Keynote  

Leading  for  Creativity       With  new  2014  research,  Douglas  Reeves  provides  a  compelling  case  for  what  leaders  must  do  –  and  what  they  must  avoid  –  to  nurture  creativity  among  students  and  teachers.    “Nearly  everyone  claims  to  value  creativity  as  an  essential  21st  Century  skill,”  Reeves  contends.    “But  policies  and  practices  in  curriculum,  assessment,  and  the  evaluation  of  teachers  and  administrators  often  systematically  undermine  these  intentions.”    This  practical  keynote  address  includes  a  multi-­‐disciplinary  approach  to  the  subject  of  creativity,  including  the  latest  research  and  ideas  from  neuroscience,  education,  psychology,  and  philosophy.      The  latest  book  by  Dr.  Reeves  and  coauthor  Brooks  Reeves  on  this  subject  is  The  Seven  Virtues  of  Creativity,  to  be  published  in  early  2015.      The  Presenter:    Dr.  Douglas  Reeves  has  addressed  audiences  around  the  globe  on  educational  leadership  and  effective  teaching.    The  author  of  more  than  80  articles  and  30  books,  he  was  twice  named  to  the  Harvard  University  Distinguished  Authors  Series.    Doug  was  named  the  Brock  International  Laureate  for  his  contributions  to  educational  research  and  received  the  Contribution  to  the  Field  Award  from  the  National  Staff  Development  Council.    Doug’s  volunteer  work  includes  helping  doctoral  students  complete  their  dissertation  (see  FinishTheDissertation.org)  and  providing  one-­‐to-­‐one  writing  coaching  for  veterans  suffering  from  post-­‐traumatic  stress  disorder  (PTSD).    Their  collected  work  will  appear  in  2016  in  the  SNAFU  Review,  which  Doug  edits  and  publishes.    He  lives  with  his  family  in  downtown  Boston.                                

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Leading(for(Crea-vity(((

Douglas(B.(Reeves,(Ph.(D.(ChangeLeaders.com(

Dreeves@(ChangeLeaders.com(1.781.710.9633(

(

Overview'•  Learning'Objec/ves'•  Brief'Review'of'2013'Leadership'Research'

•  New'evidence'from'2014'•  New'tools'for'assessing'crea/vity'

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Learning(Objec-ves(

1) Understand(the(value(of(crea-vity(for(students(and(adults(

2) Iden-fy(the(gap(between(what(we(value(and(how(we(assess(

3) Apply(the(knowing;doing(gap(to(your(own(specific(educa-onal(role(

4)  Plan'and'Execute'specific(ac-ons(and(tools(that(you(can(use(to(enhance(crea-vity(for(students,(teachers,(administrators,(and(governing(board(members.(

Applying(the(research(

•  Workshop(on(“Assessing(Crea,vity”(will(apply(the(meta5rubric(used(in(today’s(research(to(three(anonymous(crea:vity(rubrics.((You(are(welcome(to(apply(this(meta5rubric(to(crea:vity(rubrics(within(your(schools.(

•  Workshop(on(“Crea,vity(in(a(Standards3Based(World”(includes(the(development(of(a(standards5based(performance(assessment(for(students,(teachers,(administrators,(or(board(members(that(best(meets(the(dimensions(of(crea:vity(assessment.(

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Fundamental*Research*Findings*

•  Crea3vity*is*essen3al*for*society*and*the*planet*•  Crea3vity*is*valued*by*businesses,*schools*and*governents*• Unfortunately*.*.*.**

Enormous(gap(between(inten1ons(and(reality(

•  Student(grading(systems(deliberately(undermine(the(essen1als(of(crea1vity(–(trial,(error,(feedback,(and(improvement.((The(“average”(punishes(every(experimental(error.(((

•  Teacher(evalua1on(systems(undermine(experimental(approaches(to(teaching,(learning,(and(engagement(because(they(punish(failure.(((

•  Zero(errors(=((zero(learning(

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Crea%vity*is*systema%cally*devalued*

