Creativity and Art Education: Gaps Between Theories and Practices

Theories of creativity from different disciplines map onto teaching strategies within the fine art field. In particular, the outcomes of historical studies by psychologists and experimental studies within cognitive science have significant resonance with some long-standing methods of teaching artists. Through a series of interviews with experienced teachers of studio art in the UK university context, and analysis of written material to support teaching, this paper recognizes the need for a more systematic exploration of how creative thinking may have been embedded in the teaching of artists. We identify the presence of practical strategies, field knowledge, artistic identity, and the importance of ‘space’ within the accounts of teaching and the documents considered. We note that notions of identity and space are not clearly present within existing models of creativity, but aspects of them reflect tolerance for ambiguity. We conclude by reflecting that this space within conceptions of fine art education is a gap that needs attention and that the field that generates the creative practitioners of the future should understand creativity

Iowa Small Business Owner Reach Your Dreams!, 2010

The Targeted Small Business (TSB) Program is designed to help women, *minorities or persons with disabilities overcome some of the major hurdles of starting or growing an Iowa small business and realize their dream of owning a successful business. *American Indian, Asian, Black, Latino, Pacific Islande

Future-proof designers

The need for professional graphic designers may be fading. Their value may not hold up over time. Soon longstanding skills such as photo manipulation, color combination, and logo generation will instead be accomplished with the click of a button by anyone with internet access. Because of this, educators, students, and professionals must ask what should be done to maintain or increase their value regardless of what the future holds? Furthermore, what skills and characteristics can be identified as being most valuable, timeless, and effective for the success of a designer, not just upon entering the field, but throughout their entire career? The following study seeks answers to these questions by examining input and responses from 43 experienced professional designers and instructors from across the United States. ^ The results of this study identify six key skills participants believe to be central for long, successful careers in the design field. These are: * Creativity * Collaboration * Adaptability * Communication Skills * Productivity * Curiosity. ^ This study seeks to identify why each skill is important; what possibilities exist for integrating skills training into current design curricula, and what would a new curriculum built around specific skills look like? Ultimately, this study seeks to share possible solutions that add to the value of designers so that they will continue to be sought after and future-proof

The impact of professional learning on the teaching identities of higher education lecturers

Higher Education is currently undergoing some of the most profound changes in its history. Against a backdrop of increasing marketization, rising levels of student debt and far greater fully online offerings, the higher education lecturer is grappling with new ways of working and high expectations of teaching quality. This 3 year qualitative study based in The Open University UK investigates the ways in which HE distance learning lecturers are approaching professional development and learning, identifying what type of learning may be most effective in creating and sustaining an online teaching identity. The study also examines ways in which resistance discourse is shaping these identities and practices revealing emerging re- conceptualisations of what it means to be an effective and well-motivated distance learning lecturer. The investigation uses a framework for identity analysis which analyses professional identity via the expression of hegemonies, phenomenological, narrative articulations of identity, and a post-modern, constructivist view of identity which is shaped by social interactions and communities of practice. It highlights the importance of personal agency in identity formation. The results revealed a number of insights into the ways in which a combination of resistance discourse, professional learning and reflections from student interactions are shaping new understandings of professional knowledge in this context

External Partnerships at University of the Arts London: Overview of findings from focus group and interviews

This report investigates a range of external partnerships at University of the Arts London (UAL) that are currently embedded within the curricula, or complementing curricula activity, in order to understand and further develop a process of working with external partners to enhance learning and teaching