ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1239-4495
Date of Award
Spring 2025
Language
English
Embargo Period
4-15-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College/School/Department
Department of Education Theory and Practice
Program
Curriculum and Instruction
First Advisor
Alandeon Oliveira
Committee Members
Kelly Wissman, Robert Yagelski
Keywords
preservice teachers, teacher education, pedagogical creativity, creative teaching, creativity
Subject Categories
Curriculum and Instruction | Educational Methods | Higher Education and Teaching | Secondary Education and Teaching | Teacher Education and Professional Development
Abstract
Current preservice teachers have been apprenticed within an educational system that favors standardization which has limited their experiences with creative teaching and learning. The field of teacher education is currently lacking in frameworks to support the creative development of preservice teachers. The aim of this practitioner research, multiple-case study was to examine the impact of a creativity-focused course design on the beliefs of preservice teachers enrolled in a Secondary English Methods course in regards to the nature of creativity, the role of creativity in teaching and learning, their personal creative strengths and weaknesses, and creativity in lesson planning. Data was collected in the forms of observations, course assignments, lesson plans, a post-course survey, and creative artifacts. Findings showed development in participants’ views of creativity as being personally meaningful, recognizing the affordances of creative teaching and learning, and an understanding of strategies for implementing creativity into planned learning experiences. These findings offered theoretical implications, demonstrating the impact that creativity can have in disrupting the apprenticeship of observation (Lortie, 1975). Practical implications for teacher educators highlight the importance of providing opportunities for preservice teachers to be creative with coursework, introducing preservice teachers to research-based truths about creativity, and modeling creative instructional strategies. As a result of this research, a four-part framework is proposed that can be implemented into the design of teacher education courses in order to support the development of pedagogical creativity in preservice teachers.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Weld, Joanna M., "The Impact of a Creativity-Focused Course Design on the Development of Pedagogical Creativity in Preservice Teachers" (2025). Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present). 131.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/etd/131
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons
