Creativity and pedagogy: Is it a final fantasy in the Age of Pandemic?

Abstract

Research objective, question and method: The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically fast-forwarded the pedagogical paradigm shift from traditional face-to-face teaching to online teaching. The need for both teachers and students to quickly adjust to this new mode of teaching and learning has not been an easy process. Schools have urged for more pedagogical innovations from teachers, teachers have requested more engagement from students, and students have had to adjust to the continual change of demands from the hierarchy. The use of web-based and mobile e-learning tools is often considered as ‘innovative’ or ‘interactive’ and is highly encouraged, but many teachers who are experienced with the face-to-face mode have failed to reproduce the same level of teaching performance or students’ learning outcome through online teaching. This raises the question: is creativity in pedagogy real or just a fantasy? This presentation aims to argue for creativity in pedagogy via the sharing of my experience in studying, practising and applying creativity in linguistics research, English language teaching, bank marketing, digital marketing, software development, and hospitality management. Outline/Findings: This presentation consists of four sections. Section one provides a brief walkthrough of my journey with creativity throughout my career. Section two argues against the general tips to promote creativity in teaching and learning that are ubiquitous on the internet. Section three details seven different yet appliable lessons on creativity as an alternative approach. Lesson one briefly describes the definition of creativity adopted by models from various fields of study as well as the definition I adopt. Lesson two argues for creativity and against innovation in education. Lesson three discusses the importance of abandoning the notion of perfection and embracing failure in order to foster creativity. Lesson four provides examples to illustrate how taking small steps in practising creativity can make a difference. Lesson five describes the relations between creativity and fun, and emphasises the crucial role fun plays in learning. Adapting Halliday’s (2013) three foci of language development, lesson six details the relations between creativity and learning. Lesson seven suggests asking the right questions when analysing creativity and planning lessons. Lastly, I conclude the presentation by sharing a number of interesting observations I made with respect to creativity and pedagogy during this coronavirus pandemic. Implications/contributions: This presentation is based on the journal article titled “Creativity and pedagogy: Is it a final fantasy in the age of pandemic? 7 lessons for life on the ground floor” which will be published in the special issue on creativity and critical thinking in practice of the Journal of Communication and Education (JCE), HKAECT. The lessons imparted in this presentation intends to provide an alternative definition for creativity and distinguish it from innovation in the hope that educators can go back to basics to refocus on the process of creation rather than the results. It is also hoped that these lessons can provide some food for thoughts for the management of schools and universities, as well as educators and students who engage with creativity in pedagogy. Keywords: creativity, pedagogy; online teaching; e-learning; gamification;