Education as an evolving, collaborative experience.

MODUL

Interact 

TYP

Erkenntnis 

As a student, I've often thought about the nuances of creativity, especially after encountering the concept of "The Three Gaps of Creativity: Effort, Skill, and Quality," from Scott Berkun's "The Dance of The Possible." This concept has not only reshaped my understanding of creativity but also sparked a vision for an educational framework that mirrors these insights: the integration of collective responsibility in learning.

Bridging the Effort Gap Through Collaboration

Imagine you've got this amazing idea for a project. It feels great, right? But when you start working on it, the initial excitement fades, and you find yourself in the middle of hard, sometimes tedious work. This is the Effort Gap – the difference between the idea and the effort it takes to make it real. It emphasizes that even the most thrilling ideas demand mundane, effortful tasks for their realization, which can often lead to disillusionment and abandonment of the project.


The 'Effort Gap,' as Berkun describes, resonates deeply with my experiences. Often, the initial euphoria of a great idea in education fades when confronted with the mundane tasks of bringing it to fruition. In the way of learning I envision, this gap is bridged by collective effort. By sharing the workload and supporting each other in a creative studio-like environment, the effort becomes a part of a shared journey, making even the ordinary tasks engaging and meaningful.

Skill Gap: Learning from Peers

So you've got an idea, but do you have the skills to bring it to life? Often, we don't – and that's okay! The Skill Gap is all about recognizing where our skills currently are and where they need to be. If we acknowledge that having a great idea does not automatically equip one with the necessary skills to execute it, we can then be more gentle with ourselves in the process. The Key to learn a lot and to not abandon a project.


The 'Skill Gap' speaks to the difference between conceptualizing an idea and possessing the skills to execute it. In a collaborative learning environment, students can learn from each other’s strengths, effectively closing this gap. For instance, someone proficient in Photoshop can guide others, turning individual competencies into collective assets. This peer-to-peer learning approach can transform the classroom into a dynamic space where skills are constantly shared and honed.

Navigating the Quality Gap Through Collective Reflection

Ever finished a project and felt like it just didn't live up to what you imagined? That's the Quality Gap – the difference between what we create and the standard we set in our minds. This gap focuses on the subjective nature of creative work, where the creator's perception of the quality of their work may not meet their own standards or expectations, even after developing the requisite skills and putting in the effort. This is where most learning journeys end. But if you find yourself in the widest Gap between your knowledge of quality and your actual skill, that means if you carry on, those will come closer again.


I have a strong connection to this Gap, cause my GraphicDesign Teacher Mariann once enlightened me with what Scott Berkun describes beautifully as follows:

“Nobody tells people who are beginners, and I really wish someone had told this to me… all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste.… there’s a gap… for the first couple years that you’re making stuff, what you’re making isn’t so good…. It’s not that great.… It’s trying to be good, it has ambition to be good, but it’s not quite that good. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is good enough that you can tell that what you’re making is kind of a disappointment to you…. A lot of people never get past this phase.… they quit. And the thing I would say to you with all my heart is that most everybody I know who does interesting creative work, they went through a phase of years [of this]…. Everybody goes through that…. And the most important possible thing you can do is do a lot of work. Do a huge volume of work… it’s only by actually going through a volume of work that you are actually going to catch up and close that gap. And the work you’re making will be as good as your ambitions.”

 
The 'Quality Gap,' which relates to the subjective nature of what we create, can be uniquely addressed in a collaborative setting. Group reflections and feedback sessions become a platform for addressing this gap. As learners, we can provide each other with diverse perspectives, helping to refine our understanding of quality and style in our work.

Here an outline of how I would implement this in the context of a 4-day workshop at Hyperwerk:

Day 1: Community Building and Role Distribution

The journey in “Creative Realms” begins with a day dedicated to community building and role assignment. Every participant shares their expectations and goals, fostering an environment of openness and mutual understanding. We assign ourselves roles akin to a creative studio and in regard to our individual skill and what and how we want to learn. This leads to each participant actively contributing to the group’s dynamic, ensuring a shared responsibility for the learning experience. We engage in building our Vision as a 'creative learning studio'. getting to know the skills and qualities of each participant and alining what they want to archive in this time. I will give many small inputs throughout the day paving the way for this vision of mine to come to life.

 
Day 2: Interactive Learning and Peer Teaching

Interactive learning and peer teaching take center stage on the second day. Participants work on small mostly individual projects that emerged the day before, sharing progress and challenges with each other, promoting a culture of mutual support and knowledge sharing. This approach aligns with the idea of transforming classrooms into creative studios, where learning is a vibrant, engaging dialogue rather than a monologue. This day is greatly influenced by the results of the first day, where we define what and how we want to learn. There may be a focus on design and design programs, but just because thats what i have to offer as a person. In this environment tho, having a set goals can lead to a counterproductive dynamic, actually hindering learning instead of teaching knowledge.


Day 3: Collective Project Creation and Reflection

On the third day, the focus shifts to the creation of a more extensive group project. This collaborative effort brings together the diverse skills and perspectives of the participants, embodying the ethos of learning as a collective journey. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions within groups reinforce the importance of reflective practice, critical to the learning process. Imagine a creative studio where everybody knows each others streangths and weaknesses and the brief of the project and takes on roles according to that and to what they want to learn. There may be one project or 10.

 
Day 4: Presentation and Joint Development

The workshop peaks with the presentation and further development of group projects. This final day is about sharing achievements and providing constructive feedback, a practice that echoes the workshop’s philosophy of learning as a collaborative process. Each participant shares key takeaways, ensuring that learning extends beyond the workshop’s duration. Hopefully leading to the next Workshop or to my dream of an actual „co-learning space“ that is not confined to the unsustainable 4-day Workshop-Format.

A Vision for the Future

I want to create and host spaces where learning isn’t about passively receiving knowledge but actively engaging with it, where students are not just consumers of information but creators of knowledge. As I continue to explore these ideas, my goal isn't to immediately overhaul our current education system. Instead, it's to initiate a dialogue, to share a vision that could potentially enrich how we approach learning. It's about finding innovative ways to support learners, especially those who might feel overwhelmed by the traditional educational structure, such as individuals with ADHD like myself.

I envision an educational landscape where learning is a collective adventure, a journey of shared discovery and creativity. It's a vision that goes beyond the conventional, offering a glimpse into a future where education is not just a linear process but an evolving, collaborative experience.

Nils Niederhauser

n.niederhauser@gmx.ch

:D