The Creative Imperative is the title of my new book project considering what role creativity should play in learning to write and, more generally, in college teaching.  I look at what creativity is: when it happens, how it happens, how we know it’s happening. I also study the forces that pull against creativity in higher education and explore ways that educators and students can push back. What are some contemporary frameworks for thinking about the “writing process” and structuring courses and assignments that promote creativity?  How do we carve out new kinds of learning spaces in which creativity can be activated to help people become better, more flexible (and happier) writers, innovators, and learners?

This blog will document some of my thinking about creativity, writing, and learning. I will reflect on my teaching and interactions with students and colleagues at Baruch College; my research into creativity and writing; and my participation in the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), Change: Education, Learning, and Technology, which is introducing me to the potential of creative pedagogy on a whole new scale.

About me: I am Cheryl C. Smith, associate professor of English and co-coordinator of Writing across the Curriculum at Baruch College, CUNY. I co-edit the Journal of Basic Writing and share my home with one man, one boy, and three cats.