Skip to content

Past event

Disentangling and debating creativity in education: methodologies, research and assessment

Presentations from this event is now online here.

Employers and educators identify creativity in young people as a highly desired quality. However, it is elusive to recognise, facilitate and evidence. This one-day conference brings together national and international experts in creativity to provoke debate and thought into how we might better research, evaluate and assess creativity in education.

Professors Pat Thomson (University of Nottingham), Todd Lubart (University of Descartes, Paris) and Joanna Haynes (University of Plymouth) each offer insights from their particular field of experience and perspective in qualitative, quantitative and post-qualitative methodologies. During the course of the day, in discussion with a critical expert in the field, they will outline methodological arguments, designs and tools, share evidence and challenges, critiquing these and provoke us to reflect and debate the issues raised.

A significant proportion of the afternoon will be devoted to structured debate in response to provocations offered by our three speakers.
Here we will explore issues such of methodological choice, ontology and epistemology such as fitness for purpose of designs; embedded and creative methods; the persuasiveness and palatability of evidence for different audiences and current policy to practice discourses.

The day will culminate with the annual Anna Craft Memorial Lecture followed by a Wine Reception sponsored by University of Exeter. Further details to follow.

Programme

09.30 Registration and refreshments
10.00 Welcome and introductions
10.15 Quickfire introductions from keynotes
10.30 Researching creative practices in schools by Pat Thomson (keynote) with Teresa Cremin (critical expert)
11.30 BEYOND WORDS: Materiality and the Play of Things by Joanna Haynes (keynote) with Pamela Burnard (critical expert)
12.30 Lunch
13.15 Creativity: pros and cons of a quantitative research approach by Todd Lubart (keynote) with Kerry Chappell (critical expert)
14.15 Structured debate – this will cover themes that have emerged through the day and will be facilitated by the three critical experts
15.15 Plenary – the three SIG co-convenors (Kerry Chappell, Victoria Kinsella and Jo Trowsdale) will chair this synthesis of the day
15.45 Anna Craft Memorial Lecture: Possibility thinking about the future of creativity 
Professor James C. Kaufman, University of Connecticut
16.45 Completion of evaluation forms
16.50 Drinks reception
17.30 End of conference

Supported by the Creativity and Emergent Educational Futures Network, University of Exeter

BURSARIES

The BERA Early Career Researcher Network offers a limited amount of bursaries to the value of £75 towards travel for BERA Student Members only.

To apply for one of these bursaries, please email events@bera.ac.uk with a 250 word statement on why you want to attend this event and why you need the financial assistance. Bursaries are offered on a first come, first served basis. Travel expenses will be reimbursed after the event in accordance with our travel policies. You must not have previously received bursary funding from BERA.

Content related to this event

Researching creative practices in schools

Our review of the CP archive showed a preponderance of case study research (Thomson, Coles, Hallewell, & Keane, 2014). Some of this used surveys, but almost all of it was interview (including...

Video24 Jun 2019

Beyond words: Materiality and the play of things

Tim Ingold’s (2013) account of the art of inquiry begins with the relation between thinking and making, a relation that ‘allow[s] knowledge to grow from the crucible of our practical and...

Video24 Jun 2019