Pre-reading: “reaction” to the title of the article.
My immediate reaction to this question is ‘yes’ it does. When student are assessed they are often being compared to a particular standard. Thus, they would have to fit their responses/projects to fit the assignment criteria. This has the potential to kill student creativity.
During reading: make note of your reactions/key quotes/questions about practice
- there has been increased assessment of student learning
- assessment doesn’t have to be bad, it depends on how it is being used
- “everyone has creative potential” (p. 255)
- creativity can have negative connotations as well
- teachers can create environments and facilitate practices where creativity is embraced
- mastery goal structure can be helpful to promote student creativity
- classroom climate can influence student creativity
- teachers must formulate assessment that is meaningful
- how do teachers promote creativity within the classroom?
Post-reading: reflect on the reading and record your thoughts and questions. Consider again the article title, now that you’ve completed the reading, what are your thoughts?
The title of this article hooks readers in because it is controversial in nature. I interpreted the question in the title as having a binary answer. According to the article, this is not the case. This makes sense, because the relationship between student learning, assessment and creativity are not binary in nature themselves. Rather, this article focuses on how different assessment strategies can promote and foster creativity within the classroom. I think these suggestions are useful for teacher candidates and teachers alike. This article plants seeds for teachers to reflect on their assessment practices and the whole education system as a whole. Thus my understanding and interpretation of both the title and assessment has broadened after reading the article.
