Transcript LEARNING TO BECOME A CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL

LEARNING TO BECOME A
CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL
Dr Jenny Willis
SCEPTrE Researcher
[email protected]
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
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Acknowledgements
Background to the research
What is creativity?
The research questions
Methodology and respondents
Findings: creativity
Findings: professionalism
Implications for life-wide learning
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BACKGROUND TO THE
RESEARCH (1)
 CREATIVITY & THE POLITICAL AGENDA
- Creative Partnership initiatives in the school sector by Department
for Creativity, Culture and Education launched 2002
One of a number of programmes generated by the new national organisation
Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE), the Creative Partnerships programme
fosters innovative, long-term partnerships between schools and creative
professionals, including artists, performers, architects, multimedia developers and
scientists. These partnerships inspire young people, teachers and creative
professionals to challenge how they work and experiment with new ideas. 2007
- Imaginative Curriculum project to examine creativity in HE
Work in the modern British economy will increasingly involve creativity and innovation
as a mass and everyday activity. (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2006)
ASSUMED VALUES: ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL
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BACKGROUND TO THE
RESEARCH (2)
 CREATIVITY & THE INDIVIDUAL AGENDA
- Preparation for work
It seems that students will be emerging into a world in which their claims to creative
work are becoming increasingly important. (Edwards et al. 2006:71)
Creative learning empowers young people to imagine how the world could be
different and gives them the confidence and motivation to make positive change
happen. This helps young people to engage with their education and to achieve.
(Creative Partnerships Programme 2002:.4)
- Self-fulfilment
To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself
endlessly. (Bergson (1911:7)
ASSUMED VALUES: SOCIAL AND INDIVIDUAL WELL-BEING
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BACKGROUND TO
THE RESEARCH (3)
 PEDAGOGICAL CONTEXT
- National Teaching Fellowship Scheme funding for Creative
Interventions project, University of the Arts, London, in partnership
with the Arts University College, Bournemouth, and SCEPTrE, 20082010
- Project examines creative arts student experiences of work-related
learning activity in the public and third sectors
- How such experiences contribute to students’ employability skills,
how these are identified by the students and how the activities are
valued by students, the HEI and the external partners involved
ASSUMED VALUES: INDIVIDUAL, CURRICULAR, INDUSTRIAL
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WHAT IS CREATIVITY?
“If you create something, you’re creative, aren’t you?”
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Implies novel (creation) or new (recreation)?
Innate or learnable?
Common to us all or possessed by only a few?
Culture or culture?
A quality, skill, disposition?
A ‘wicked’ problem, how (can/should) we assess it?
We have to see creativity not as a stand alone skill but as part
of a package of dispositions, qualities and capabilities for
being successful in whatever domains learners choose to live
and work (Jackson 2008:3)
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THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. Where in creative arts students’ personally
determined life-wide curriculum are they able to
express and develop their creativity so that they
realise their creative potential?
2. What does being professional mean to creative arts
students and how do they develop professional
attitudes, capabilities and confidence to be a creative
professional through their life-wide curriculum? This
will identify the experiences through which they
develop their capabilities within and outside the
credit-bearing curriculum.
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CREATIVE INTERVENTIONS OVERVIEW
Source Wareing et at. (June 2010) Final Report to HEA
Case study
Young Design
Programme
Design Thinking
workshops
BA(Hons) Arts
and Event
Management
Leeds MetFestival Republic
Partnership
Creative Transfer
Between Practicebased Arts
Education and
Work
Learning to
Become a
Creative
Professional
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Data collection and facilitation tools
Focus groups (n=7)
Interviews (student=6, tutor=3, WRL
provider=3)
Documents
Observations
Reflective journals (n=3)
Facilitated engagement of staff
Use of design thinking tools
Video capture – film for disseminating
techniques
Focus groups (n=8)
Interviews (students n=2 and tutors n=3)
Documents
Focus groups (n=6)
Interviews (students=4, tutors=2)
Documents
Video interviews (students n=19)
Interviews (students n=7)
Questionnaires (respondents n=40)
Video film production (students n=3)
Timeline
October 2008
- March 2009
January 2009
November
2008 September
2009
July November
2009
November
2009 - June
2010
March – July
2010
METHODOLOGY AND
RESPONDENTS
• On-line questionnaire (ValuesExchange) for all UGs in
Dance, Music and Theatre
Studies, and GSA
• Follow-up interview with
representative sample
• Video films
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• 40 respondents, representing
all areas and from levels 1-3
• 10 selected for individual semistructured, recorded,
interviews, 6 attended
• 3 interviewees re-interviewed
on film, edited to produced 3minute monologues
CREATIVITY:
What does the term mean for you?
