Does assessment kill creativity? My initial response to this title is that maybe sometimes criteria for assessment can? If students are continuously limited in the form they are assessed, then absolutely. There is also that draw to only meet expectations, “If I do the bare minimum, I will get by.” If 1+2+3=A is the only acceptable, easy way to achieve A, why would you bother to go further to 1+1+2+2=A?
When reading Beghetto’s article, what stood out the most to me was the idea of displaying only the “best work” of your class. This action, I would think, would have obvious social and emotional effects for creativity. I strongly reacted to this idea because of possible limiting effects it would have on some students. I imagine most classes have a few students who consistently lead the pack – the ones who would always have their work on display. If you knew yours was probably not going to make it on the bulletin board, why would you put in extra effort to try?
When I first read the title, I had a similar response to Beghetto’s initial answer, “it depends”. I really appreciate the idea of student perception of assessment. I think it has a strong relationship to self-efficacy as well. If a student does not feel they can complete the task – or complete it well, I can imagine that would be a huge hindrance to performance. Teachers need to be there to support ability and not allow the weight of assessment to hinder it.
Beghetto’s article offers many useful strategies to take the weight off of assessment to leave room for creativity. His strategies, such as reducing the pressure by not emphasizing evaluation, do not just aid in creativity, but extend to so many issues that occur within a classroom. Creating a comfortable, safe classroom climate has endless benefits, including creativity. Students need to feel safe in order to try.
I’ve always thought of creativity in the sense of freedom and innovation. The title “Does assessment kill creativity?” is a bold question and I agree with the article – it can. What I am most taking away from Beghetto’s work is how a teacher needs to create a safe space for students to express their original ideas, but how the assessment is there as a framework to keep creativity appropriate to the activity being assessed. If you want your class to be creative and come up with descriptive words for a nature poem about water, you want to encourage possibilities and interpretations, but keep the answers appropriate, such as how maybe water in the bathroom isn’t quite what we’re looking for!
Source: Beghetto, R.A., (2005). Does assessment kill student creativity? The Educational Forum, (69) 2 p254-263