Creative critical learning: Act 2

Grier Palmer (University of Warwick) presented an update on an attempt to create a new pedagogic culture for undergraduates using non-conventional spaces and performance inputs from theatre.

Grier’s slides are embedded below.

This session provided a progress report on an attempt to create a new pedagogic culture for undergraduate students using a creative environment plus different materials to encourage more divergent (Kolb, 1984) and critical approaches to both learning and personal development.

Act 1 at Learning In Law Annual Conference 2009 presented the action and ethnographically researched observations of an innovative third year module – see Helping law students via spaces and performance. The ‘Critical issues in law and management’ module, a core programme for law and business undergraduates, aims to stimulate creative, critical and reflective learning by novel forms of student engagement using non-conventional spaces and performance inputs from theatre.

Act 2 focused on sharing and examining the student learning experience, specifically progress since Learning In Law Annual Conference 2009. The perspectives, attitudes and needs of the students were presented from surveys, focus group discussions and individual reflections of the student cohort (numbers: 45 2008-09, 53 2009-10).
Particular themes included critical thinking, emotions and confidence, team work and relationships – and especially the skills to communicate with impact.

As a finale there was a short trailer for Act 3, outlining current work with the CAPITAL Centre developing the skills of teachers in promoting student learning through creative experiences.

As part of the session participants took part in an experiential activity mirroring the student experience on the module.

References and further reading:

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• Eisner E (1998) ‘Does experience in the arts boost academic achievement?’ Art Education 51(1):7-15
• Holmes M & Maxwell J (1987) ‘The use of role play and video in teaching communication skills to law students’ Journal of Professional Legal Education 5:151-159
• Gardner H (1985) Frames of mind: the theory of multiple intelligences New York: Basic
• Kolb D (1984) Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
• Kolb A & Kolb D (2005) Learning styles and learning spaces: enhancing experiential learning in higher education (PDF file) Academy of Management Learning & Education 4(2):193-212
• Palmer G (2006) Moving outside the box? A conceptual and practical review of teaching reflective and critical thinking with undergraduates (paper presented at LILI 2006)
• Palmer G, Lambert C & Heron J (2009) Helping law students via spaces and performance (paper presented at Learning In Law Annual Conference 2009)
• Savin-Baden M (2008) Learning spaces: creating opportunities for knowledge creation in academic life Maidenhead: McGraw Hill/Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press

About Grier

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Grier Palmer is a principal teaching fellow at Warwick Business School, where he is lead PhD Development Coordinator and a member of the CAPITAL Centre’s Open Space Learning Steering Group.

Last Modified: 9 July 2010