Embracing the network: A study of distributed creativity in a school setting

In society and education, creativity is considered a key priority. Yet, the notion of creativity is challenged by an increased focus on the distributed aspects of human action. This change of perspective is particularly problematic to handle in a school context, because teachers are obliged to examine the individual child. In this paper, such dilemmas are explored. The discussion is based on an action research project conducted in a school. In the project, a hundred and twenty children from second and third grade were introduced to seventeen different types of creativity workshops. The research indicates that the concept of distributed creativity can be implemented productively in a school setting. However, the study also demonstrates that traditional understandings of creative processes is only partly compatible with the notion of distributed creativity. In the end, suggestions are made in order to bridge the gap between individual and distributed aspects of creativity.