The Harvard EdCast

Think You're Creative? Think Again


Listen Later

Edward Clapp wants education to shift from a traditional, individualistic view of creativity toward a participatory, socially distributed perspective. Clapp, principal investigator at Harvard’s Project Zero and co-author of, “The Participatory Creativity Guide for Educators,” doesn’t see creativity as a personal trait some people "possess" or "are," instead he proposes that everyone can "participate" in creativity. 

“Young people play a variety of roles when they participate in creativity, each leveraging their own talents, skills, background experiences, and cultural perspectives,” he says. “So, it's this more socially distributed approach to understanding what creativity is -- that isn't held within the skulls and skin of individuals. It's putting creativity in a social space so that everyone can participate in creativity in the unique ways that they have to do so.” 

Clapp talks about the “eight crises of creativity,” where challenges stem from individualism, such as the misconception that some kids are inherently more creative, and from a "culture of power" that overlooks the social and cultural dynamics of creativity. Clapp argues that an individualistic view limits students by creating exclusive standards of creativity, often alienating those who don’t fit these norms. “Creativity is not socially and culturally neutral -- it’s socially, culturally charged…” he says. “I saw the posters growing up as a kid, of Charles Darwin, and Vincent van Gogh, and Albert Einstein. More contemporarily, we'll have Steve Jobs up there-- all the dead white guys who are these icons of creativity. And creativity literally-- it literally, from that perspective, doesn't look like the majority of our students. So young people will look at those icons and say, right away, ‘I just don't even look like that person.’ To counter these issues, Clapp advocates for participatory creativity in classrooms. For example, teachers can shift focus from "creative icons" to the evolution of ideas, inviting all students to engage. 

In this episode, Clapp explains the participatory approach to creativity, and how it can empower students by validating diverse contributions and helping them develop purpose in the world. 

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Harvard EdCastBy Harvard Graduate School of Education

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

84 ratings


More shows like The Harvard EdCast

View all
The HBR Channel by Harvard Business Review

The HBR Channel

183 Listeners

HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

HBR IdeaCast

177 Listeners

PolicyCast by Harvard Kennedy School

PolicyCast

82 Listeners

Teaching in Higher Ed by Bonni Stachowiak

Teaching in Higher Ed

368 Listeners

The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast by Jennifer Gonzalez

The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast

2,398 Listeners

Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers by Angela Watson

Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers

1,254 Listeners

Shorenstein Center Media and Politics Podcast by Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy

Shorenstein Center Media and Politics Podcast

20 Listeners

Have You Heard by Have You Heard

Have You Heard

452 Listeners

Code Switch by NPR

Code Switch

14,547 Listeners

Harvard Center for International Development by Harvard Center for International Development

Harvard Center for International Development

20 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,917 Listeners

The Mittal Institute, Harvard University by The Mittal Institute, Harvard University

The Mittal Institute, Harvard University

3 Listeners

Harvard Art Museums by Harvard Art Museums

Harvard Art Museums

7 Listeners

Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies by Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies

Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies

10 Listeners

Outsmarting Implicit Bias by Outsmarting Implicit Bias

Outsmarting Implicit Bias

14 Listeners

Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed by Jeff Selingo, Michael Horn

Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed

131 Listeners

City Arts & Lectures by City Arts & Lectures

City Arts & Lectures

389 Listeners

Intersectionality Matters! by African American Policy Forum

Intersectionality Matters!

781 Listeners

Raising Good Humans by Dear Media, Aliza Pressman

Raising Good Humans

1,867 Listeners

Science of Reading: The Podcast by Amplify Education

Science of Reading: The Podcast

631 Listeners

The Bright Morning Podcast with Elena Aguilar by Elena Aguilar

The Bright Morning Podcast with Elena Aguilar

555 Listeners

IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson by Higher Ground

IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson

12,348 Listeners

Try This by The Washington Post

Try This

307 Listeners

Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams by Crooked Media

Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

1,536 Listeners