PLoP 2011

Pedagogical Patterns for Creative Learning

Takashi Iba
Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Chikara Ichikawa
Tokyo Community School

Mami Sakamoto
Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University

Tomohito Yamazaki
Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University

Abstract
In this paper we propose a pattern language for designing and facilitating creative learning, which
is a style of learning with activities creating something. Despite the importance of creative learning,
methods for designing curriculum and facilitating the class for creative learning are still unknown.
Also, there are no road map to train teachers as designers and facilitator for the learning style. Herewe present three patterns for designing and facilitating creative learning: Discovery-Driven
Expanding, Mission Possible, and Generative Participant. These patterns are intended to constitutea part of the whole language, which will be presented in the succeeding papers. These patterns arewritten for teachers, curriculum designers, and administrators of school, from elementary school touniversity, and we believe that this language can help them to realize creative learning.

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1. Introduction
A century ago, John Dewey presented a conception of education, focusing on inquiring process. In
his book Democracy and Education, he said “Acquiring is always secondary, and instrumental tothe act of inquiring” [1]. In this conception, inquiry process is the very thing of thinking process,and deep understanding is possible only by accumulating experiences of inquiring activities.
In today’s society, which is sometimes called knowledge society [2] or creative society [3], theability to create knowledge is getting to be important rather than the ability to memorize the existingideas. This kind of ability cannot be acquired with conventional education like mere transference ofexisting ideas and techniques, from teachers to students. Thus a new paradigm is required; webelieve that it is creative learning [4]. In our perspective, creative learning can be considered as
third stage, which we call “Learning 3.0,” after conventional learning by knowledge transfer andlearning by communication (Figure 1).
Creative learning is a style of learning with activities creating something. Creation, in the theory
proposed by one of the author of this paper, means the successive emergence of discoveries [5]. In
this sense, creative learning is more than learning by experience, and it requires successive
emergence of discoveries. Therefore, to realize effective creative learning, teachers need to design a
good mission for creation. Without any mission, successive emergence of discoveries hardly occurs,
and as a result the learners hardly change their recognition.
Despite the importance of creative learning, methods for designing curriculum and facilitating theclass for creative learning are still unknown. Also, there are no road map to train teachers as
designers and facilitator for creative learning. Set against this backdrop, in this paper, we propose anew language for designing the curriculum, mission, and class of creative learning.

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Figure 1: Three waves of learning style

2. Patterns
Here we present three patterns for designing and facilitating creative learning: Discovery-Driven
Expanding, Mission Possible, and Generative Participant. These patterns are written for teachers,
curriculum designers, and administrators of school, from elementary school to university. Everypattern is written in the same manner: pattern name, introductory sentence, illustration, context,
problem, solution, consequence, cases, and references; the sentences after the illustration describe
context of the pattern; a bold-typed sentence just after the word “▼ In this context” is the key pointof problem; a bold-typed sentence just after the word “▼ Therefore” is the key point of thesolution; and sentences after the word “▼ Consequently” describe consequences of the pattern; andparagraphs after the separator * provide an example of the solution. All cases we introduce in thispaper are the practice of Chikara Ichikawa at the Tokyo Community School, Japan [6].

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Discovery-Driven Expanding
Creative mind isn’t built in a day.
In designing a curriculum, set the goal in stages,
from individual to collaborative achievement.

You want to introduce a type of learning as an alternative style into your school or class, which islearner-centered learning, rather than conventional styles of knowledge transfer. Learner-centeredstyle does not mean to let learners do anything they like, since there must be an intention what you
want them to learn. So you need to DESIGN curriculums to meet two different requirements:
autonomy and growth of learners. You may know collaborative learning, which is a kind of creative
learning, is well known to be a good way for realizing learner-centered learning, where more than
one people collaborate toward a shared goal, and learn through the process.

▼ In this context

If you introduce collaborative learning as a way for learner-centered learning suddenly, it isdifficult for learners to perform and learn from their experience effectively. It is because
collaborative learning requires the abilities of thinking and communication to some extent. In otherwords, learners need to welcome discoveries of others and their team.

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▼ Therefore

Set the goals in the curriculum according to the stage of learners, where they can expand theability gradually through the accumulation of creative learning: individual, interpersonal, andcollaborative achievement. In first stage, set the goal on individual achievement, and encouragelearners to display their personality. They will learn through obtaining “my discovery.” In second
stage, set the goal on interpersonal achievement, and encourage learners to display their personality
and understand others by having conversation. They will learn through obtaining “your discovery.”In third stage, set the goal on collaborative achievement, and encourage learners to make a resultwith others by having collaboration. They will learn through obtaining “our discovery.”
Note that this solution is consistent with the theory of learning suggested by Y. Engeström (1987),
which is the extended theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) hypothesis proposed byL. S. Vygotsky (1978), the model of learning is expanding their capacity, skill, concepts and so on.

