Creative Synthesis as Part of the Inquiry Process: Foundational Ideas

CREATIVE SYNTHESIS AS PART OF INQUIRY: FOUNDATIONAL IDEAS

Dr. Hiller A. Spires

North Carolina State University

2013 Summer Institute in Digital Literacy

July 14 - 19, 2013

PBI  MODEL

Spires et al. (2009)

WHAT IS SYNTHESIS?

A combination of two or more entities that together form something new.

Greek, from syntithenai, to put together

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synthesis

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WHAT IS SYNTHESIS?

Connections within text, among texts and to background knowledge enable the construction of an integrated mental model of understanding (Kintsch, 1998; Rouet, 2006)

“A dynamic, flexible, strategic, recursive reading process that begins with and is driven by awareness of purpose” (Hagerman, 2013)

WHAT IS CREATIVE SYNTHESIS?

Iterative design and development process that results in representing research results in new and original ways.

Using multimodal literacies and complex thinking with content.

Integrating information across print and digital texts, drawing inferences, summarizing, and making novel connections to create media products.

Evaluation may include intellectual, aesthetic, and technical quality outcomes.

(Spires et al., 2012)

ANY VALUE IN INVERTING REVISED BLOOM’S TAXONOMY?

(Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) (Spires, et al., 2012)

Author Defining Creative Synthesis

Psychologydictionary.org Creative synthesis refers to the mixture of many concepts, visuals, or correlations, into a new whole, particularly whenever this varies fundamentally from any of its parts.

Hockenberry (2007) A modern solution for solving problems and expanding knowledge.

Author Defining Creative Synthesis

Michael DeSchryver (2012, p.155) The concept of creative synthesis is largely the application of the creative process to reading and synthesizing Web text(s). In this way, the theory moves both scholarly conceptions of reading and creativity in new directions.

Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt(1832 – 1920)

When elements are attended to, they can be arranged and rearranged according to the individual's will, and thus arrangements never actually experienced before can result. Wundt called this phenomenon creative synthesis.

CREATIVE SYNTHESIS WITH NEW MEDIA

Remixing

Curating

THE LAST WORD

“This is the moment—this is the most important moment right now. We are about making a contribution. That’s what our job is. It’s about contributing something.” Benjamin Zander

How will you contribute to the world of your students’ digital futures?

Thank you!Let me hear from [email protected]

REFERENCESDeSchryber, M. (2012). Towards a theory of web-mediated knowledge synthesis: How advanced learners used the Web to construct knowledge about climate change behavior. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. 

Hagerman, M. (2013). Dissertation in progress. Michigan State University.

Hergenhahn, B.R. (2009). An introduction to the history of Psychology (6th ed.). Independence, KY: Cengage Learning. Hockenberry, M. (2007). Introduction to creative synthesis. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/creativesynthesis/introduction-to-creative-synthesis-290294

Spires, H., Hervey, L., Morris, G., & Stelpflug, C. (2012). Energizing project-based inquiry:Middle school students read, write, and create videos. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,55(6), 483-493. doi: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/JAAL.00058/pdf 

Spires, H. A., Wiebe, E., Young, C. A., Hollebrands, K., & Lee, J. K. (2012). Toward a new learning ecology: Professional development for teachers in 1:1 learning environments. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 12(2). Retrieved fromhttp://www.citejournal.org/vol12/iss2/currentpractice/article1.cfm  (Reprint of the Friday Institute White Paper. NC State University: Raleigh, NC.)