Fostering Creativity: Ontario Teachers’ Perceptions, Strategies, and Experiences

This study provides a broad overview of perceptions elementary school teachers hold regarding creativity, the strategies those teachers use to foster creative thinking and behaviour in their students, and the environmental challenges and opportunities they navigate when striving to develop 21st century skills in students. Earlier research examining teachers’ perceptions and creativity-fostering behaviours have typically asked teachers to describe their classroom practices, or self-report their perceptions regarding creative children or children’s creative actions. Using a mixed-methods approach, in this study 22 Grade 5-7 teachers working in Ontario completed an online questionnaire which measured their creativity-fostering behaviours. Following the survey, 12 teachers were interviewed and allowed the researcher to observe their classroom and collect field data. Analysis of data reveals major themes that illuminate the dynamic and interconnected nature of the classroom and school environment, and demonstrate the multifarious ways in which teacher perceptions, creativity-fostering strategies, and uncontrollable environmental factors, such as administrators, colleagues, and EQAO testing influence teachers’ attempts to sustain a creative classroom environment

Dissertation - Brief Research Summary

Creativity is an essential, but elusive human skill (or set of skills). As humans, we know there is something special about those who are highly creative – we build museums and art galleries to showcase these talents, and love to see our students come up with new and useful ideas. What we sometimes have trouble understanding is what conditions or environments foster creativity, and which ones prevent creativity from developing. And everyone has a theory! The purpose of this research study was to better understand, from the perspective of teachers, what exactly creativity is, and what teachers think encourages or discourages creativity in their students. This study had two stages– the first consisted of an online survey, and the second was a day long observation and interview with a teacher who volunteered to participate and provide their insight. Teachers were asked to describe and identify the strategies they used to foster creativity, discuss the nature of creativity and how it was visible in their students, and the range of environmental conditions in their schools that influenced the development of creativity in children. Teachers were also asked to provide insight into the ways 21st century learning strategies, technology, EQAO, and collaborative learning influenced creative development in students. Results of this study were presented and defended in front of a multidisciplinary committee on April 17, 2013, and were accepted and approved. The full document can now be accessed on the Research Western website