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I think, um, someone who possibly has a mind that is, er
kind of a little bit erratic, who can think a train of thought
and then suddenly kind of switches it to, kind of branches
out a lot more rather than like thinking in one direction,
kind of branches out to different things. I think its, er, I
don’t know, it’s really quite a strange thing, creativity …
(O, Music)
Originality, flair
Inspiring or provoking others
Coping with different situations
Quick and lateral thinking; thinking outside the box
I think, put it this way, creativity for me is probably,
Open-mindedness, willingness to compromise
probably not a product, you don’t see it as a product,
you see it as a process. How you approach things as
Responsibility
opposed to what came out from being creative.
Self-confidence
(J, Dance)
Risk-taking, bold choices
me, it’s everything, because it’s all I’ve ever really done or wanted to do. I
Sensitivity, understanding others For
made friends through creative courses, events, it was where I could relax, for
instance, at GCSE level, you had to take so many options under each bracket,
Being organised and directed
and I’d already taken Drama and Music and Dance and I really wanted to do Art.
Cultural awareness
So I took Art as an extra subject and just did it at home just for that release that
you can just forget about other things and, you have a moment to yourself, and
Expression
you have the satisfaction of completing something at the end, that you have
Self-motivation
done creatively. I came out with a B and that was just basically from doing the
hobby at home, it was an extra, it wasn’t because I needed it or…
Self-discipline
Because I’ve always been, what I’d say, more of a well-rounded creative person.
It just doesn’t stop at dance for me – I enjoy the drama, I enjoy music, I can play
Technical ability
the clarinet, I enjoy art – like I’d happily, I dunno, go off on a water colour course
Integrity, respect
if the opportunity came up, things like that. But I do them for different reasons –
like when I was doing my A-levels, even though I was doing performing arts ADedication, commitment
levels, I still felt that I needed that release from the stress and I did other dance
Ambition, resilience
classes, outside of school, which were for other exams but it was different. It
gives you that momentary release from what you’re having to achieve, that
stress you get put under, so I think it’s really important, well to me personally,
anyway.
(A, Dance)
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CREATIVITY:
How do you express your creativity?
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studio and recording work
teaching
entering competitions
joining ensembles, societies, clubs
member of local and national orchestras
volunteering e.g. at a festival in the USA;
charity work e.g. for elderly
ran own business/company; set up own
group/team
other performance training
student representative in department
part-time work involving social interaction
and management
participation in performances (theatre)
practicing other forms of creative art
keeping abreast of local and national tours
getting to rehearsals on time
psychology of learning – exercise and
healthy living
music arranging and transcription
choreography for other companies
mentoring
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80
% scoring 4-5
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Through PoS
70
Through PT
60
Through hobbies
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50
Through unrelated job
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30
25
Through related job
Through voluntary activities
15
10
3
0
Through performance organised
self
Other
1
Domains
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CREATIVITY:
Where are you best able to develop your creativity?
100%
90%
80%
70%
5
60%
4
3
50%
2
40%
1
Missing
30%
20%
10%
0%
Additional thro PoS
Ouside PoS
Q10 PoS
Figure 107 Domains of creativity
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TRANSFERABILITY OF
CREATIVITY
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you have to be creative in how you transfer such creativity for it to be
successful
it is the attributes of creativity that makes a person successful in any field
confidence developed is transferable
ability to work in a team is being used in other domains e.g. part-time
(unrelated) work
resolving any problem demands analysis, group work, communication and
creativity
aspects of abstract thinking and problem-solving are involved and these are
transferable
‘creativity is not about an art form, it is a mindset’
thinking outside the box and being original are always transferable to new
ideas and other jobs
‘the forms of creativity needed to be a professional musician are the same
as needed to be an amateur musician – the only difference is luck’
transferable from everyday situations to specific contexts
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CREATIVE TRANSFER
Yes, creativity is not about an art form, it is a mindset.
