In this chapter, we will address a number of myths about both assessment and creativity. We will more fully explore both creativity and assessment, as well as the threats and misconceptions that may exist within classrooms and school settings that make engaging in both challenging at times. We will also explore how students may experience creativity in different classroom contexts and subject areas and the assessment processes that support these experiences.
Myths About Creativity
As mentioned in the introduction, the myths that creativity only occurs in arts-related courses and the notion that only gifted people are capable of creativity are prevalent and often inhibit the development of this important skill in our schools. Mythology surrounds the topic of creativity, and this mythology can paralyze teachers in their pursuit of developing creative thinkers. Resting at the core of creativity’s story is an either-or paradigm. Educators often feel like they need to choose between speed (getting through the content) and exploration (going where the learners want to go). They worry that they need to choose between classroom management (self-regulating and maintaining optimal learning conditions) and the free-for-all teachers imagine creative exploration requires (going where the learner wants, when the learner wants, how the learner wants). Educators wonder whether they have to give up their standards if they are going to develop creative learners. These false dichotomies set up teachers to make decisions that not only sell creativity short but sell rich learning short, too. When educators address these myths—the false dichotomies that inhibit them—they can begin to imagine classrooms where they develop self-regulated individuals who also explore ideas creatively.
Let’s explore the myths about creativity, so we can begin to imagine how we might nurture environments that foster all the skills and knowledge we hope to develop in our learners. Following are nine pervasive myths teachers must be aware of to ensure they support all students’ creativity.
1. Either you are creative or you aren’t: Sadly, if you ask an adult whether he or she views him- or herself as creative, many will emphatically assert, “I am definitely not creative. I can’t even draw a stick figure!” This illustrates a belief that people who aren’t creative will always remain so. It also shows a narrow view of what creativity means. If we are going to work to develop creative learners, we have to believe it is possible to do so. Creativity is a learned trait. Katherine E. Batchelor and William P. Bintz (2013) explain, “There is no creativity gene, a gene that individuals are born with that provides them with a predisposition for creativity. There is also no academic discipline that has an exclusive monopoly on creativity” (p. 10). People can develop creativity over time, in any number of contexts.
2. Creative people generate quality results on their first effort: This myth is the reason why so many people, adults and children alike, give up on creativity. The idea that creativity is absent of effort, trial and error, or failure is a harmful misconception, because when these things come to pass, frustration sets in and forward momentum stops. Instead of a perfect creative product emerging immediately, creativity is primarily conscious, hard work (Sawyer, 2006; Simonton, 1988, 1999). A truly creative effort requires the learner to return to ideas again and again, considering multiple perspectives, uses, adaptations, and applications. Assessment facilitates this iterative process, and it takes investment, revision, and time.
3. Creativity is a solitary pursuit: Often, as students experience the creative process, they share ideas with others, generate new questions, and provide alternate perspectives. Students may find themselves working with peers, asking for opinions and resources that can act as catalysts for further exploration. Gretchen Morgan (2015) states, “In a culture in which we are given permission to be inventive, a strong practice of learning from one another is required to accelerate our collective effectiveness and maintain trust” (p. 72). This social aspect of creativity speaks to the need for teachers to be mindful in learners’ creative processes. Erkens et al. (2017) assert, “Teacher responsiveness to student dialogue, questions, comments, and work can lead to a deeper culture of learning” (p. 120). Teachers act as fellow seekers, critical friends, and experts at various times. They facilitate self-assessment, peer assessment, and research and invite authentic audiences and strong purposes for the work.
4. Creative people break all the rules: In this creativity myth, the rules or specific knowledge and skills within subject areas can get in the way of creativity; they are too constraining and static. People may believe that a “true” creator breaks the rules and pushes past convention. However, rules provide a necessary foundation and shared understanding upon which new ideas, strategies, and approaches can be layered. When students hold knowledge or skill in a particular subject area, that knowledge or skill becomes the language through which students express their creativity. The rules give learners something against which they can assess their creative efforts. They give students the scaffolding they need to reach new creative heights (Dacey & Conklin, 2004).
5. Creativity happens entirely inside the mind, like a flash of inspiration: Sawyer (2006) explains, “Creativity doesn’t happen all in the head … it happens during the hard work of execution” (p. 386). Creativity is not just about idea generation. It is about monitoring and evaluating ideas and approaches and reflecting on inspiration and catalysts. Creativity happens over time, with mini-insight, interspersed between hard, persistent work. Not only will students benefit from creative processes, but they will also benefit from sustained, focused efforts over time. This is truly a win-win.
6. Creativity is all about fun: Creativity is not easy or peaceful. There are moments during the creative process that are downright uncomfortable. Results can be ambiguous, goals can shift, and ideas can falter, all in the name of exploring and elaborating on ideas. Educational consultant Patti Drapeau (2014) confirms, “Creative lesson components are not just feel-good activities. They are activities that directly address critical content, target specific standards, and require thoughtful products that allow students to show what they know” (p. 3). It is through effective assessment practices that teachers and learners can connect the creative processes being used to critical skills and understanding under development. The good news is the kind of resilience students develop as a result of engaging in creative processes will serve them for their lifetime.
7. Creativity is a linear process: This particular myth is one reason educators may not get to creative processes in their classrooms. If we believe that a student has to earn the right to be creative by learning prerequisite concepts and skills, then some students will never get to experience it. Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica (2015) explain—
It is true that creative work in any field involves a growing mastery of skills and concepts. It is not true that they have to be mastered before the creative work can begin. Focusing on skills in isolation can kill interest in any discipline. (p. 147)
Students can gain many of the skills and conceptual understandings we desire through creative processes.
8. No one can measure or assess creativity; the quality of creative products is completely a matter of opinion: When we walk alongside our students in their creative pursuits, we will utilize formative assessment processes to determine degrees of comfort with risk taking and creative progress in relation to student goals. We engage in feedback to propel learning forward and we utilize summative assessment to verify degrees of understanding and skill. Furthermore, we can also assess the development of creative skills. For example, we can capture and assess the quality of questions students are generating or we can assess our learners’ use of materials to create products. Students can receive feedback on their creative processes,