Being and becoming: Elements of pedagogies described by three East Anglian creative practitioners

Author: Tyler Denmead

Institution: University of Cambridge

Full reference: Denmead, T. (2011). ‘Being and becoming: elements of pedagogies described by three East Anglian creative practitioners’. Thinking Skills and Creativity. 6 (1): 57-66

Summary of key findings

This small-scale research project aims to broaden understanding of creative practitioners’ pedagogies from their perspectives.

A case study of three creative practitioners working in education contexts identified some common themes underlying their approaches: not knowing, open-endedness, playing like a child, and becoming. The practitioners described pedagogies that facilitated an open-ended nature of being-in-flux, which opened up to the realm of the possible and unknown.

The researcher observes that these pedagogies might be seen as offering an alternative to those associated with more ‘concrete’ ways of being, perceived as being valued and materialised in contexts such as schools and elderly homes. However, he argues that rather than examining differences between teachers’ and creative practitioners’ pedagogies, research might more helpfully focus on how to describe, experience and model a creative practice. He suggests that creative practitioners’ perspectives on ways of being offers a line of enquiry for further research in this field.

Research Questions & Methodology

The report presents case studies of three individual creative practitioners who were members of an organisation called Cambridge, Curiosity and Imagination (CCI). Each of them had over 10 years of educational experience. The study examined the research question, ‘What elements of their pedagogies do creative practitioners describe?’

Over a 4-week period the author conducted two interviews with each practitioner, using an unstructured, conversational approach, and observed one practitioner’s workshop. Comparative, cross-case analysis was used to identify shared themes.

The creative practitioners did not refer only to school-based partnership work, but also to engagement in other settings such as galleries, museums, community centres and elderly homes, engaging with a range of populations. The report briefly reviews the literature on creative practitioner pedagogy, including a number of Creative Partnerships research projects.

Go to the journal article.