Someone who creates new technologies is creative as
much as an artist, or film director. Being creative is about
coming up with new solutions to a problem (whether that
problem is real or artistic). I regularly collaborate with
choreographers, and then transfer my creativity into the
emotional content of dance, as well as the visual element
of the performance. My creativity extends into lighting, and
the physical positioning of performers. (R47)
Building confidence has proven effective.
Through acting, you gain a confidence to talk
in front of other; beneficial for giving
presentations or speeches. When learning
about the body and physicality, gestures and
emotions become apparent, and so when
handling different situations, it is helpful to
visually understand how that person is
feeling, ultimately leading to resolving the
situation. (R39)
I think being able to approach a problem from
multiple different directions is a skill which can
be used across a wide selection of work areas.
Throughout my course I have had to work with
teams of people, learning how to work
successfully without arguing about everything.
Learning to compromise and put others before
me in a team helped me to live alongside my
housemates and avoid any major
disagreements. (R73)
With music, you can kind of branch that onto
anything, I mean for instance, if you want to be a
political activist towards something then you can
use music through that. If you want to relax, or
to vent anger, or if you want to bring people
together, or you know, music can be useful for
almost anything really. And the creative side of it,
you know you can kind of mould the music into
whatever sort of use you want it to have. ….
Yeah, it’s using the creativity through the music
to achieve, yeah, all kinds of things, yeah. (O,
Music)
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CREATIVITY: CONCLUSIONS
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PoS and extra-curricular activities are the domains of greatest creative expression
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(These creative arts students’) extra-curricular activities are closely related to their discipline
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No single definition of creativity: associated with range of dispositions and personal qualities
which vary according to disciplinary background
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Creativity seen as both innate and something that can be nurtured
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Distinguish between natural creativity and extraordinary creativity
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Natural creativity conceived as transferred to other contexts
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The findings confirm much of the existing literature on creativity
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Views on nurture and transferability validate curriculum development aimed at increasing
opportunities for creative expression
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Qualitative data convey extreme personal fulfilment derived from being creative
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External approval is sought, but respondents motivated predominantly by intrinsic rewards
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These students may not be typical of other disciplines in importance they attribute to being
creative
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PROFESSIONALISM:
What does this term mean to you?
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being creative
assertiveness
technical competence
ability to work with all types of people
good literacy skills
analytical and research skills
problem-solving
leadership
optimism
emotional sensitivity
team management
patience
organisational skills
appreciation of others
imagination
self-exploration, self-awareness
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critical evaluation of self
adaptability
communication skills
passion
self-motivation
resilience
‘am impeccable work ethic’;
professional attitude
attention to detail
aspiration
determination; be committed
decisiveness
responsibility
self-confidence
cope with lack of sleep
be healthy
0%
Find/apply for
Interview prep
Being
Learning in
Applying
Gaining work
Understand
Being
Professional
Written
Verbal
Graphical/visua
Listening skills
Assess a
Find out for
Make decision
Evaluate/reflect
How to improve
How to use IT
Work with
Interact with
Interact with
Socialise with
Manage others
Mange self
Manage
Behave
Negotiate with
Persuade
Understand
Challenging
Risk taking
Managing
Being creative
Confidence in
PROFESSIONALISM:
How do you learn to be a creative professional?
