A third space for dialogues on creative pedagogy: Where hybridity becomes possible

This study proposes a triangular model of creative pedagogy involving three interconnected elements – creative teaching, teaching for creativity, and creative learning. The rationale for this framework was to associate varied yet related insights into fostering creativity and stimulating additional discussion regarding pedagogical strategies for nurturing creativity in the context of educational reform in Asian societies. A teaching project based on this model was designed and conducted in local primary schools in Taiwan, one of the Confucianism societies. As the practice and values behind creative pedagogy can contradict the discourse of local context, this study explored questions of how desirable creativity is, how creative pedagogy should be applied, and how the experience of adopting creative pedagogy is perceived. A descriptive case study approach was employed to explore the research questions. Data were collected from the three perspectives of the participants by pupils’ response sheets and diaries, interviews with pupils and local teachers as observers, and the teacher–researcher's reflective journals. The findings showed that there are discrepancies between the pupils and their classroom teachers’ views. The majority of the pupils showed their love to the playful learning, whereas the teachers hesitated to welcome the practice. The practitioner–researcher, however, described the initiative as dialogue-triggering, a tug-of-war, and a gap-bridging process. The meaning of resistance and the emergent hybrid practice formed in the third space are discussed in this paper, and insights are offered regarding fostering creativity and adopting creative pedagogy in a similar context.