Creativity

Right at the top of Benjamin's Bloom's hierarchy of thinking skills is Creativity. (We use Bloom a lot at Garin College to provide structure and depth to our teaching. For instance, in NCEA if a student can demonstrate Knowledge and Understanding of material, they will likely pass an assessment. But if they want Merit or Excellence they would need to demonstrate higher order thinking: Application of their knowledge, or Analysis, Evaluation or Creativity/Design based on their understanding.)

So, when we are thinking about thinking skills, creating something from your learning is pretty impressive!

This week Head Students Jess Brooks and Nick Erasmuson opened our festival of Creativity: Te Wairua o nga Mahi Toi, the spirit of creation in the arts. Mahi Toi has evolved into what we have today over the years. Fourteen years ago our first dance/drama teacher Rebecca Reid, our Head of Arts Rebecca Monopoli, Arts coordinator Nicky Sowry, Head of RE Suellen Boyce and I sat down to plan our first arts festival – something we hoped would give students the chance to be extra-ordinary and to see extra-ordinary events away from the routine of everyday school life. Our theme for 2002 reinforced that ideal: You are God’s work of art.

I assumed we would end up with singing and music, dance and drama and speeches. But from that very first year we were stretching the boundaries: our Vinnies were looking for a fund-raiser and RAW (Recycled Art that is Wearable) became part of the arts festival.

Matua Simon Pimm came up with a title that fitted with the new Catholic school and our goal of being extraordinary: Te Wairua (the spirit of creation) o nga Mahi Toi (in the Arts).
We were to find other “wow!” examples in our classes, our sport, service, arts events and Journey – but Mahi Toi is still the main way we help students to notice moments of beauty and wonder – moments beyond the ordinary.

That can only happen when a student takes a risk and gives us their very best performance – and that will only happen with a knowledgeable and supportive audience. The arts are always a partnership between performer and audience.

Since 2002 Mahi Toi has evolved to include all other teaching areas. "Creative" has been joined by "Design", and the final concert has moved from a low-key concert in our gym to a much more professional performance with much higher production values at the Hope Community Church - a multi-purpose theatrical venue.

So why is creativity so important in Catholic life?

At heart it is because it is in creativity that many of us come closest to our Creator. Catholics have a devotion to Mary - partly because she is the mother of Jesus - but Mary is also a symbol of motherhood. Many mothers are fully aware of themselves joining our God in the act of creation. Our RE teachers use the word "co-creation".

But all of us are affected by different forms of creativity: moments when your diaphragm tightens, your throat closes, or your eyes tear up. These things happen to us when we experience beauty or something close to perfection. It isn't just in the arts. We get caught in moments of perfection and creativity when a backline move works to perfection, when we see a perfect gymnastics routine, when a baby smiles, or when the penny drops in class.

Creativity is one of the things that makes us human - and one of the things that reminds us of the wonder our Creator made us to be.