100%
80%
Very significant
60%
4
3
40%
2
Not signifcant
20%
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CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS:
Dimensions of greatest perceived significance
100%
Very significant
80%
4
60%
3
40%
2
Not signifcant
20%
Missing
Su
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Kn
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Ev
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W
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co
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af
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0%
Figure 108 The 12 most significant dimensions of professionalism for respondents
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Developing through PoS Qs 4-5
Subj Knowledge
Analysis
Evaluation
%
4/5
80
78
85
Synthesis
58
Problem solving
Design solutions
38
55
Enquiry skills
Research skills
Written communication
85
68
83
Verbal communication
Active listening
85
88
Use of IT
Visual/graphical
55
40
Other communication
Experience real work
5
65
Team work
90
Adaptability
Leadership
Being creative
85
60
90
Being enterprising
Ethical awareness
50
53
Self-management
80
Reflection. Self-evaluation
Learning another language
80
15
Developing whilst student, Q 8
8.1 Looking after yourself
8.2 Being a parent
8.3 Caring for someone
8.4 Having a job that IS related to
your chosen career
8.5 Participating in the professional
training scheme
8.6 Creating or running a business
8.7 Volunteering
8.8 Significant travel experience
8.9 Living in another country
8.10 Meeting/interacting with other
cultures
8.11 Coping with personal illness
8.12 Organising something
8.13 Fund raising
8.14 Participating in marathon/other
challenging experience
8.15 Duke of Edinburgh Award
8.16 Learning another language
%
4/5
90
0
13
Perceived to be developing
through programme
acquiring greater confidence and
assertiveness
opportunities to perform
learning from other students’ strengths
and weaknesses
refining interpersonal (‘people’) skills
listening and observing
collaborations and social interaction
applying academic knowledge to real
life situations
‘delving into our past and our personal
emotions’
practical (‘logic side’) of career planning
9.4 Learning in work context
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28
3
9.5 Applying classroom learning
9.6 Gaining work experience
9.7 Understand how business
works
9.8 Being managed
9.9 Professional skills
15
28
9.10 Written communication
9.11 Verbal communication
9.12 Graphical/visual
communication
9.13 Listening skills
35
45
35
33
40
78
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9.14 Assess a situation
9.15 Find out for action
9.16 Make decision with little
information
9.17 Evaluate/reflect on
performance
9.18 How to improve performance
9.19 How to use IT skills
55
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9.20 Work with colleagues
9.21 Interact with others
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45
30
9.22 Interact with clients
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48
38
9.23 Socialise with other cultures
9.24 Manage others
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20
15
9.25 Manage self
38
15
10
9.26 Manage emotions
9.27 Behave ethically
35
30
38
9.28 Negotiate with others
9.29 Persuade others
9.30 Understand career goals
9.31 Challenging situations
25
25
40
28
9.32 Risk taking
9.33 Managing challenging
responsibilities
25
9.34 Being creative
55
9.35 Confidence in own abilities
9.36 Other
40
3
38
35
23
53
15
65
30
5
3
18
re-establish links with cultural
background
increasing motivation
aspiring to a more professional
standard
become more independent
Key
Green = personal management/ taking
responsibility
Pink = practical skills and work related
knowledge
Blue = generic skills
Yellow = dispositions
Orange = metacognition
9.1 Find/apply for job
9.2 Interview prep
9.3 Being interviewed
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4/5
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13
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33
8.17 Learning a skill e.g. to drive
8.18 Experience of performing in public
8.19 Learning/playing a sport
8.20 Learning/playing a musical
instrument
8.21 Being part of a drama group
8.22 Active involvement in other
creative enterprises
8.23 Being a member of a student
society
8.24 Mentoring or coaching others
8.25 Participating in skills-based USSU
activities
8.26 Participating in Careers Service
events
8.27 Participating in SPLASH events
8.28 Participating in other skills-based
activities
Developing beyond PoS, Q 9
15
8
30
25
45
33
40
38
18
PROFESSIONALISM:
Where do you learn to become
a professional?
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CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS:
Most and least significant dimensions
Looking after yourself 90%
Team work 90%
Being creative 90%
Active listening 88%
Adaptability 85%
Evaluation 85%
Enquiry skills 85%
Verbal communication 85%
Written communication 83%
Subject knowledge 80%
Self-management 80%
Looking after yourself
Organising something
Performing in public
Learning/playing a musical instrument
Creativity: 55%
Interaction with others: 45%
Verbal communication: 45%
Listening skills: 45%
Interaction with clients: 43%
Critical reflection/evaluation of self: 40%
Understanding career goals: 40%
Self-confidence: 40%
Being a parent
Creating or running a business
Living abroad
Challenging physical experience
Duke of Edinburgh
USSU activities
Careers Service events
SPLASH activities
Reflection/self-evaluation 80%
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CREATIVE PROFESSIONALISM:
Key developmental components
• Programme of study:
Study skills - subject knowledge,
analysis, evaluation, enquiry and
synthesis
Communication skills – written, verbal
and listening skills
Other – team work, adaptability,
creativity, self-management, selfevaluation
• Whilst a student:
Looking after yourself, public
performance, learning/playing an
instrument
• Lifewide:
Self-evaluation, working with
colleagues, interacting with others,
self-management, being creative, and
self-confidence
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CONCLUSIONS:
WHAT IS PROFESSIONALISM?
