Creativity and collaboration in education is a topic of growing interest among scholars and educators. Teachers around the United States are being tasked with the re-design of learning experiences but these demands are seldom accompanied by processes to support the creativity that is required for any design of learning. This study merged theory and practice in an action research process that engaged teachers and instructional coaches in the development of a framework to support creativity and collaboration among teachers as they designed new learning experiences. The framework created by the team of educators is titled The i5 Framework for Education: Methods and Mindsets to Support Collaborative Creativity. The i5 Framework for Education consists of five methods and five mindsets. The methods provide a collaborative process that aims to support teams of educators working together to design and implement new ways of teaching and learning. The methods: Identify, Inquire, Innovate, Implement, and Impact provide a process for teams to follow. The mindsets: Empathy, Creativity, Value, Trust, and Flexibility, are essential beliefs to be held throughout the process to support effective collaboration. Engaging in the development and use of the framework was found to impact the creativity and collaboration of the participating teachers, their teaching, and the learning of their students. I found that creativity is a mindset inherent in effective teaching and that creative synthesis is key to innovative change. The framework provided opportunities for interdependence of thinking and co-construction; it supported the seeking and sharing multiple perspectives; and provided ongoing opportunities for reflection and feedback. The use of The i5 Framework provided teachers with a relevant and autonomous experience. It also helped teachers design new learning experiences that supported deep thinking and cultural connections in their students. These results provide evidence that effective teacher collaboration requires autonomy, is grounded in mindset, and provides meaningful professional development experiences and that collaborative creativity may be the key to innovative change in education.
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