Education

  • Ph.D. 1994 – University of Chicago, Psychology
  • M.A. 1992 – University of Chicago, Psychology
  • S.B. 1982 – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computer Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Creativity and innovation
  • Learning sciences
  • Dynamics of collaborating groups and teams
  • Qualitative Research

Background

Keith Sawyer has dedicated his career to the study of creativity and learning. Sawyer’s research focuses on improvisation group performance, including studies of jazz ensembles and Chicago improv theater groups. Sawyer’s interest in group creativity goes back to high school, when he first began to play jazz piano in improvisational groups. The most creative groups enter a state of group flow, and this became a central topic of Sawyer’s research—which groups are most creative? How do the members interact with each other, from moment to moment? How does a group create something that’s more than the sum of its parts? While in graduate school at the University of Chicago, Sawyer performed as the pianist with several improv theater groups, and spent several years studying staged improvisational theater.

Sawyer’s research applies rigorous qualitative methods to analyze the moment-to-moment interactional dynamics of these creative performing ensembles. His research has identified what all creative groups have in common—whether jazz, theater, or business teams. Sawyer has used these foundational understandings to provide advice in how to enhance creativity in business teams, student study groups, pair programming, and teacher professional development—for example, in his book Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration (2017).

Sawyer has applied his research findings to enhance classroom teaching. He shows that the most effective teachers use guided improvisation to support each student’s individual learning needs. For example, he has extended his findings from improvisational theater to provide practical classroom advice for teachers, in his 2019 book The Creative Classroom: Innovative Teaching for 21st Century Learners.

Sawyer is also the host of the podcast titled, “The Science of Creativity with Dr. Keith Sawyer.” The podcast — which highlights the latest psychological research and insights about creativity — is available on all platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Research

Sawyer uses qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the conversational dynamics of groups in real-world contexts – whether business meetings, classrooms, or informal learning environments. His research helps us answer questions such as: Which teams are more creative? What team processes result in greater creativity? Which groups are more likely to contribute to more effective learning of the participants? Which organizations and classrooms are most likely to foster effective group interactions?

Sawyer’s studies of jazz ensembles, improvisational theater groups, and children at play, led to his theory of collaborative emergence, as presented in his book Social Emergence: Societies as Complex Systems (2005). This foundational sociological theory helps us understand the relationships between individuals, groups, and societies.

In his current research, he is studying how teaching and learning are organized in professional schools of art and design, with the goal of identifying a core set of features that can be used to design more effective learning environments. He conducted ethnographic studies of the Savannah College of Art & Design, and of the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art at Washington University in St. Louis. This research has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, and invitations to deliver scholarly presentations throughout the United States and Europe. His book about art and design schools was published by MIT Press in 2025 and is called Learning to See: Inside the World’s Leading Art and Design Schools.

  • EDUC 915, Introduction to Learning Sciences
  • EDUC 571, The Maker Movement and Education
  • EDUC 572, Psychology of Creativity
  • EDUC 923, Design Based Research
  • EDUC 789, Educational Innovation and Technology, Integrative Seminar II
  • EDUC 767, Educational Innovation and Technology, Integrative Seminar I
  • EDUC 918, Introduction to Cognitive Science and Sociocultural Perspectives on Learning
  • Senior Faculty Research and Scholarly Leave, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (January 1, 2025).
  • American Educational Research Association.
  • International Society of the Learning Sciences.

Journal Article

Henriksen, D., & Sawyer, K. (accepted). Creative engagement for well-being: Implications for emotional health and learning. Journal of Creative Behavior.

Halverson, E., & Sawyer, K. (2022). Learning in and through the arts. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 31(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2022.2029127

Sawyer, K. (2021). The iterative and improvisational nature of the creative process. Journal of Creativity, 1(1).

Sawyer, K. (2021). The dialogue of creativity: Teaching the creative process by animating student work as a collaborating creative agent. Cognition and Instruction. Published.

