How do the elements of creative learning…
…mirror or contrast your own learning experiences?
Additional readings:
In my own in-school learning experiences, there wasn’t that much choice. I remember my physics teacher incorporating students into the physics examples, metaphorically catapulting them across a lawn or down a building, and there’s always a giant marshmallow peep to catch their fall. Teachers do try a variety of things to keep students attention, but I always felt bored even if I understood the content. I often found myself quietly doing many kinds of crafts at my desk, while listening. Rarely did that interests ever get integrated into the learning experience. Only in art studio classes did I ever get to explore and play. But sometimes that felt much too open-ended.
It wasn’t until I started going to jiujitsu classes (at MIT), in my post-college years, that I saw what seemed to me a learning process in action. In learning different techniques, I had to not just practice them, but practice them in different ways to master them. There was a frequent feedback process, where a senior student or sensei oversaw me doing the technique and gave me feedback. That also models what I started doing in my head, I think to myself, is this working smoothly? Is it effective? What other ways could I try this so it works better? Jiujitsu has very narrow walls. There’s one path forward that everyone follows, a variety of techniques to work on and master at each level. Occasionally I would nail a technique but it was for a 2nd-degree black belt. I wonder whether people could design their own path, or what it would look like to broaden the walls in learning jiujitsu.
I had a few experiences with creative learning in high school, especially in my favorite classes. In my Technology and Design, math, and physics, classes I learned to approach problems creatively, following a design thinking process very similar to the Creative Learning Spiral. I enjoyed classes most when I was given time to independently tinker with challenges and work with peers to find solutions. I appreciated time I had to experiment with a problem, especially for hands-on classes where we built projects. I think my experiences in high school with the 4Ps are what drew me to engineering and MIT in the first place, because out of projects and play I found my passion for creating.
During my first semester, I experienced active learning in my 8.01 class (physics 1), and learned to work with a group to find solutions and learn from mistakes and misconceptions. I was fortunate to attend a public school system where STEAM learning was prioritized and opportunities were everywhere for all levels of learners. I worked my way through classes and clubs to gain hands-on experience and knowledge to carry forward, thanks to our makerspaces (with high ceilings, room to explore and create at any level) and supportive teachers.
In contrast, I’ve found that my least enjoyable classes are the long lectures where a professor tries to transfer content to students verbally. Despite my interest in the content of a class, I learn best through doing, so lecture-style classes are difficult and often boring for me.
I didn’t have much exposure to creative learning processes (e.g. the 4Ps) prior to MIT. Through projects, extracurricular learning, and classes that encouraged collaboration, I discovered how to learn from peers and work together to produce tangible outcomes.
One example from my own experiences at MIT is strobe lab (a class on various strobe photography techniques run through the Edgerton center). The course utilizes hands on lab sessions to guide understanding and practice in various photographic techniques. The lab section is comprised of less than half a dozen students (the student team) and a TA. At the beginning of the semester, the labs are a bit more structured with specific assigned problems to explore. This helps build up a toolkit of skills that you can use. The second half of the course is very open-ended. The team can decide to explore any topic they want - constructing a novel problem and solution.
In each lab assignment, the problem presented is guided to let the student team explore something new. It’s open ended without specific directions, allowing you to decide on your own how you want to solve it. If you get horribly lost, of course you can ask the TA for guidance. However, that guidance is quite open-ended and doesn’t necessarily pigeon hole you into solving the problem in one specific way. At the end of each lab, once you complete the initial assignment, you are tasked with exploring capturing an image of anything you want using the new techniques. This very open-ended prompt allows you to work together and get excited about what you’re learning. (You also get some cool images to take home and show your friends!) The final project is an extension of this idea: letting you pick what you’re passionate to learn more about. Many other project-based classes at MIT I have taken follow a similar structure.
Before MIT, creative learning wasn’t really part of my education. I mean, it definitely was never a focus. Even in just looking at the 4Ps: Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play.
I didn’t have a single project that couldn’t fit into a single lesson and it was so guided that it was never really MY project.
Our education system is solely focused towards attaintment in exams, so we were almost discouraged from working on our passions. They were never incorporated into my school work.
I don’t even think I had a group presentation, nevermind working alongside them. Then, play speaks for itself.
I think if I were afforded the opportunity to engage in creative learning, I would’ve explored more subjects that I didn’t particularly ‘enjoy’
In our discussion, we overall felt a bit of disappointment that much of our schooling experiences have not been facilitated with attention to our personal interests, play, working on projects with peers in a fulfilling way.
@daphne_r and @kabridge I enjoyed reading your reflections on the different learning experiences you’ve had, in your k-12 education, out-of-school experiences, and in your current MIT experience.
Daphne, I loved how through these experiences, you found what elements of learning styles worked best for you.
Kailey, you pointed out something that isn’t always well expressed, that building up a toolkit is important to increasing our own understanding, before we can work on sophisticated open-ended projects.
@cs143 Chloe, you beautifully pointed out a core issue in education, “what are we really learning if we’re just being taught to do well on exams so our schools gain more prestige?” It does take much more care and effort from educators to cater curricula to a variety of student passions and interests, which brings us to another question, “how, where, or when do educators have the opportunity or space and time to do this?”
I have a terrible memory, and school couldn’t hold my attention until college. With that being said the only things that have stuck in my memory from school, elementary to high school, are those instances where I was participating in a creative learning style. I can remember working on self-guided projects or interest driven reports that I was truly invested in or excited about. As talked about in Resnick’s paper, I was more engaged because the topics I was interested in, or I was able to structure it in a way that suited my learning style.
I studied sculpture in college so being in an art program was mostly all about creativity, but I did struggle in other areas of study within the art department where I felt like I did not have enough creative room to explore. Originally the program I was in was very traditional and was heavily focused on iron casting, stone carving, and wood working. I struggled very much with these limitations. Then under new direction the program opened up to include installation, performance, textiles, and basically anything and everything under the category of sculpture and I was able to find myself back within sculpture.
I loved reading about Prof. Mitchel Resnick and the Media Lab! I’m a big fan of his lab’s work in education and reading about the 4Ps specifically interested me the most.
When I first started at MIT, I had almost no background in physics. In 8.01 (Physics I), we had Friday Problem Solving (FPS), where we worked in small groups to solve problems on whiteboards. While this setup helped some students collaborate and learn together, I struggled because I was often the slowest in my group and needed more time to grasp the concepts. As a result, I frequently left these sessions with a completed solution but without truly understanding the material myself. Over time, this experience made me nervous about group work and diminished my sense of autonomy in learning. I also felt discouraged from asking TAs for help because I felt that my progress lagged behind my peers.
By contrast, I felt much more learning something new if I’m passionate. In high school, I became interested in science only when it connected to personal experiences, such as learning about medical conditions affecting my family members. This personal connection motivated me to dive deeper into health-related topics, explore biomedical devices hands-on, and eventually apply to MIT for engineering.
Reflecting on these experiences, I see how my journey aligns with some aspects of the 4Ps while also highlighting areas where they fell short. Projects have been integral to my academic growth. However, the role of peers has been more complicated for me. While group work can foster collaboration and shared ideas, it sometimes left me feeling discouraged.
Looking back, I realize how critical mentorship is in fostering creative learning. A mentor who could have helped me bridge gaps in my understanding might have encouraged me to embrace challenges more confidently. I also see how important it is to balance individual autonomy with collaborative learning by creating spaces where everyone can grow.