How Do We Approach Creative Learning in Higher Education?
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”
- John Dewey
We believe that learning is not bound by the traditional confines of the academic classroom- that the creative classroom is everywhere. Whether it’s a senior executive learning how to lead better or a child learning the color of fruit; or whether learning from the NYU Shanghai Academic Building or learning from a tranquil suburban farm.
In our pilot edition, the Creative Classroom editorial team curated four articles from higher education practitioners at NYU Shanghai sharing insights on how creative and experiential learning can happen in multiple places.
In Creating Maps to Visualize Meaningful Experiences, Emily Tsiang provides practical guidance on how to reflect on our meaningful life experiences by using a visualization tool- a Meaning Map. Drawing on years of experiential learning design experiences, Emily’s article highlights both why mapping matters for reflection and how to draw one’s own meaning map. In Start the First Lesson with Foreshadowing, Yanyue Yuan makes a bold statement that educators should design their first lessons with a “foreshadowing” technique that provides hints about an unfolding educational experience. Yanyue uses a Lego exercise example from her classroom design to delineate both the process and benefits of using foreshadowing.
In What a Farm Visit Taught Me about Experiential Learning, Chunhao Qian made a trip to an urban farm in Shanghai in a quest for learning and teaching inspirations. Through conversation with the urban farm owner, Daxiong, Chunhao learned that learning naturally happens when we feel connected with others, the environment, and the present moment. In Thousand Faces of Chinese Characters in a Thousand Learners’ Eyes, Jing Chai recapitulates how students in her Chinese language class contributed to a crowdsourcing learning platform and helped each other comprehend Chinese characters.
We take on a designer’s mindset and we will continue to iterate our publication platform to share knowledge and stories about creative and experiential learning in accessible, innovative, and meaningful ways. We are committed to creating an inclusive community for learning designers of all disciplines to share emerging ideas and exchange feedback. The Creative Classroom invites you to contribute your ideas and experiences to this virtual learning community!
Sincerely,
The Creative Classroom Editorial Team
The Editorial Team
Emily Tsiang is an Associate Professor at NYU Shanghai and design researcher at Stanford’s Center for Innovation & Design Research.
Yanyue Yuan is an Assistant Arts Professor at NYU Shanghai. Yanyue conducts research on the teaching of design thinking, creative learning in informal settings, and intergenerational learning.
Sam Li is a Management Ph.D. student at NYU Stern researching social innovation. She is also a proud NYU Shanghai alum.
