Vera John-Steiner: The Prerequisites to Creative Collaboration

One may ask: “Why Patagonia, Arizona for a new Practicum Center

The answer is that Patagonia is a portal to the natural world.

And, through this portal, students can pass, leaving behind all cell phone connection with the contemporary world; leaving behind the cacophony of commercial advertising; leaving behind the barrage of media news; leaving behind the hyper-speed pace of their personal and work lives; leaving behind a world increasing guided and controlled by voice machines that provide endless options to listen to other voice machines, but, less and less, any contact with a human voice; and leaving behind the myriad of other disfunctionalities and disconnects increasingly imbedded in contemporary life.

In other words, the profound sense of place presented by Patagonia, is the first, and most vital, element in constructing a sustainable atmosphere of collaborative creativity. It permits students and faculty to reconnect with the natural world, the cosmos and all living things.

In 2000, Dr. Vera John-Steiner wrote CREATIVE COLLABORATION, which was based on a study of successful collaboration of notable partners and groups, some in face-to-face interaction and others in distance interaction. The result of her examination is that:

“….humans come into being and mature in relation to others, (and that) new skills are acquired, participants develop previously unknown aspects of themselves, and they increase their repertory of cognitive and emotional expression.”

For this phenomenon to occur the learning environment must support both cognitive and emotional development. She states that there is a powerful “relational dynamic” in collaborative work that requires FULLY ARTICULATED AND SHARED GOALS, A SAFE PLACE FOR CREATIVE EXPLORATION, AND UNIMPEDED TRUST. The IMPEDIMENTS TO TRUST, according to Dr. John-Steiner, are UNCERTAINTY, COMPETITION, HIERARCHIES, BUREAUCRACIES, INTELLECTUAL OWNERSHIP, FINANCIAL DEPENDENCE, INEQUITY, SEPARATION, AND EMOTIONAL DISCONNECTEDNESS. When the relational dynamics are in order, Dr. John-Steiner believes that there evolves:

“…’thought communities’ that collaborate with an intensity that can lead to a change in their domain’s dominant paradigm……pressing each participant’s perceived limits of human potential.”

The design of the new Field Education Center will be consistent with Dr. John-Steiner’s findings. Furthermore, a multi-faceted collaborative website will be constructed to amplify collaborative creativity between students, faculty, alumni and the Field Center’s mentors.

Dr. John-Steiner’s books include: CREATIVE COLLABORATION (2000) and NOTEBOOKS OF THE MIND: EXPLORATIONS OF THINKING (1997)