Understanding the Complexities of Cognition and Creativity to Reform Higher Education Practice

Abstract

This article focuses on the connections between the cognitive dimension of human meaning-making and creativity, using a metaphor from the artistic process of additive sculpture as a framework. The author weaves together various theoretical perspectives about cognition and creativity and shares the promise of recognizing the nexus of these notions for promoting students’ learning and development. Implications for human agency, teaching and learning in higher education, and future research are discussed to promote understanding of these complex ideas and inspire the reform of practice in postsecondary contexts. Evidenced daily in news headlines, political figures’ promises, corporate business plans, and technological advances, the challenges of a global, contemporary life are demanding more creative competency than ever before. Higher education is uniquely situated to prepare students to meet such challenges, but how? Consider this metaphor