The School Environment and Teacher Creativity

• In Event: 34.034 - Teacher Instructional Characteristics and Approaches and Their Impacts on Learning Environments

Abstract

Creativity is a prolific area of research in education. However, contemporary research is broadly informed by learner outcomes and struggles to distinguish teacher creativity from student creativity. Knowledge concerning the role of environment is particularly deficient. What aspects of the school environment enable instructional creativity? This mixed-method investigation synthesizes the insight of measurably creative teachers to enrich understanding. The findings suggest that creative teachers perceive physical and socio-organizational attributes of the environment as important, and that the later plays a dominant role in negotiating instructionally creative behavior. This knowledge can be used to conceptualize and design effective schools that support both teacher and learner creativity.

Author

• Jody Nyboer, Syracuse University