Creative Learning: The Art of Health Communication

Background:  Today’s children face monumental challenges to living healthy lives. From obesity and diabetes to drug addiction and STDs, the dangers are seemingly endless. Traditional education strategies such as broadcasting public service announcements and sponsoring in-school health fairs, however, have proven ineffective in combating these pandemics. Engaging students – rather than lecturing them – is the key to 21^st century health communication; and the Creative Learning Model achieves that.

Program background:  The Creative Learning Model was developed under the auspices of Cleveland Clinic’s Office of Civic Education Initiatives – a department established in 2005 to realize the organization’s education-focused community benefit initiative supporting K−12 education everywhere the Clinic has a presence. The Model employs creativity to engage students in project-based, peer-to-peer learning, empowering young people to take ownership of their own health, and to communicate what they learn to others. Three Cleveland Clinic initiatives which utilize the Creative Learning Model are: eXpressions™, EXPLORERS, and Spotlight on Learning™. In eXpressions™, high school art, language arts, and math students learn about groundbreaking medical research from Cleveland Clinic high school interns, either through live, in-class presentations or via technology. The students then produce personal, creative interpretations of the research, submitting their finished projects as part of a juried competition. Award-winning submissions are published and exhibited, promoting the findings of the medical research to an even larger audience. EXPLORERS utilizes creativity to engage young people in grades K-8 in the study of health and wellness. Through this interdisciplinary initiative, Cleveland Clinic medical professionals speak to students on important health issues, and the students then bring their newfound knowledge to life through paintings, poems, videos, songs, and sculptures. Award-winning submissions are again published and exhibited, promoting the students’ health messages to an even larger audience. And finally, Spotlight on Learning™ uses the performing arts to engage second graders in the study of health and potential career paths in healthcare. Through interactive classroom presentations, students learn about health topics and healthcare careers from Cleveland Clinic medical experts. The students then work with local theatre professionals to transform their newfound knowledge into original, health-related plays, which the students perform at a “world premiere” event in the community.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Individual program evaluations have been used to determine the effectiveness of the Creative Learning Model. Thousands of students and teachers, from across the country and around the world, have participated in the programs. The vast majority of student respondents have reported an increase in knowledge related to health and healthcare careers; and an equally vast majority of teacher respondents have indicated positive behavioral changes among students as a result of Creative Learning programming.

Conclusions:  Creative Learning is a proven model for promoting health education and communication in the 21st Century. I believe a presentation on the Model would be of interest and benefit to Conference attendees.

Implications for research and/or practice:  The Creative Learning Model lends itself to research and is easily implemented.