

Jim’s confidence and commitment as facilitator combined with his personal belief in creativity arguably supported embedment of creativity as a subject.

Arguably, Jim’s teaching practice and pedagogy developed as a result of his engagement with pupils as co-learner. Stenhouse (1983) suggested when

‘induction into knowledge succeeds’, as my observation of Jim’s classroom appeared to indicate, the results are surprising and original ‘something the teacher could not have specified in advance’.