•  The*most*crea%ve*students*were*the*least*popular*

with*students*and*teachers;*the*least*crea%ve*

students*were*the*most*popular*(Skidmore,*2012)*

•  Crea%vity*is*some%mes*associated*with*anxiety,*an%A

social*behavior,*and*substance*abuse.***

•  The*“good*girl”*effect*–*we*effec%vely*undermine*the*

crea%vity*of*half*the*planet.*(Reeves*&*Reeves,*2015)*

Levels&of&evidence&

•  1)&&Personal&beliefs&•  2)&&Personal&experiences&•  3)&&Collec8ve&experiences&•  4)&&Systema8c&comparisons&•  5)&Preponderance&of&evidence&

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More%Bad%News%

•  Emula0ng%crea0vity%(such%as%Google’s%20%%of%free%0me)%is%incredibly%difficult%when%people%already%have%fullD0me%jobs.%%%

•  Evalua0on%systems%punish%the%errors%that%are%an%inherent%part%of%crea0vity%and%riskDtaking%

How$to$Assess$Crea,vity?$

•  Torrance$Tests$of$Crea,ve$Thinking$–$the$most$widely$used$crea,vity$test$in$the$world$

•  40$languages$•  Systema,c$assessment$of$validity$–$the$rela,onship$$between$student$scores$and$later$adult$crea,ve$produc,on,$over$four$decades$

$

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Crea%vity*is*Declining*for*Individuals*

•  Crea%vity*among*students*has*declined*significantly*in*the*past*20*years.*

•  Biggest*decline*is*in*“crea%ve*elabora%on”*–*the*ability*to*develop*and*elaborate*upon*ideas*with*detailed*and*reflec%ve*thinking*

•  *(Source:))Kyung)Hee)Kim,)College)of)William)&)Mary,)a9er)analysis)of)almost)300,000)American)adults)and)children)based)on)the)The)Torrance)Tests)of)CreaCng)Thinking)(TTCT),)October)2010.))

Crea%vity*is*Declining*for*Organiza%ons*

•  Fewer*than*half*of*companies*surveyed*said*their*corporate*culture*robustly*supports*their*innova%on*strategy*

•  But*most*organiza%ons**make*decisions*based*on*avoiding*mistakes*rather*than*embracing*risk*and*innova%on.*

•  (Source:))Booz)&)Co.,)Global)Innova7on)1,000,)2013,)Innocen7ve.))

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“Crea&vity+is+not+just+the+way+that+the+great+geniuses+of+the+past+have+used+to+enrich+and+give+

meaning+to+our+culture,+but+it+is+an+obliga&on+we+all+have+to+enrich+

and+give+meaning+to+our+own+lives+and+the+lives+of+our+community.”+++

Reeves%&%Reeves,%The+Seven+Virtues+of+Crea&vity+(Solu,on%Tree,%2015)%

Please&stop&and&process&

What%is%your%personal,%professional,%and%moral%obliga6on%

to%encourage%crea6vity?%

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A"Working"Defini-on"of"Crea-vity"

•  The$process$of$experimenta*on,-evalua*on,-and-follow-through$which$leads$to$a$significant$discovery,-insight,-or-contribu*on.-• Note-what-it-doesn’t-say:--original,-novel,-superstar-.-.-.-

"

The False Dichotomy Between “Big C” and “Little c ” creativity

•  Big$C:$– The$creator$as$rock$star,$or$at$least$a$Nobel$Prize$winner$

– Social,$ar:s:c,$or$scien:fic$recogni:on$

•  Li=le$c:$– Insights$that$are$func:onal,$oAen$based$on$previous$major$insights.$

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Assessing'crea+vity'assessments'

•  100+'crea+vity'assessments,'including'K812'and'college,'evaluated'on'88dimension'scale,'with'four'points'on'each,'for'>3,200'data'points'

•  >95%'inter8rater'reliability'•  Maximum'score'of'32'(Level'4'on'all'eight'dimensions)'

•  The'results'.'.'.''

