A Case Study Exploring the Intersection of Creativity and Interdisciplinary Practice on the Undergraduate 1st Year Module Creativity, Culture and Education

Bio
Juliet Raynsford is an Assistant Professor (teaching focused) in Education Studies. Juliet holds a Masters in Drama and Theatre Education and a PhD in Education Studies, and has served as both Director of Education and Director of Undergraduate Studies in CAS. She has developed projects with WIHEA and Widening Participation that focus on creative and participatory work.
Find out more on her Education Studies department pageLink opens in a new window
Project Summary
Juliet’s case study examined her practice of facilitating students’ understanding of the interplay between interdisciplinarity and creativity on the first-year Education Studies module, ‘Creativity, Culture and EducationLink opens in a new window.’ This module is required for all first-year students on the B.A. honors course in Education Studies. As part of a curriculum review for the module, Juliet wanted to explore with students the bridge between creative and interdisciplinary pedagogies, herself defining as a creative-interdisciplinary educator and influenced by embodied, creative, collaborative and critical teaching methods. In response to the test-centred and cerebral educational systems from which students enter university, she aimed to further understand her undergraduate’s perceptions on creative and interdisciplinary teaching and learning and unpack how creative-interdisciplinary pedagogy connect to other approaches such as ‘problem-based learning’ (PBL) and ‘design thinking’ (DT). Drawing from Anne Craft’s book “Creativity in Schools” (2005), Juliet infused the module with discussions on what “teaching creatively,” “teaching for creativity” and “creative learning outcomes” look like in pedagogical practice. Anne Craft’s work served as a basis through which to then discuss with students how an interdisciplinary mindset and creativity go hand in hand in the context of higher education. To gather data and feedback, Juliet reviewed the modules’ curriculum documents, asked for students to participate in volunteer interviews and analysed their reflective blogs. From her findings, Juliet recommended that the module’s content moving forward needs to further stress the connection between creativity and interdisciplinarity to reflect shifts in the field. Juliet shared that both creativity and interdisciplinarity are difficult concepts for students to grasp, and that the integration of these ideas need to be carefully framed to avoid ethnocentric conceptualizations of their theory and practice in an increasingly diverse higher education setting in the UK. To help build knowledge around interdisciplinarity, students found guest lectures useful, and they also saw value in creative-interdisciplinary learning as applied to their future careers. Juliet’s PGA project reflects the important commitment to cultivating spaces of exploration, collaboration and critical intercultural engagement engendered through creative- interdisciplinary pedagogy.