Academic foundations and theoretical frameworks informing CreatiFlow's experiential learning methodology
CreatiFlow's approach to community-based, experiential learning draws from critical pedagogy, rhizomatic learning theory, and creative education research. Our methodology centers on student agency, community connections, and collaborative knowledge creation.
Community is the curriculum - learning happens through authentic relationships with local experts, collaborative creation, and student-directed exploration.
Paulo Freire's work emphasizes education as liberation, where students are active co-creators of knowledge rather than passive recipients. His concept of "praxis" - reflection and action upon the world to transform it - directly informs CreatiFlow's meet-document-collaborate-create-share cycle.
Freire's seminal work on critical pedagogy
Freire's exploration of literacy and political awareness
Organization dedicated to promoting Freirean pedagogy
Deleuze and Guattari's rhizome metaphor rejects hierarchical, tree-like knowledge structures in favor of non-linear, networked learning. In CreatiFlow, students make unexpected connections between disciplines, explore tangential interests, and create knowledge networks that resist traditional categorization.
Full text including the foundational chapter "Introduction: Rhizome"
Just the rhizome chapter for focused reading
Scholarly articles applying Deleuzian concepts to educational contexts
Dave Cormier's work on rhizomatic learning explores how community becomes curriculum in networked, participatory learning environments. His research directly parallels CreatiFlow's model where students and experts co-create learning pathways.
Foundational blog post explaining rhizomatic learning principles
Full academic paper - free download
Open access institutional repository version
Creative Commons licensed article on open learning
Contemporary research in creative pedagogy emphasizes embodied learning, multimodal expression, and place-based education. These approaches inform CreatiFlow's emphasis on sketching, photography, documentation, and community connection.
Peer-reviewed journal on arts-based educational research
Comprehensive guide to arts-based research methodologies
Research on creative learning and making in education
Research center focused on creativity, thinking, and arts in education
CreatiFlow's emphasis on meeting real experts in authentic community settings draws from place-based education research, which connects learning to local culture, economy, and environment.
Free article overview of place-based learning research
Free resources supporting place-based education initiatives
Academic paper on experiential learning framework
Classic text on learning through experience and reflection
The Connected Learning research network explores how peer collaboration, shared interests, and mentorship create powerful learning opportunities - core principles embedded in CreatiFlow's design.
Research network and advocacy organization for connected learning
Foundational report on connected learning principles
Ethnographic study of youth learning with digital media
For educators and researchers interested in exploring these theories further, the following journals regularly publish work on critical pedagogy, creative learning, and alternative education models.
Interested in applying these pedagogical principles in practice? CreatiFlow connects students, teachers, and community experts in experiential learning experiences grounded in critical pedagogy and rhizomatic learning theory.