▼ Consequently

Learners expand their capacity in stages. In first stage, namely in the stage for personal achievement,
learners become to be willing to tell their own idea and opinion. In second stage, namely in thestage for interpersonal achievement, learners become to recognize ideas and opinions of others andexpand their perspective. In third stage, namely in the stage for collaborative achievement, learners
become to take ideas and opinions of others and synthesize them to make their result.

***For instance, Tokyo Community School designs the curriculum for elementary school students
based on Discovery-Driven Expanding, where children expand meta-cognitive thinking gradually
through six-years accumulation of learning as follows.
In first and second grades, the class entitled “I am Special” offers students to reflect his/her life
and aware that he/she has individual autonomy. In the class, a teacher has students observe
himself/herself and interview his/her family in order to know his/her special characteristics. They

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finally draw “my portrait map” as a summary of their own discovery. Learning through “mydiscovery” provides a starting point for successive discoveries in the future and enhancing theirself-efficiency.
In third and fourth grades, the class entitled “Balanced Nutrition” offers students to think aboutfood nutrition. In the class, students design his/her original lunch with using his/her favorites andrecommending ingredients. They finally cook it and hold a tasting party. In the party, students tasteothers’ lunch and will think, “Your discovery is great!” Learning through “your discovery” provides
opportunity for students to recognize the uniqueness of him/herself and also others.
In fifth and sixth grades, the class entitled “Future Funeral” offers students to imagine their future.
In the class, they write drama scenario of the future together, which is a story that their former
teacher will dead thirty years later. The finally perform based on the scenario as a drama. Learning
through “our discovery” provides opportunity for students to recognize the power of collaboration.

References

Engeström, Y., Learning by Expanding. An Activity-theoretical approach to developmental
research, Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit. 1987
Vygotsky, L. S., Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes, Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press, 1978

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Mission Possible
Design missions that are effective for learning,
attractive, worthwhile to challenge,
and at the appropriate levels of difficulty.

You are about to design missions fit to the curriculum that you have already designed based on
Discovery-Driven Expanding. While you can find a lot of resources for conventional education for
acquiring knowledge or skill of subjects, you realize that the resources for creative learning has notbeen developed enough. Thus, you find that you need to develop what you need in your class. Whatis most important is to design missions for creative learning.

▼ In this context

There are many missions that tend to be unsuitable to creative learning because they either
make learners too free and unfocussed. If you make a mission based on the interests of students,
it will become happy experience for them but hardly achieve epistemic change by learning. If you
make a mission related to the subjects, it will be worthwhile to study but hardly educe autonomy
and creativity of the learners.

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▼ Therefore

Design missions that are effective for learning, attractive, and worthwhile to challenge, and at
the appropriate levels of difficulty, increasing the difficulty level of missions gradually as
follows: discovering the visible, discovering the invisible, and discovering how to discover. In
first step, set missions for discovering something visible in a field. In second step, set missions fordiscovering something invisible hidden in the visible. In third step, set missions for discovering how
to discover the solution for their mission.
For realizing creative learning, it is most important to organize missions that lead the learners toexpand themselves gradually from their current levels. It seems be of the value to refer to theLearners Profile (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2008), and as a result missions can bedesigned for expanding the competencies of learners profile. In addition, the missions need tocontain the mysterious or interesting aspect in order to fascinating the learners. Also, the missions
should be worthwhile to challenge because they are future-oriented and socially rooted. Finally, thedifficulty levels of the missions need to be considered, where it is necessary that the missions lookhard but they are possible to be completed.

▼ Consequently

Learners can keep participating in the creative learning and expand their ability to discover visible,invisible, and how to discover gradually. In first step, learners become aware of the objects,
behavior, and characteristics that are not focused before. In second step, learners become to thinkmechanisms and relationships hidden in visible things. In third step, learners become to develop
their way to do things.

*

*

*

For instance, C. Ichikawa designs a mission entitled “space fantasy” based on Mission Possible atthe Tokyo Community School. The mission is, “Create the Science-Fiction story where thePLoP 2011

characters jump out to space for expanding the possibility of human species" with the constraints
that they need to make characters with a certain Learner Profile: Open-minded, Risk-takers andPrincipled. In the activity, learners start to think why human need to jump out to space, and thenthey discussed it.

