Visualizing Pedagogies of Creativity Through Typographic Drawings

• In Event: Creative Ecologies in Higher Education: Students', Educators', and Leaders' Experiences of Creativity in Canada and Australia

Abstract

Objectives/Purpose:
Typographic drawings creatively change how letters/words and forms/images engage with each other on a page, transforming data into visual and artful narratives. The typographic drawings represent findings from our study with educators across programs in a university in Toronto, Canada. The study included qualitative interviews and visual research to understand educators’ experiences of teaching creativity and the influences their professional environments have on their pedagogies. The goal was to uncover and incorporate the distinct perspectives university teachers have on growing higher education ecologies of learning with creativity at heart (Harris, 2016; 2022).

Theoretical framework:
Through funding allocations for some initiatives and austerity measures against others, national and provincial governments make universities in Canada players in the economic competitiveness goals (Metcalfe, 2010). On campuses, expanded participation in marketization to support economic prosperity translates to activities that increase university-driven innovations (Rhoades, 2014; Rhoades & Torres, 2006; Slaughter, 2014). In classrooms, teaching focuses on producing a competitive workforce by developing students’ abilities such as their creative and entrepreneurial thinking (Carter et al., 2020; Howard et al., 2018; Mars et al., 2008; Wiebe et al., 2018). Harris and Carter, however, reminded us that the arts have long advocated for creativity to be central to learning (Harris & Carter, 2021). To theorize the connections between educators' teaching at the classroom level and other factors that influence their pedagogies of creativity, thus, we rely on Harris' conceptual framework of creative ecologies (Harris, 2016; 2022). The framework presents the lens through which we interpret pedagogies for achieving creative ecologies in higher education beyond economic-driven educational goals.

Methods and data:
This paper focuses on a research site at a university in Toronto, Canada. Data collection method included semi-structured interviews (Brenner, 2006; Jones et al., 2014; Josselson, 2013; Merriam, 2009) with 12 educators who teach creativity in various programs. We analyzed data using the thematic method of constant comparison analysis (Butler-Kisber, 2010). After generating the findings, we created typographic drawings (Mitchell et al., 2011; Weber & Mitchell, 1996). The visualization processes acted as modes of inquiry for understanding the emerging themes. Whereas the outputs, typographic drawings, act as modes of representation of findings for a broader audience, including the research participants (Butler & Poldma, 2010; Mitchell, 2006; 2011).

Results and significance:
The study expands on Harris's (2016; 2022) conceptual framework by incorporating university teachers' perspectives on increasing creative capacity across the domains of policies, partnerships, place, products, and processes as they relate to universities. Our research suggests that intrinsic goals, including a dedication to learning, drive many university teachers to commit to creativity. We discovered similarities in pedagogies, in addition to differences in strategies and philosophies between educators from across disciplines around creativity. To translate these findings into artful and visual communication messages accessible to a broader audience, we created typographic drawings. These visuals share research participants' understanding of creativity, the educational, including arts-based methods they employ, and their take on creativity assessments, among further significant insights around creative ecologies in higher education.

Authors

• Layal Shuman, Toronto Metropolitan University
  Presenting Author

• Christopher Blomkwist, Toronto Metropolitan University
  Presenting Author