ABSTRACT
Creative teaching and learning have the potential to disrupt standard classrooms and to produce more equitable outcomes from schooling, but it is often difficult to convince teachers to let go of familiar practices. In settings where the standard classroom is successful, it appears hard to justify the need for more creative teaching and learning, and in settings where it is not successful, it is difficult for teachers to let go of the perception of control afforded by standard classroom practices. This chapter examines the tension between creativity and control in classrooms through two Australian longitudinal studies completed in the first decade of the twenty-first century. These research projects are briefly described and their contributions to understanding the nexus between creativity and control are outlined. In particular, important differences associated with how teachers position themselves in relation to their students and knowledge are discussed. The potential of even routine practices to produce more valuable effects when teachers position themselves as knowledge brokers is explored through the classroom practices of two teachers. These teachers demonstrate high levels of pedagogical capital by providing students with open access to knowledge and supporting their engagement with knowledge producing processes.
