Since 1990, IQ scores amongst North American youth have continued to rise while creativity has steadily declined. This is the finding of a broad study carried out by KH Kim*, professor of creativity and innovation at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Her research includes individuals from both the US and Canada.
That conclusion seems counterintuitive, given the frenetic pace of technological development in the modern world. However, Kim claims that on average, today’s North American youth is less creative and innovative than the generation that preceded it. That’s a scary thought, considering the scope of serious problems facing the world today.
The good news is that this trend can be reversed. The most important factor in stimulating the creative process is what she calls “climate” and this is where educators and parents can play a huge role.
In our June workshop,
we’ll explore the elements of “climate” in the classroom and in schools as
workplaces. “Constructing creative
learning environments” participants will build a tool kit to help the youth of
today tackle the challenges of tomorrow.
Mile-Ex is one of Montreal’s trendiest new neighbourhoods. Once primarily industrial, many of its warehouses and factories have been re-purposed for creative innovators. That’s why it’s an inspiring venue for Destination Creativity’s June workshop entitled “Constructing creative learning environments.”
Join us June 10-11 to re-ignite the creative potential of your learning environment and discover the energy this dynamic new neighbourhood. Registration is now open.
And don’t just take our word for it! Have a look at what Vogue magazine found in Mile-Ex:
“Constructing
creative learning environments,” a pedagogical training workshop to be held
June 10-11, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, is now open for registration. This
is an opportunity for teachers and other educational professionals to :
explore the fundamentals that underlie creative
thinking and innovation;
design ways to make their teaching environments more
creative;
improve creative thinking among students;
contribute to developing a generation of creative
problem-solvers.
Why creativity?
“Creativity”
most often evokes images of a painter in front of a canvas, a sculptor before a
block of marble, or perhaps a musician composing a tune. However,
creativity is much more than just the Arts. Every innovation and every
solution to a problem is the result of creative thinking. We have
creative thinking to thank for most of our modern conveniences, but sadly also
to blame for many of their problematic consequences. While creativity is a
fundamentally human trait, studies have also shown that it is in alarming
decline amongst today’s youth. This does not bode well for the daunting
challenges that our society is facing. As educators, we need to do a
better job of fostering creative thinking.
What can participants
expect?
Destination
Creativity invites teachers and other educational professionals to this two-day
workshop devoted entirely to creativity and innovation. Participants will
explore the fundamentals of what creativity is, the conditions needed to make
it happen, and the choices that schools can make to engage creative thinking,
not just in the classroom, but throughout the institution.
The workshop will be held at Esplanade, a multi-purpose co-working facility in Montreal’s funky Mile-Ex district. This venue is itself a place of creativity, dedicated to supporting workers in all fields. Participants will be invited to integrate the elements of this space into their own exploration of the elements of creative thinking.
By the end of
the workshop, participants will have built a tool kit of creative techniques
for immediate implementation in their educational environments.
What are the workshop
details?
Dates :
June 10-11, 2019 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm both days
Location : Esplanade in the MileEx district of Montreal
Accommodations: not included. A list of recommended hotels will be sent to participants upon registration.
Cost: $325 per person, space limited to 16 participants. Lunch is included on both days.
Who is the workshop
leader?
Daniel Stewart,
a junior college teacher and programme coordinator, is the founder of
Destination Creativity. He has been an authorized teacher trainer for the
International Baccalaureate organization since 2006. He has led workshops
in Canada, the US, Europe, South America and North Africa.
Understanding
the role of creativity and innovation as a vital – but often neglected –
component of education has been the focus of Daniel’s research for the past
several years.
How do I register?
There are two ways to register:
Click on this link to register via Eventbrite. Pay with your credit card.
Click on the “download” button below for the registration form. Complete the form and e-mail it to destinationcreativity@gmail.com. Make your payment using Interac e-Transfer (Canadian participants only.
Like-minded people
often prefer to work together; it’s easy, usually harmonious, and often
productive. Tasks seem more complicated
and time consuming when we have to work with teammates who approach problems
differently or who try to take us in different directions.