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Associated with self-management and subject knowledge
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Metacognition and critical reflection important elements
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Communication skills (oral, written, listening, IT and non-verbal expression) highly
significant
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Self-confidence and adaptability important dimensions
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For these students, practice and performance strongly related to extra-curricular
domain, but this finding likely to be characteristic of their discipline and not common to
all others
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Mix of skills, dispositions, knowledge and metacognition found supports findings of
other researchers on complexity of professionalism
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If typical, respondents point to general lack of interest in extra-curricular activities
offered by the university and Students’ Union
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Caution urged in reading data quantitatively: individuals cited whose unique stories
contradict apparent statistical trends
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CONCLUSIONS: WHERE DO STUDENTS
LEARN TO BE PROFESSIONAL?
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PoS is most significant domain for learning to become professional at this stage in
students’ lives
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Clear evidence in respondents’ narrative accounts of extensive professional learning
in domains other than PoS but this not acknowledged commensurately in quantitative
data
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Likely that students unused to evaluating and valuing professional learning in informal
contexts
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Suggested this may reflect need for learning in other domains to be made explicit e.g.
through feedback on performance
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Schemes such as Lifewide Learning Award may provide framework within which to
reflect critically on professional development
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Most significant means of learning to become professional are through developing
ability to manage personal lives, work well with others, develop strong communication
skills and hence become self-confident
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Findings produce image of professionalism as ‘package’ combining dispositions, skills
and knowledge, as found in recent literature
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GUIDING CRITICAL REFLECTION
Life Map Autumn 2009: level 3 music recording student
Take a few minutes to think about your life and ask yourself the question, what are the main areas in my life where I have my everyday experiences through which I interact with other people and learn and develop as
a person? Use a different box for each domain e.g. study, work, volunteering, caring for someone, looking after myself and the other areas of your life. In a typical week how much time do your spend in each area of
your life? What sorts of situations arise in that area? Who are the significant people you interact with? What are the challenges? What do you learn and how do you develop as a person?
My course
Home/looking after myself/ family Time I spend, what I do, what I learn/ how I develop
Time I spend, what I do, what I learn/ how I develop
100 hrs Housework: Cooking, Cleaning, and Tidying.
Other: Entertainment, Work and Relationships.
8 hrs Lecture / 15 hrs Studying
Lectures, studying, creating music, tutorials
Socialising and ‘dealing’ with housemates can be a challenge in itself – making sure the house stays tidy and
people pull their weight with the housework. I have been in charge of the bills, so this has been a useful learning
experience. Simple things such as cooking and cleaning and independence have been massively refined whilst
being at University.
A substantial amount of time is spent writing music or practising.
Self-study is crucial for essays – sources and references. Tutorials are
very useful for the musical side of things – developing a clear sense of
musicality and ways of creating or reinforcing meaning through the use of
music. Mixing and production help, constant learning process that requires
different methods and approaches for every piece of work.
Parents recently split up – this has helped me to become more responsible and has forced me to ‘grow up’ to a
certain extent. Interestingly as a result, I feel I can connect more with my parents now than I could before.
Being vegetarian has its own issues attached to it – a positive is that it forces me to have a healthier balanced
diet; a negative is the amount of flak often received from non-vegetarians!
Part-time work/volunteering.. Time I spend, what I do, what I learn/ how I
Travel
develop
4-8 hrs part-time work
Covering the occasional shift at a local bar.
This has helped in developing my interpersonal communication skills.
I do not do any volunteering though it is something I often think I should
research or look at.
Time I spend, what I do, what I learn/ how I develop
Annual holidays 2-3 weeks per year:
Go to different places, often with friends – never the same
place twice. Try new things, see new sights, explore. This
builds confidence in myself – asking directions, chatting to
other travellers or native people of the country, expanding
my horizons and trying new things.
0-5 hrs
At University: 5-10 mins per day:
As I live very close to the campus, I do not feel I develop
or learn anything significant during this time.
