Thinking Skills and Creativity | 2019
The role of failure in learning how to create in art and design
Abstract
Abstract There is evidence that failure can contribute to creativity, but there has been no research on whether failure plays a role in teaching and learning how to create. In this paper, I examine the role of failure in teaching and learning in professional schools of art and design, where creative practice is an important learning outcome. In the course of ethnographies at two professional schools of art and design, I interviewed professors and observed their classes to explore their pedagogical beliefs and practices. Using a grounded theory methodology to analyze this qualitative data, I found that failure is an important aspect of pedagogy in both art and design disciplines. The grounded theory methodology resulted in the identification of six emergent themes that elaborate how art and design pedagogy incorporates failure to foster creative learning outcomes.