Josie Harvey University of Huddersfield j.v.harvey@hud.ac.uk

1. It's not just a Game: Educating the Educators Josie Harvey University of Huddersfield j.v.harvey@hud.ac.uk

2. Aims The paper focuses on: • The emergence of the Creativity Cafés • The inquiry into their impact with staff • Use of case studies to investigate why staff attended them, any changes to their teaching practice, and any benefits in students’ learning and engagement • Staff represented 5 different academic disciplines • Critical Reflections

3. The emergence of theCreativity Cafés • Interviewed over 40 academic staff • Inquiry into creative and innovative methods used in teaching • Unaware of other creative teaching practice • Welcomed the opportunity to network with others and establish a ‘community of practice’ (Wenger,1999)

4. The Creativity Café • An informal, but structured event where staff could network and share good practice • Themed session set out in a ‘bistro’ style with tablecloths, candles and waiters • ‘Diners’ sat with unfamiliar staff • Followed up at least one contact

11. The Case Studies • Interested in the impact of the Creativity Cafés on staff and students (Shaw,2002) • Randomly elected from a range of disciplines (Jackson et al, 2008) • 5 staff interviewed.

12. Feedback from case studies – why staff attended • Contagious – Pick up new ideas on creative practice • Develop confidence in teaching creatively • Change their style to avoid ‘boring lectures’ and not get stale (Cropley,2001)

13. Feedback from the case studies- changes inteaching approach? • More flexible. Willing to experiment with new ideas and different ways of working eg. Lego, playdough, wikis, peer-assessment, real-life case studies • Less teacher-talk. More engaging activities • More interesting to teach this way • Mood of the sessions was lighter

14. Feedback from the case studies – benefits in students’ learning • Lessons more enjoyable. More motivated to stay • Less able students flourished • Preferred more practical activities and less teacher-talk • Less resistant to change, and open to new ideas • More self-sufficient and able to work independently • Quality of work was higher

15. Feedback from the case studies – notes of caution • Not to lose focus of the lesson. Get theories across too • Some weaker students did not always get the ‘message’ • Need for creative resource materials. Can be costly and time consuming • Risk of failure when measured on targets and results • Small sample of staff • Student voice?

16. The future of the Creativity Cafés? • Feedback is always positive. Staff enjoy the ‘space’ to network and share ideas • Continue to build them into the staff development programme • Encourage informal networking with staff outside the Café. • Publication of book (Eastwood et al,2009) • Production of ‘Creativity in Teaching’ DVD

17. References • Cropley, A. (2001) Creativity in Education and Learning. A guide for teachers and educators. London: Kogan Page • Eastwood, L., Coates, J., Dixon, L., Harvey, J., Ormondroyd, C. and Williamson, S. (2009) A Toolkit for Creative Teaching in Post-Compulsory Education. Maidenhead: Open University Press • Jackson, N. and Shaw, M. (2007) Developing Subject Perspectives on Creativity in Higher Education. In: Jackson, N., Oliver, M., Shaw, M. and Wisdom, J.,eds. Developing Creativity in Higher Education. An imaginative curriculum. Oxon:Routledge. • Shaw, P. (2002) Changing Conversations in Organisations: A Complexity Approach to Change. London: Routledge • Wenger, E. (1999) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press