Introduction

Presents an overview of the goals of this webtext. More

History

Tells the history of the Noel Studio for Academic Creativity. More

Spaces

Shows how the space is being used by faculty and students. More

Flexibility

Discusses the importance of furniture and technology. More

Students

Offers video interviews of people who use the Noel Studio. More

Conclusion

Summarizes the main arguments made in this webtext. More

Students Engaging Creative Spaces Creatively

Reynolds (2004) explained that “many educators believe that only when people are ‘moved’—perhaps literally—can they be persuaded to see from a different point of view” (2). For students, looking at a topic from multiple perspectives can be a challenge. We encourage students—with and without trained consultants—to move through the space, physically changing their location and environment to fit their project and process, as Morgan and Nichole discuss in the videos included here. Students engage Noel Studio spaces differently, each establishing a relationship with the environment for different reasons and with different goals. While some students use the space for inspiration, others move from the invention space to the small practice rooms depending on the goals and stages for their project that day.

Sweet, Carpenter, Blythe, and Apostel (2013) suggested nine strategies for creative thinking: perception shift, piggybacking, brainstorming, glimmer-catching, collaborating, going with the flow, playing, pattern recognition, and using metaphor. Creative spaces promote these strategies among student composers. For example, they encourage students to brainstorm ideas with low- and high-tech resources from Legos and butcher paper to touch-screen monitors. They create the optimal environment for students to think, compose, reflect, and revise.

While we often see all nine strategies employed in the Noel Studio, play is perhaps the most visible. While often associated with pleasure, play is a voluntary activity, allowing students to shape and reshape ideas. As the National Institute for Play (2009) suggests, in a creative space like the Noel Studio, students can use play to transcend the realities of ordinary life and, in the process, germinate new ideas.

We explore the role of play in more detail by regularly interviewing EKU graduate and undergraduate students who use the Noel Studio to compose projects. During the spring 2013 semester, we conducted video interviews that asked students a series of questions related to play within the composition process. The questions scaffolded on one another while encouraging students to reflect on their practices and experiences. Students also chose where they wanted to conduct the interview, often selecting a space that spoke to their own creative composing processes.

  1. What influence does your environment have when you are writing or developing projects for classes?
  2. When you are doing homework or projects for class, do you find that certain places, objects, or even physical movements help you think or come up with good ideas?
  3. Let’s call the behavior you listed above “play” since we normally don’t associate it with academic writing and thinking. Now, how does the Noel Studio space (e.g., design, layout, and colors) facilitate play when you write or design projects for class?
  4. Could you discuss how available technologies like touch-screen monitors, the furniture, and dry-erase boards facilitate and encourage play in the composition process?
  5. As you know, the Noel Studio has movable tables and chairs and also has a variety of spaces (e.g. breakout rooms, the Greenhouse, and the Invention Space). How do you think these resources and spaces, together and independently, encourage you to “play” as you are working on projects?

Observations

Space facilitates visual and kinesthetic play. While we can trace many threads through these interviews, several key points are immediately apparent in this—admittedly—small sample of Noel Studio visitors. First and foremost, students prefer different composing environments based on the project and stage in their process. Ideas thrive in the balance of quiet and chaos, and a playful environment diffuses the rigor of academia and situates students as peers and allies in the composing process

Play can be messy. The word itself seems taboo on campus. When students talk about their writing in academic settings, the desire for distraction seems counterproductive; however, chaos serves as a productive motivator, creating opportunities for inspiration as they absorb the activities around them. In many ways, students feel inspired from distractions in composition spaces. Seeing other students play within the space gives them perspective and facilitates their own creative invention processes. We might see students brainstorming on dry-erase boards or composing structures with manipulatives such as Legos. Manipulatives—objects that facilitate a creative process for students—create minor distractions that allow opportunities for divergent thinking. Interestingly, groups often play together—with Legos or mapping ideas out on dry-erase boards—to relax and socialize enough to put them at ease until they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. An environment that facilitates playful activity facilitates academic exchange.

Play is physical. Physical movement is also an important part of the composing process. As students mentally move through the composing process, they enjoy physical movement from room to room or building to building. We find the Noel Studio space encourages a nonlinear process for students’ composition activities as they can engage texts from multiple perspectives and allow themselves time to gain a critical distance. We also see that the ability to alter the composing space by moving furniture allows students to shape their environment to meet their collaborative and individual needs.


Continue reading: "Conclusion"

Interview with student

Interview with student