Moving in TimeMoving in TimeObserving Student Dancers and Composers Collaborate

Elizabeth Dobson - Portsmouth University

Open University PhD Supervision Team:

Professor Dorothy Miell & Dr Karen Littleton

Literature

Barrett (2006) Creative Collaboration’ an eminence study of teaching and learning in music composition Psychology of Music 34(2) 195-218

Burnard (2004) Problem Solving and Creativity: insights from students’ individual composing paththways International Journal of Music Education 22(1) 59-76 International Society for Music Education www.sagepub.com

* Dixon, S., Smart, J., (2002) The Discourse of Assessment. Language and Value in the Assessment of Group Practice in the Performing Arts. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education 1:2, 185 – 204. Sage Publications. London

* Fredrickson, B.L., Branigan, C (2001) Positive Emotions. In Mayne, T., & Bonanno, G (Eds.), Emotions: Current Issues and Future Directions (pp123 – 149). New York: The Guildford Press.

Gruber, H. E. (1989). The Evolving Systems Approach to Creative Work. New York: Oxford University Press.

Literature* John-Steiner, V., Weber, R., Minnis, M. (1998). The Challenge of Studying Collaboration. American Educational Research Journal, 35,4,773-783.

* John-Steiner, V. (2000) Creative Collaboration OUP

* John-Steiner, V., Mahn H (2002) The Gift of Confidence: A Vygotskian View of Emotions. In G.Wells & G Claxton (Eds) Learning for life in the 21stcentury: Sociocultural perspectives on the further of education. Oxford : Blackwell, 2002

Miell, D, & MacDonald, R (2000) Children’s Creative Collaborations: The Importance of Friendship when Working Together on a Musical Composition Blackwell Publishers

* Sawyer, K. R., (2003) Group Creativity: Music, Theatre, Collaboration. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Teck, K., (1989) Music for the Dance: Reflections on a Collaborative Art. London: Greenwood press.

* Wallace, D, B., (1989) Creative People at Work. New York: OUP

Fostering Creativity

‘…if we can formally understand the nature of the creative process we can begin to establish what kind of teaching best fosters it and what blunts and diminishes it.’

P. Abbs (1989) A is for Aesthetic: Essays on Creative and Aesthetic Education

Examine the impact of these areas to to help facilitate • Boundaries

• Context/Climate

• Tension and conflict

• Individual skills

• Familiarity

• Identity

• Impacts of assessment

• Motivations

Summary of CategoriesContext/Climate - physical, psychological and pedagogical environment

• Evolving Contexts• Familiarity/friendship• Emotional environment• Identity• Individual motivations

• Static Contexts• Boundaries• Barriers • Constraints

• Tension – spark for creativity or collapse

• Skills• Problem solving

A basic modelCategories from literature

Problem Solving

Evolving

More Static

etc.

etc.

Affordances and ConstraintsContext/Climate - physical, psychological and pedagogical environment

• Evolving Contexts• Familiarity/friendship – common language and understanding of each other and the

discipline• Emotional environment – impact of negative and positive emotional experience• Identity - group or individual

• Individual motivations - intrinsic or extrinsic

• Static Context• Boundaries - what they are and how they impact on creative freedom• Barriers – pedagogical, physical and psychological• Constraints – such as assessment requirements or facilities.

• Tension – spark for creativity or collapse

• Skills• Problem solving – result of creative tension leading to new creative ideas

Existing Models of Creativity Enabling Factors

Kinney (1990) - Meeting respected teachers & individual personality

Lysaught (1993) - Generating ideas, having fascination with medium, having competency &

being in the right environment

Bennett (1976) - Tranquility, security & relaxation

Stages of Creativity

Swanwick & Tillman (1986)

- Initial impulse, strategic decision, exploration of materials & rounding off

Wallas (1926)

- Preparation, incubation, illumination & verification

Sloboda(1985)

- Inspiration - unconscious and conscious & Execution - unconscious and consciousBennett (1967) - Germinal idea, first sketch, first draft, elaboration, refinement, completion & score copying

Webster’s Model of Creative Thinking Process in Music (2003) p.60 from Hickey (2003).Ed. Why and how to teach music composition. Reston, VA: The National Association for Music Education (MENC) Copyright ©2003 by MENCL The national Association for Music Education

• Climate • Boundaries• Tension• Familiarity• Identity• Assessment• Motivation

• Skills

Observing Process

Education Action Research

Vygotsky - Socio-cultural Theory

Methodological approach

ResearchData neededConversationsCreative work devisedIndividual profilesCollaboration contextParticipant’s perceptions of their intended and resulting work

Categories

• situated and perceived barriers to creativity

• situated and perceived motivators for creativity

• devising characteristics of a situated creative collaboration

• changes in approach and process as a partnership matures:

The evolution of specific affordances and frustrations over time

• observed and reported causes, and perceived impact of conflict and

tension.

• the impact of boundaries placed around creative work

• a relative impact of the affordances and constraints identified

Observations

Questionnaires

Interviews

Video documents

Method

Discourse analysisMulti-modal analysis of dance and music

For triangulation with situated data to inform validity and increase transparency for greater relevance.

Analysis

Documents