Collaborative Creative Engagements as Drivers for Re-imagining Classrooms and Pedagogies

This paper presents a study examining how pre-service teachers understand and experience the limit(s) of classroom creativity in a Canadian higher education class. Participants first completed a modified version of the Harris Creativity Audit to assess their preliminary understandings of creativity policies and practices, as well as perceptions of the value and feasibility of incorporating creativity into their own teaching. The survey results informed the content of a two-part workshop where participants utilized participatory design and sketch modeling to further explore their understanding of classroom creativity. Data analysis resulted in three themes: (a) the impact of physical space; (b) assessing creativity and assessing in creative ways; (c) challenging the educational system. This study is part of a multisite Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council-funded project that aims to explore creativity in higher education to empower educators and students to develop creative agency through creative ecologies and collaborative assessment.