The Creative Class(Room): Distilling the Literature at Large to Pursue Creative Space for Educators

8 Pages Posted: 2 Aug 2009 Last revised: 21 Mar 2015

See all articles by Heather Davis

Heather Davis

Marcus Oldham College, Australia; LH Martin Institute, University of Melbourne

Date Written: June 25, 2009

Abstract

This exposition reviews trends for working with creativity in a knowledge-intensive economy and applies them as a case-in-point to the everyday work of educators. It focuses on creativity as a highly sought after resource in a knowledge-intensive economy and the identification of drivers and inhibitors to creative work. It will be argued then, that making space for creativity in the workplace of educators - and not just on the periphery - but central, valued and embedded in professional practice - requires careful and purposeful consideration in the nurturing and design of a better future for education.

The literature points to the increasing importance of intangibles as a driver of growth in a global knowledge-driven economy. This calls on educators to be responsible for knowing themselves well and be reflexive practitioners in order to have productive and creative professional working lives.

Richard Florida names educators as one of an elite creative core of professions essential to a knowledge-driven economy. The educator too is unique in shaping golden capital - that is human, social and intellectual capital - for future generations in that they influence, encourage and promote - through their own work - the human, social and intellectual capital of the next generation. Florida’s creative class also includes people in science and engineering, architecture and design, arts, music and entertainment whose economic function is to create new ideas, technology and/or creative content. They share a common creative ethos that values creativity, individualism, difference and merit and see every manifestation of creativity - technology, cultural and economic - as interlinked and inseparable.

The creative process is, and always has been, social and inherently difficult to measure. Forms of organization are necessary to harness and support creative endeavours. Florida looks at both meanings of organization, in terms of organiz-ing (demographics and geography) as well as The organization (providing professional and amenable workplace settings) for the creative class. By doing so he focuses on the issue of global competition for talent. With an already evident skills shortage affecting educators, the teaching profession has again become globally competitive. Florida gives examples of cities throughout the world that are attracting workers not only by the abundance of specialized work but also because these cities cater for lifestyle and cultural tastes of the workers they are seeking.

To value staff then for their golden capital and their capacity to be creative and contribute ideas for the sustainability of their organization rather than just be seen as expendable units of labour is at the very heart of legitimising creativity in teachers’ work. In broader terms it is also mark of where we are on the journey of engagement towards appropriate knowledge-intensive era professional practice.

Keywords: creativity, educators, florida

JEL Classification: J24

Suggested Citation

Davis, Heather Lorraine, The Creative Class(Room): Distilling the Literature at Large to Pursue Creative Space for Educators (June 25, 2009). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1441602 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1441602

Heather Lorraine Davis (Contact Author)

Marcus Oldham College, Australia ( email )

145 Pigdons road
Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3228
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.marcusoldham.vic.edu.au/

LH Martin Institute, University of Melbourne ( email )

Melbourne, Vic, 3010
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://leadershipliteracies.wordpress.com

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