Overall'rubric'scores'

0'

10'

20'

30'

40'

50'

60'

70'

80'

25732' 17724' '9716' ''179'

Elementary'

Secondary'

K712'

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Strengths)and)weaknesses)

STRENGTHS:)•  Mul8disciplinary)orienta8on)•  Product)requirements)

WEAKNESSES:)•  Research)basis)•  Collabora8on)•  Trial)and)error)

A"few"research"footnotes"

•  Posi0vely"biased"sample"–"these"were"publicly"available"and"willingly"shared.""Don’t"be"disappointed"if"your"ini0al"results"are"lower."

•  Don’t"try"this"alone.""Checks"for"inter@rater"reliability"are"essen0al"for"meaningful"results"

•  Use"this"meta@rubric"as"a"star0ng"point"–"not"the"ending"point.""When"there"is"disagreement"in"applying"a"rubric,"the"rule"is,"“The"enemy"is"not"one"another;"the"enemy"is"ambiguity.”""Rework"the"rubric"un0l"you"achieve"80%"agreement."

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Suppor&ng)curiosity)

•  Confidence)in)the)value)of)failure)–)including)public)displays)of)“I)used)to)think).).).)but)now)I)think.).).)(Elmore))

•  Replacing)supreme)selfDregard)with)rigorous)selfDexamina&on)

•  Social)media)as)an)echoDchamber)•  Ques&on)assump&ons)•  Make)guesses)before)heading)to)Google)•  Beware)of)punishing)curiosity)

The$“Good$Girl”$effect$–$Na3onal$Honor$Society$

Membership$

0$

10$

20$

30$

40$

50$

60$

70$

Women$ Men$

Kristof,$Nicholas,$New$York$Times$3I27I10$

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From%2014%Interviews%with%Successful%girls%and%women%

•  “There&were&many&,mes&I&knew&that&a&colleague&was&wrong,&but&I&didn’t&speak&up&because&it&was&inappropriate&to&challenge&someone&else.”&–  Helen&–&Ivy&League&graduate&&

•  “The&playground&hasn’t&been&updated&for&six&years&and&some&of&it&is&dangerous.&&I’d&like&to&write&a&story&for&the&school&newspaper,&but&I&don’t&want&to&cri,cize&the&teachers&or&school&leaders.”&–  Jessica&–&excep,onal&student&

Reeves%&%Reeves,%The&Seven&Virtues&of&Crea,vity&(Solu>on%Tree,%2015)%

Versa&lity:,,Applying,new,perspec&ves,

•  The,“ab$ini'o”$fallacy,•  Examples:,,From,plane,geometry,to,mul&dimensional,sta&s&cal,modeling,•  Building,blocks,vs.,plagiarism,

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Please&stop&and&process:&

•  Iden0fy&two&or&three&of&your&greatest&insights&as&an&educa0onal&leader&

•  Iden0fy&at&least&one&source&for&your&insight&•  Synergy&–&“the&produc0on&by&two&or&more&agents,&substances,&etc.,&of&a&combined&effect&greater&than&the&sum&of&their&separate&effects.”&(O.E.D.)&

There%is%no%contradic.on%between%crea.vity%and%academic%

discipline.%

In#fact,#disciplinary#knowledge#is#essen5al#for#crea5vity.#

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Who$said$this?$

•  “Crea&on)is)unlikely)to)emerge)in)the)absence)of)some)disciplinary)mastery)and,)perhaps,)some)capacity)to)synthesize;)it's)not)possible)to)think)outside)the)box)unless)you)have)a)box.”)))

•  Hint%#1:%%The%author%of%“Five%Minds%for%the%Future”%

•  Hint%#2:%%The%most%influen;al%thinker%about%mul;ple%intelligences%

•  Hint%#3:%%Name%rhymes%with%“Howard%Gardner”%

The$elements$of$discipline$

•  Focus$•  “Beginner’s$Mind”$•  Deliberate$prac<ce$•  Incremental$prac<ce$•  Recording$progress$– From$the$basketball$court$to$Cogni<ve$Behavioral$Therapy$