I have limited knowledge of most of the issues that
arise, but possibly due to the generation gap I am
very quick at troubleshooting technical issues – this
is therefore also a learning process for me, as each
problem requires research into the issue, followed
(hopefully) promptly by solutions to the issue.
Co-curriculum experiences Time I spend, what I do, what I learn/ how I develop
5-10 hrs
Hobbies
Work experience, developing portfolio, collaborating with others
20 hrs Bass guitar, Music, Games, Socialising, Internet
From working artistically with other people, I have learnt how to interpret suggestions
or comments regarding my work, as well as how to approach constructive criticism
myself – a very important aspect in music production. Being able to stand back and
constructively assess a piece of work, deciphering how to improve or enhance it, is an
essential skill developed through collaborations with others.
Music – collaborate – work as a team in a band
Technical consultant for my mum’s business –
ensuring their office is working and fully functioning,
solving any issues that crop up, helping them learn
new software.
Time I spend, what I do, what I learn/ how I develop
Games – trial and error, problem-solving, replaying scenarios to work out the
best outcome, quick decision making.
Internet – There is a fine line between wasting time on the internet and being
productive – whilst it is very useful for pretty much any aspect of my education,
the amount of distractions associated with it are rather large too.
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Running a business
Time I spend, what I do, what I learn/ how I develop
Occasional events like travel/conferences
Time I spend, what I do, what I learn/ how I develop
2-4 hrs
Learning new things, different views / experiences.
Aside from knowledge gleaned directly, after-talk
networking sessions are highly useful – learning to
approach people with more confidence – creating
opportunities for myself.
1
Capability
Recent & current activities/experiences
that help me develop and demonstrate
these aspects of capability
WHAT? WHEN? WHERE?
How would you rate your overall
performance?
Lots of scope for improvement
Okay – but could be improved
Completely satisfactory – cant imagine how I can
improve
Additional activities I can undertake in the
next 6 months to help me develop and
demonstrate my capability
WHAT? WHEN? WHERE?
Managing myself
Finding work experience in two Londonbased
studios over summer.
Organising a trip around Europe for Easter.
Actively seeking collaborations with
other musicians.
Prioritising coursework – setting myself
early deadlines to ensure everything is
completed to a high standard.
Ensuring I eat a balanced vegetarian diet.
Practising bass regularly – constructively
finding and working on weak areas to
improve
my playing.
Okay.
When I set my mind to something and have the
focus
and self-motivation to achieve my goals, the
results are
usually pretty good (for example attaining a 1st).
However, building up this momentum and drive is
not
always an easy thing to do, and with more
motivation
I feel I could have created and participated in a
much
wider range of activities, which would have
enhanced
my learning.
The final semester of the year will also be the
most challenging, with all of my final-year
projects coming
to an end.
I believe that once my degree is over I will have
the
time, but also the pressure and motivation, to
actively
seek assignments and work for myself.
Similarly, I have planned to engage in a wide
range of
sports and activities over summer, as I feel that I
have
somewhat neglected my physical fitness during
my
time at University.
Being able to deal
with and create
situations, solve
problems, work
with challenge and
take advantage of
opportunity
There are many examples from my work
experience placements from the summer.
Working for my mum’s business often
involves
creative thinking and problem solving.
Attending seminars and conferences related
to
my course, initiating conversations with
other
attendees in an attempt to build up a
network of
contacts within the industry.
Applying for schemes such as the Life-wide
Award hopefully demonstrates an out-going
and constructive attitude to personal
development.
Okay.
Critically speaking, I would say that I have
engaged in
less situations that I have found through my own
impetus, and instead have participated more in
situations that ‘found’ me instead.
However I would stipulate that this is simply
because
this is the way that university is tailored –the
University hand-feeds us opportunities to an
extent,
so perhaps once I have finished my course I will
be able
to create my own opportunities more.
Similar to the above – finding work within the
music industry is all based on networking and
who you know, as well as being in the right place
at the right time.
Once my degree is over, I will have the time to
begin to exploit some of the contacts I have built
up during my course.
Finding this sort of work requires some abstract
thinking and innovation in order to get oneself
noticed.
“If you create something, you’re
creative, aren’t you!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPAboXKI3
mU
[email protected]
Thank you for your interest
FIN
For references and further information, go to
http://learningtobeprofessional.pbworks.com/Becoming-a-creative-professional
[email protected]