Creativity, Inc.: Classroom Approach- Introduction

“Creating involves the realization of an analogy between previously unassociated mental elements.” (Martindale and Sternberg 1999)

You won’t be at a loss to find definitions of creativity. The above’s my favorite because it permeates any aspect of critical thinking we ask from our students. And, it emphasizes a consideration beyond analysis. I define myself by my love learning; about instruction, technology, books, news- anything that could make its way into the classroom. A fact I’m particularly proud of given my experience with school as a kid. While I want my students to develop as critical thinkers, it’s even more important to me that they have fun doing so.  

Summer’s my favorite time to rethink classroom structures. It was the title and cover of Ed Catmull’s book Creativity, Inc. initially caught my eye this spring. While I’ve often joked about putting Toy Story 2 right along Shawshank Redemption as my favorite movie, Fundamentally, Creativity, Inc. is a collection of lessons Ed learned about managing a business contingent upon the creativity of its employees. An appealing premise. One who’s relevance within the classroom became exceptionally clear given Pixar’s context and Ed Catumull’s hand in shaping it.

Ed’s pioneering achievements in computer imagining were possible because of the no-questions-asked-funding in the wake of Sputnik. Once Toy Story went on to become the top grossing film of 1995, audiences barely noticed the technological advances twenty years in the making. It was the story that made waves. But Ed’s book reaches beyond the genesis of Pixar and delves into the area that truly sets the company apart. Under his leadership, in the two decades after Toy Story, every one of Pixar’s movies have garnered critical acclaim in addition to being box office blockbusters. In the wake of Disney’s purchase of Pixar, Ed’s approach towards managing a creative environment revived Disney Animation, ending its sixteen year slide into irrelevance. 

Over the next week, I’ll be covering a series of ideas that drove Pixar’s climate of creativity and how they can be applied to the classroom. Each post will include a summary of Ed’s techniques, ideas I’m trying to shape for this school year, and in cases where I’ve recognized a similar strategy within my classroom I’ll include the resulting student work. Hope you'll spread the word and take part in the conversation. 

Day One: Classroom Conditions: Fostering a Creative Environment

Day Two: Classroom Conditions: Structures that Unintentionally Impede Creative Work

Day Three: Fostering a Collaborative Mindset: Success is Generative 

Day Four: Promoting Self-Efficacy: Critical Thinking through Student Driven Decisions