How can you be
creative and innovative without efficiency in teamwork?
A multitude of studies have shown that despite some of the inherent difficulties of working in an environment of diversity, if properly managed, the creative benefits can be huge. In a classroom setting, this can be a challenge.
Finding the right formula for managing diversity and fostering creativity is itself a creative challenge that requires collaborative problem-solving. That’s one of the goals of “Constructing creative learning environments” to be held in Montreal in June.
Nature is a rich
source of raw materials for the creative human mind and serves as a strong
reminder that all forms of creativity are the result of making new associations
from existing ideas or objects.
How about this for an example: George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, was out for a stroll in the countryside. As he watched his dog tramping through brush, he wondered about nature’s technology that allows a bur to stick so readily and so determinedly to his dog’s fur and even to his own clothes. His curious mind, associating a need to attach things with nature’s technology, led him to invent Velcro a few years later.
More recently, scientists
and inventors have studied a range of natural mechanisms to solve problems. Shark
skin, for example, has hydrodynamic properties that are now applied to
watercraft and competitive swimwear to reduce friction. This technology, like Velcro, is called “biomimicry”
which is rich starting point for problem solving and innovation.
Nature can also inspire aesthetics. Designers in all domains turn to nature for patterns, colour combinations, textures and shapes. The example of Bjork arriving at the Oscars in a swan dress may come to mind, but that is only the most exaggerated representation of nature in design. Without plants and flowers motifs, clothes racks would be pretty bare, but nature is represented more subtly as well.
During June’s “Constructing creative learning environments” workshop, participants will explore the principle of associations at the core of creativity and creative thinking. We’ll give nature a go as a source of creative thinking and see how this can be extended to the classroom.
Destination Creativity
is excited to announce “Constructing creative learning environments,” a pedagogical
training workshop to be held June 11-12, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec. This is an opportunity for teachers and other
educational professionals to :
explore the fundamentals that underlie creative
thinking and innovation;
design ways to make their teaching environments
more creative;
improve creative thinking among students;
contribute to developing a generation of creative
problem-solvers.
Why creativity?
“Creativity” most often evokes images of a painter in front of a canvas, a sculptor before a block of marble, or perhaps a musician composing a tune. However, creativity is much more than just the Arts. Every innovation and every solution to a problem is the result of creative thinking. We have creative thinking to thank for most of our modern conveniences, but sadly also to blame for many of their problematic consequences. While creativity is a fundamentally human trait, studies have also shown that it is in alarming decline amongst today’s youth. This does not bode well for the daunting challenges that our society is facing. As educators, we need to do a better job of fostering creative thinking.
What can participants expect?
Destination Creativity invites teachers and other educational professionals to this two-day workshop devoted entirely to creativity and innovation. Participants will explore the fundamentals of what creativity is, the conditions needed to make it happen, and the choices that schools can make to engage creative thinking, not just in the classroom, but throughout the institution.
The venue for the workshop, located in Montréal’s funky Mile-Ex district, is itself a place of creativity, dedicated to supporting emerging artists. Participants will be invited to integrate the elements of this space into their own exploration of the elements of creative thinking.
By the end of the
workshop, participants will have built a tool kit of creative techniques for
immediate implementation in their educational environments.
What are the workshop details?
Dates : June 11-12, 2019
Location : MileEx district of Montreal
Accommodations : not
included. A list of recommended hotels
will be available upon registration.
Cost: $325 per person,
space limited to 16 participants. Lunch
included on both days.
Registration: from
mid-March.
Who is the workshop leader?
Daniel Stewart, a
junior college teacher and programme coordinator, is the founder of Destination
Creativity. He has been an authorized
teacher trainer for the International Baccalaureate organization since 2006. He has led workshops in Canada, the US,
Europe, South America and North Africa.
Understanding the role
of creativity and innovation as a vital – but often neglected – component of
education has been the focus of Daniel’s research for the past several years.
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