Creative Mediation is a holistic process (cognitive and emotional) that promotes self-awareness, development and learning by engaging with a creative medium in a creative process.
Can you give an example?
During this Creative Medium participants are invited to make a clay mask.
We may begin the workshop by asking: What is a mask? Why do we wear them? What is a mask used to hide? What image do we want to project? Do we want to be seen as being fiercer than we are or less?
Could a mask be seen as the physical expression of an idea – a symbol for what we try to “mask” in our lives? Do we ever “mask our emotions”? Do we ever pretend to be someone that we know we are not? Are we ever a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”?
Do we “wear” different masks depending on who we are with? Do you look the same to your friends as you do to your mom or to an enemy?
What are some of the masks that you wear? Can you imagine what they look like? Do you think you could express in clay the image that you see in your minds eye? Or if you don’t like what you see would you like to imagine a mask that represents the ideal you – the person that you would like to be all the time – maybe the mask has calm and smiling eyes, a mouth with a large generous mouth that likes to laugh, an intelligent looking brow that thinks things through…..can you imagine putting on this mask and becoming this person? Would you like to express this image using clay?
Now the clay becomes a physical expression of our inner landscape, a way for us to engage our whole body in shaping our ideas and ideals. And the skill of being able to express well that which we imagine – an artists craft –is tested and appreciated.
In this Creative Mediation the primary goal was never to make a mask. The mask acts as our medium for exploring an idea. Moulding the clay engages us in the artistic process. We strive to find a way to express ourselves as best we can so that our ideas and ideals may be shared with others. In doing so we may have put a face to some of our behaviours and imagined other ways of being. What may have been unclear for us now comes into focus. The parts of ourselves we thought of as weak may have been recreated as a little stronger or we may have found a way to soften parts of ourselves…we may decide to STOP acting in certain way… and to START behaving in another… we may CHANGE! – HOZA!
How does this approach differ from a Learning-through-the-Arts model? (Refer to the diagram below.)
As the name suggests, Learning-through-the-Arts (L.T.A) strives to present subject matter through The Arts. It is different from the traditional approach to education as L.T.A. places greater value on the role that creativity can play in learning (and remembering) new information.
If this model has been applied successfully, assessment should indicate that the participant has acquired a level of knowledge and skill.
Creative Mediation (C.M), takes learning a step further. C.M values a creative encounter with new subject matter AND there is an emphasis on examining how we relate (personally, and/or as a community, and/or as a culture, and/or as a class or a company) to this new information. The process is a subjective as well as an objective one. C.M aims to develop not only a cognitive response to new possibilities but an emotional one too. As leading expert Professor Damsio points out, “Sound moral judgement requires emotional involvement.”
If this model has been applied successfully, assessment should indicate that the particpant has acquired a level of knowledge and skill AND that the learner is able to relate what they have learned to their own lives AND can personally asses the value of the skills learned. Participants do this by asking what meaningful change (positive or negative) can this new knowledge or skill affect our lives or in the lives of others?