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What%do%the%best%orchestras,%hockey%teams,%choruses,%pianists,%and%school%administrators%have%in%

common?%

Talk%to%Prac+ce%ra+o%is%remarkably%consistent%for%professional%Prac+ce%

%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Talk% Prac+ce%

Symphony%

Chorus%

Hockey%

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Talk%to%Prac+ce%ra+o%is%remarkably%consistent%for%amateur%Prac+ce%

%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Talk% Prac+ce%

Symphony%

Chorus%

Hockey%

Professional+Prac-ce+and+the+“What+the+Heck+?”+effect+

“If$I$miss$a$prac,ce$day,$then$I$might$as$well$give$up.”$

$But$what$does$the$evidence$say?$

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Performance*with*daily*prac3ce*

100*

105*

110*

115*

120*

125*

130*

135*

140*

0* 5* 10* 15* 20* 25* 30* 35*

Miss$two$days$of$prac/ce$

100.00$

105.00$

110.00$

115.00$

120.00$

125.00$

130.00$

135.00$

0$ 5$ 10$ 15$ 20$ 25$ 30$ 35$

From$100$to$130$

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Miss$Every$third$day$of$prac2ce$$

98$

100$

102$

104$

106$

108$

110$

112$

114$

116$

118$

120$

0$ 5$ 10$ 15$ 20$ 25$ 30$ 35$

From$100$to$118$

Stop%and%process:%%Enhancing%crea2vity%with%discipline%

•  Measure%crea2vity%goals%9%number%of%ideas%generated,%number%of%experiments%conducted,%or%other%meaningful%metric.%

•  How%can%you%prac2ce%ac2vi2es%related%to%the%goal?%%For%example,%for%at%least%one%of%the%next%three%Board%decisions,%consider%mutually%exclusive%alterna2ve%with%“construc2ve%conten2on.”%%%

•  What%is%the%recovery%plan%–%if%and%when%–%you%miss%goals?%

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Some%Prac*cal%steps%for%crea*ve%collabora*on%

•  Give%everyone%two%veto%votes%–%make%vetoing%a%scarce%but%reliable%resources%

•  Spli;ng%the%cake%•  “Yes.%.%.%And?”%•  Challenging%the%illusion%of%collabora*on%in%the%classroom%

Encouraging*experimenta0on*•  If*you*already*know*the*answer,*then*it’s*not*an*experiment*•  Disconfirming*hypotheses*is*as*important*–*o?en*more*

important*–*than*confirming*hypotheses*•  Experiment*with*games:*–  Rock,*paper,*scissors.*.*.*Water*–  Replace*the*Monopoly*B&O*Railroad*with*the*TGV*

•  Experiment*with*media*–*every*adver0sing*and*poli0cal*claim*is*a*hypothesis*to*be*tested*

*

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Assessing'tenacity'•  How'has'your'governing'board'agenda'changed'in'the'past'20'

years?'•  What'is'the'ra:o'of'board'and'cabinet'level':me'from'

presenta:ons'to'delibera:on?''How'has'that'ra:o'changed?'•  How'have'“class'rules”'changed'in'the'last'20'years?'•  How'does'your'evalua:on'system'reward'tenacity'–'

perseverance'in'the'face'of'failure?'•  What'happened'with'a'recent'failure'in'your'school?''Was'it'

rewarded'or'punished?'

Encouraging*crea,ve*tenacity*

•  Culture*of*mul,ple*a5empts*before*a*final*product*is*accepted*

•  Require*construc,ve*conten,on,*debate,*and*dissent*

•  Ban*the*use*of*the*average*for*evalua,ons*of*students,*teachers,*and*administrators*

•  Celebrate*the*right*kind*of*failure*

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Guaranteed)ways)to)insure)zero)crea1ve)opportuni1es)for)students)

•  Have%them%drop%out%of%school%because%they%lack%sufficient%literacy%skills%to%survive%high%school.%

•  Have%them%repeat%courses,%so%that%they%have%no%room%in%their%schedules%for%visual%and%performing%arts.%

How$We$Discourage$Crea0vy$Among$Teachers$

•  Discourage$taking$risks$and$failure.$•  Punish$feedback$and$dissent.$• Use$the$“average”$in$mul0ple$teacher$observa0ons.$

