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Dear Eloise, I love your thinking on Criticality and Creativity so far – but I want to big up the creativity part of the equation. I feel that overall academics tend to be happier struggling with the complex concept of criticality – and thus miss out on the potentialities of creativity. As you know I have enrolled on #artmooc (Coursera’s Introduction to Art); I am blogging about the course itself – but more importantly on the creative ideas that we can take straight back into all our practice – no matter what the subject. Our key assignment each week is to make an artefact in a particular genre and then to critically discuss what we have done – in terms of: 1. Explain your process (medium and technique). *How* was it made? Which art materials and approaches did you use and why? 2. Describe the idea behind your artwork. *What* story or message does it get across? What does it mean to you? 3. *Why* did you create it? What are your reasons for creating that specific art piece? What do you want your audience to feel and think while observing it? The constraints of the assignment provoke creativity – and the justification teases out the criticality… I feel that we could very easily adapt that rubric to develop assignments that would be more creative and more critical: ‘Okay – we’ve looked at [insert ideas theories or concepts relevant to your subject] – now design an art work or teaching/learning resource to bring one or all of these concepts alive to another group of people: 1. Explain your art or teaching/learning process. *How* was the resource made? Which activities, materials and approaches did you use and why? 2. Describe the idea behind your resource. *What* story or message does it get across? What does it mean to you? 3. *Why* did you create it? What are your reasons for creating that specific resource? What do you want your audience to feel and think while observing it or engaging with it?’ Here the student would be both in the task and over the task. Creativity, criticality and voice are all present – not in empty reflective gestures – but in a way that invites powerful engagement. And for your event – you could do worse than build in any of the activities from our MOOC (http://lastrefugelmu.blogspot.co.uk/) and get your participants to justify their outcomes as above. Good luck! Sandra On 18 June 2013 17:21, Eloise Sentito <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi all,**** > > ** ** > > I’ve been asked to co-facilitate an all-day workshop for staff here at > Plymouth on criticality and creativity in a fortnight and I’d like to > garner some ideas from you. I think we want to get people to question these > notions – does that go without saying? (Does anything go without saying?) > **** > > ** ** > > I’m particularly interested in political and philosophical contexts, e.g. > ‘critical’ as in critical theory; ‘critical’ as in post-Enlightenment > reasoning (ref our very own Gary Riley-Jones); ‘critical’ as in heresy; > ‘critical’ as in – what else? and wondering about interdisciplinarity and > Renaissance thinking/ways of being (ref our very own Gary Riley-Jones and > Stella Cottrell)…**** > > ** ** > > Although these and DPR give me some fertile ground for sowing seeds in, > I’m not quite sure where to start. Anyone?**** > > ** ** > > Eloïse **** > > ** ** > > *Learning Development* *with Plymouth University***** > > www.learningdevelopment.plymouth.ac.uk **** > > ** ** > > ------------------------------ > This email and any files with it are confidential and intended solely for > the use of the recipient to whom it is addressed. If you are not the > intended recipient then copying, distribution or other use of the > information contained is strictly prohibited and you should not rely on it. > If you have received this email in error please let the sender know > immediately and delete it from your system(s). Internet emails are not > necessarily secure. While we take every care, Plymouth University accepts > no responsibility for viruses and it is your responsibility to scan emails > and their attachments. Plymouth University does not accept responsibility > for any changes made after it was sent. Nothing in this email or its > attachments constitutes an order for goods or services unless accompanied > by an official order form. > -- Sandra Sinfield University Teaching Fellow ________________________________________________________ CELT Learning & Writing Development (www.londonmet.ac.uk/celt) LC-206 London Metropolitan University, 236-250 Holloway Road, N7 6PP. (020) 7 133 4045 Association of Learning Development in HE (www.aldinhe.ac.uk) Essential Study Skills: the complete guide to success at university (http://www.uk.sagepub.com/burnsandsinfield3e/main.htm) http://lastrefugelmu.blogspot.co.uk/ Find me on Twitter - or use @celtstudy & #loveld Companies Act 2006 : http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/companyinfo