The purpose of the project is to investigate how creativity processes and innovation might support reflection, knowledge sharing, and professional development among members of professional groups, and what happens to these developmental processes when the cooperation takes place on digital interpersonal platforms. The aim is to de-velop a process model which can support these processes.
Taking as its starting point Donald A. Schön’s theory of the reflective practitioner, Jerome Bruner’s theory of narrativity, and Étienne Wenger’s theory about communities of practice, the project investigates how teachers of Danish “gymnasiums” reflect on their own practices in their professional groups, and how this reflection shows itself in the narratives that are created within the communities of practice of the organization. The investigation shows that the narratives of a community of practice influence how a professional co-operation is organized.
Subsequently, Lotte Darsø’s theory of innovation is presented in correlation with the perspective of Buur and Matthews on Participatory Innovation in order to investigate the importance of innovation in relation to professional co-operation.
Lene Tanggaard’s theory of creativity and Søren Hansen and Christian Byrge’s theory of the creative application of knowledge create the framework for the understanding of the project of the creative part of the process, while Elsebeth K. Sorensen’s theory about ICT collaboration is brought in as an approach to how teachers’ collaboration can enhance reflection, knowledge sharing, and professional development in their professional groups on digital platforms.
On the basis of the above, a process model is developed which is tested in two profes-sional groups in a Danish “gymnasium”. The analysis of the observation shows that the teachers do apply processes of creativity and innovation in order to develop solutions to challenges that the teachers face in their daily lives, but this process is difficult to transfer onto digital platforms.
The conclusion of the project is that professional development, reflection, and knowl-edge sharing in professional groups have the best breeding ground, when a process of creativity and the aim of innovation take into account the existing practice of the com-munity, are founded on the professional challenges and problems of teachers, and allow for existing narratives.