Complicating creativity: student insights into the production of a literary anthology

2017 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.This study originated from my curiosity about the link between critical thinking and creativity and my desire to foster both in my high school visual art and English language arts students and classes. Using qualitative data--student interviews and field notes, and an examination of literature focused primarily on critical thinking and creativity--I attempt several things: 1. to understand and define how critical thinking and creativity interact or inform one another in practice; 2. to reconcile historical and contemporary models of creativity with my own observations, experiences, and student responses; and, 3. to identify and recommend classroom practices and approaches that best promote critical thinking and creativity in students across modes of literacy. I also propose, and ultimately challenge, a conceptual theory for promoting creativity. I refer to this concept as "metacreativity," which is an active process of considering the factors that affect the creative process during creative acts in order to "optimize" the process itself. As a teacher and faculty advisor for a high school literary and art magazine, I conducted classroom research via initial and exit interviews with three students in my Writing for Literary Publication class. I also maintained field notes from my observations of student discussions and their written evaluations of student writing and art pieces submitted to the magazine, as well as discussions with colleagues and mentors. Findings suggest that the curricular student-published literary anthology supports students' intellectual and creative growth in unique ways and offers tremendous opportunities for students to claim ownership of their learning. A review of the literature revealed numerous incongruities in the ways creativity is studied, understood, and defined, as well as the sophisticated yet often ambiguous nature of creative processes. I conclude that most historical models or paradigms for understanding creativity are inadequate and/or problematic for either understanding or fostering creative thinking. I contend that a much more holistic approach to both examining and promoting creativity is necessary. More research is needed, but ultimately, I argue that the curricular model employed in Writing for Literary Publication is one of the most effective ways to promote critical and creative thinking in students