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How$We$Discourage$Crea0vity$Among$Leaders$

•  Annual$(or$end$of$contract)$performance$reviews$

•  Strategic$plans$that$elevate$execu0on$over$crea0vity$

•  Micromanagement$•  Unclear$job$descrip0ons$

How$We$Discourage$Crea0vity$Among$Policy$Makers$and$Board$Members$

•  Standardized$agendas$•  One$administra0ve$recommenda0on$submiAed$for$upDorDdown$votes$

•  A$culture$of$congeniality$over$discussion$and$debate$

•  Discussion$and$debate$is$more$than$cri0cism$and$contradic0on.$

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You$cannot$expect$cri.cal$thinking$in$the$classroom$or$faculty$room$if$there$is$not$cri.cal$thinking$in$the$board$

room.$

For$a$complete$set$of$crea.vity$resources,$please$e4mail:$Dreeves@ChangeLeaders.com$

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Creativity Meta-Rubric  

Dimension Developing (1) Progressing (2) Proficient (3) Exemplary (4)

Research Basis

The rubric is based on intuition or hunches and has little basis in research as evidenced by the promotion of practices1 that are contrary to research.

The rubric includes some elements based in research and some other elements that are not based on research.

The rubric reflects current research on creativity.

The rubric reflects the latest and best research on creativity, with clear citations.

Multidisciplinary Perspective

The rubric focuses narrowly on subjects and ideas from a single discipline, and explicitly punishes or dissuades students from using sources or media from other disciplines.

The rubric allows students to explore projects in an individual interdisciplinary approach, but does not evaluate or note that approach.

The rubric encourages and rewards an interdisciplinary perspective.

There is clear evidence that students, through an iterative process expand the scope of their work to include ideas and perspectives from an array of media and disciplines.

Source Material

The rubric expects students to be completely original and punishes the use of outside materials for inspiration or use.

The rubric allows for students to consider outside sources, but makes no special note of the process.

The rubric encourages the use of a variety of digital, print, and personal sources.

The rubric encourages the both the use and accreditation of outside sources.

Clarity of Guidelines

The Rubric contains language that is ambiguous, so that the difference between the levels of the rubric is unclear to students and inconsistently applied.

The rubric is expressed in language that is not accessible to students so even if it is clear to the teacher, it is rarely used as a feedback tool.

The rubric guidelines encourage teachers to clearly outline what is expected and the methods by which the students will be evaluated.

The guidelines dictate that evaluation should be made clear to students in a way that fosters continued performance improvement, with the expectation of failure.

                                                                                                                 

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Dimension Developing (1) Progressing(2) Proficient(3) Exemplary(4) Product The product

requirements are ambiguous (or absent) and differences among performance levels are not clear.

Although a work product is required, there is not objective feedback that leads to improved product development.

The rubric requires the creation of a work product, with objective evaluation of the product based on the rubric.

The rubric requires a work product that can be objectively evaluated, with the feedback on the product used for improvement.

Process The process requirements are ambiguous and differences among performance levels are not clear.

Process requirements are inconsistent and students have difficulty using the rubric to improve their creative processes.

The rubric has clear process requirements and students can differentiate performance levels based on the rubric.

The rubric evaluates not only the end product, but also evaluates the students through every step of the process, to examine the method as well.

Collaboration The rubric requires that students work in complete isolation without the aid or feedback of other students or teachers.

The rubric allows for collaborative or group work, but has no guidelines for evaluating the process of collaboration itself and which party was responsible for what.

The rubric requires a portion of the project to be group based, and sets up clear guidelines as to how group collaboration should be utilized.

The rubric sets guidelines on how collaboration should be utilized, with also the expectation of citation individual participation.

Practice and Error The rubric promotes “one-shot” attempts at performance. The ideal submission is error-free.

The rubric allows for re-drafting work products that are not acceptable on the first attempt.

The rubric requires multiple drafts of work products with students using the rubric to improve performance

The rubric requires multiple drafts and there is clear evidence that students learn from their mistakes. The ideal work is never “error-free” but full of learning that resulted from errors.

   

     

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