Students thought and understood social and environmental problems that humanis facing deeper and deeper.

References
International Baccalaureate Organization, IB learner profile booklet, 2008PLoP 2011

Generative Participant
Encourage students in thinking, communicating, and creating,as a participant in the activity rather than a teaching actor.

You are about to facilitate creative learning in the classroom, after you have designed thecurriculum based on Discovery-Driven Expanding and the mission based on Mission Possible.
Thanks to the accumulation of learning through Discovery-Driven Expanding, the learners feeleasy to say their ideas and approve other’s ideas. Also, thanks to the series of experiences throughMission Possible, the learners are ready to cope with the difficulty of the mission.

▼ In this context

Communication for the collaboration doesn’t always go smoothly, and often stops andsometimes falls into the situation where a very few members control the flow and others
follow it. In such a situation, teachers’ direct control of the flow often inhibits creative learning, andtherefore learning through creation does not occur. This problem has been discussed for a long timein the study of collaborative learning such as Palincsar et al. (1987). The most important point ofcreative learning is successive emergence of discoveries. So learners must continue to produce
discoveries not by thinking but also by communication.

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▼ Therefore

Consider you as a participant in the activity rather than a teaching actor, who contribute toproduce some of discoveries in the creation and also encourage your partners (learners) tothink and communicate. More concretely, tell your ideas, opinions such as “Oh! That’s a niceidea!” and questions such as “Do you mean…?”, which assist to accelerate the flow ofcommunication and reconsider their ideas. It does not mean the control of the flow from outside.
Rather, it is the influence from inside.

▼ Consequently

Learners can keep concentration into the creation and feel the progress, and therefore they learn
through the creation. Moreover, learners become to deeply understand the value of collaboration
with others, so to be willing to enjoy creative dialogues.

***

For instance, C. Ichikawa participates into his class entitles “Future Funeral,” which is mentioned
above, at the Tokyo Community School based on Generative Participant. Since it is quite difficult
for children to imagine their future concretely how and what they will be thirty years later, he firstshows an example of chronology of his future. It includes many things such as good, bad, proud andshame things frankly, and he presented to them, and inspires the students to make their own
chronology. In the halfway of writing, he has students give a presentation about their chronology toeach other, and brush-up their chronology. In all phases, he tells his ideas, opinions and questions inorder to assist to accelerate the flow of communication and reconsider their ideas.

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References
Palincsar, A. S., Brown, A. L. & Martin, S., Peer interaction in reading comprehension instruction,
Educational Psychologist, 22 (3 & 4), pp.231-253, 1987

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3. Conclusion
In this paper, we proposed pedagogical patterns for creative learning, and present three core patterns.
These patterns are intended to constitute a part of the whole language, which will be presented in
the succeeding papers. The pattern language presented in this paper is a kind of languages known aspedagogical patterns [7,8] in broader sense. Connecting these studies, we would like to develop andimprove languages in order to help teachers to attain better education.

Acknowledgement
We would like to thank to Prof. Mutsumi Imai for making an opportunity that the authors
collaborate together, and Ryusei Yoshida for discussing the contents of patterns. We also thank to
our shepherd Christian Kohls for kind and good advices.

References[1] Dewey, J., Democracy and Education, Free Press, 1997 (Original work is published in 1916)[2] Duckier, P. F., The Age of Discontinuity: Guidelines to Our Changing Society, Transaction
Publishers, 1992 (Original work is published in 1968)[3] Resnick, M., "Sowing the Seeds for a More Creative Society," Learning & Leading withTechnology, December/January 2007–08, 2007
[4] Iba, T., Learning Patterns Project, " Learning Patterns: A Pattern Language for CreativeLearning", The Third International Conference on Collaborative Innovation Networks(COINs2011), 2011[5] Iba, T. "An Autopoietic Systems Theory for Creativity," Procedia - Social and Behavioral
Sciences, Volume 2, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 6610-6625[6] Ichikawa, C., Tankyu-suru Chikara [The ability to Inquire], in Japanese, Authentic Inquiry
Institute, 2009[7] Anthony, D. L. G., “Patterns for classroom education” in J. M. Vlissides, J. O. Coplien, and N.
L. Kerth, editors, Pattern Languages of Programming 2, Addison Wesley, 1996.
[8] Bergin, J., “Fourteen pedagogical patterns”, in European Conference of Pattern Languages ofPrograms, 2000.