Empathy Is the Mother of Invention: Emotion and Cognition for Creativity in the Classroom

Autor/inn/en	Demetriou, Helen; Nicholl, Bill
Titel	Empathy Is the Mother of Invention: Emotion and Cognition for Creativity in the Classroom
Quelle	In: Improving Schools, 25 (2022) 1, S.4-21 (18 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1365-4802
DOI	10.1177/1365480221989500
Schlagwörter	Empathy; Foreign Countries; Creative Thinking; Creativity Tests; Design; Social Emotional Learning; Elementary School Students; Comparative Analysis; Technology Education; Teaching Methods; Holistic Approach; Cognitive Processes; United Kingdom; Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Empathie; Ausland; Kreatives Denken; Creativity test; Kreativitätstest; Technisch-naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Holistischer Ansatz; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess; Großbritannien
Abstract	According to the age-old proverb from Plato's "Republic: necessity is the mother of invention," the main motivation for creating new discoveries is the need for them. However, as well as the necessity factor, we argue that a very important aspect that influences invention and creativity is the "empathy factor." This mixed methods research investigated the impact of empathy instruction on the social and emotional skills of creativity in the UK Design and Technology (D&T) classroom. Pupils in year 9 (aged 13 to 14 years) from two schools were assessed for their creativity levels using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) both at the start and at the end of the academic school year. In the intervening period, whereas the control school continued as normal with its usual D&T lessons, the intervention school's D&T lessons were replaced by a creativity tuition kit called Designing Our Tomorrow (DOT), which involves instruction in empathising. Pupils from year 7 (aged 11 to 12 years) in a third school were given the DOT task alone and interviewed about their experiences of it. Results showed that unlike the control school, whose emotional and cognitive creative scores in fact decreased over time, the intervention school increased in its levels of emotional and cognitive creativity, as measured by the TTCT. These quantitative as well as the subsequent qualitative interview findings and pupils' portfolios suggest that creativity can be taught and particularly via instruction that advocates the importance of empathising with the subject matter. The findings are discussed in relation to the need for a holistic approach to teaching, where social, emotional and cognitive dimensions of teaching and learning are needed to complete and enhance the learning experience for the D&T classroom and beyond. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01