blocks and barriers activity
There are two parts to this activity; Please complete both, and you can submit your responses in the same file.
Part 1: Blocks and Barriers Scavenger Hunt
I would like you to go on a scavenger hunt looking for 12 blocks and barriers to creativity that you notice in your environment. Make a chart of each of the categories of blocks we have discussed (Habit and Learning, Rules and Traditions, Perceptual, Cultural, Emotional, and Resources) and describe examples you have noted from your environment that illustrate each one. Maybe you catch yourself thinking “I can’t do that–I’ll probably get it wrong.” List it under emotional blocks. You might watch a television show and hear the main character in reaction to his son wanting to take a dance class say, “That’s not for boys to do. He needs to be playing football.” Label that as a cultural block. Find yourself in need of a specific ingredient for a recipe that you are out of? Do you rush to the supermarket to get it rather than improvise with something else? Label that as a perceptual block. Do you hand out an assignment to your students with the guidelines so clearly established that there isn’t any room for them to add their own personal touch? Label that as a Rules and Traditions. Etc. Etc.
Ideally, I would like you to find two examples from each of the categories we discussed. However, if you cannot find examples from each, feel free to add more examples to other categories, so you will still end up with 12 total examples.
*You need to turn this activity in with your reflection. Please make sure they are saved on the same document.
Part 2: Environment
Describe an environment you know well (your classroom, workplace, home, etc.) in terms of how you think it influences creativity based on what we’ve read about blocks and barriers and the environment (press). In your description, discuss the following:
Physical space: What about the physical space either inhibits or encourages creativity?
Psychological space: How does the environment influence psychological well being (for example, influence on stress, anxiety, acceptance of making mistakes, and risk taking)?
What could you change about the environment to make it more conducive to creative thinking?