Sawyer, K. (2021). Teaching creative thinking: How design professors externalize their creative thinking in studio classroom talk. Mind Culture and Activity. Published.

Sawyer, K. (2020). The Development of Creativity. Empirical Studies of the Arts, 38(1), 24–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/0276237419868958

Greene, J., Freed, R., & Sawyer, K. (2019). Fostering creative performance in art and design education via self-regulated learning. Instructional Science, 47(2), 127–149.

Sawyer, K. (2019). Dialogic status in design education: Authority and peer relations in studio class conversations. Social Psychology Quarterly, 82(4), 407–430. https://doi.org/10.1177/0190272519867100

Greene, J., Freed, R., & Sawyer, K. (2019). Fostering creative performance in art and design education via self-regulated learning. Instructional Science, 47(2), 127–149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-018-9479-8

Greene, J., Freed, R., & Sawyer, R. K. (2018). Fostering Creative Performance in Art and Design Education via Self-Regulated Learning. Instructional Science, 47, 127–149.

Sawyer, K. (2018). The role of failure in learning how to create in art and design. Thinking Skills and Creativity. Published.

Sawyer, R. K. (2018). Teaching and Learning How to Create in Schools of Art and Design. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 27(1), 137–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2017.1381963

Sawyer, K. (2017). The zig zag path to Toy Story. Journal of Business Anthropology, 4(2), 252–258.

Greene, J., Sawyer, K., & Freed, R. (published). Fostering self-regulated learning and expertise in art and design education. Instructional Science.

Sawyer, K. (2017). Teaching creativity in art and design studio classes: A systematic literature review. Educational Research Review, 22, 99–113.

Sawyer, K. (published). Creativity research and cultural context: Past, present, and future. Journal of Creative Behavior, 51(4), 352–354.

Sawyer, R. K. (2016). How artists create: An empirical study of MFA painting students. Journal of Creative Behavior, 50(1), 1–19.

Repice, M. D., & Sawyer, R. K. (2016). Talking Through the Problems: A Study of Discourse in Peer-Led Small Groups. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, Special issue “Language and the teaching and learning of chemistry.”, 555–568. https://doi.org/10.1039/C5RP00154D

Moeran, B., Pratt, A. C., Eikhof, D. R., Sawyer, K., Austin, R. D., Johnson, P., Straw, M., Wikström, P., Ren, J., Lau, F., & Brok-Kristensen, M. (2015). Opinions: All about Creativity and Innovation. Journal of Business Anthropology, 4(2), 228–297. https://doi.org/10.22439/jba.v4i2.4893

Sawyer, K. (2015). A Call to Action: The Challenges of Creative Teaching and Learning. Teachers College Record, 117(10), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811511701001

Sawyer, K. (2012). Extending Sociocultural Theory to Group Creativity. Vocations and Learning, 5(1), 59–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-011-9066-5

Sawyer, K. (2011). The Cognitive Neuroscience of Creativity: A Critical Review. Creativity Research Journal, 23(2), 137–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2011.571191

Sawyer, K. (2007). Improvisation and Teaching. Critical Studies in Improvisation / Études Critiques En Improvisation, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.21083/csieci.v3i2.380

Sawyer, K. (2003). Coherence in Discourse: Suggestions for Future Work. Human Development, 46(4), 189–193. https://doi.org/10.1159/000070368

Sawyer, K. (1997). Multiple Creativities. Theory & Psychology, 7(1), 138–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354397071020

Sawyer, K. (1996). On Berliner’s Thinking in Jazz: The Infinite Are of Improvisation. Creativity Research Journal, 9(2-3), 283–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.1996.9651182

Sawyer, K. (1992). Improvisational creativity: An analysis of jazz performance. Creativity Research Journal, 5(3), 253–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419209534439

Book

Sawyer, K. (2025). Learning to See: Inside the World’s Leading Art and Design Schools. The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/14968.001.0001

Sawyer, K., & Henriksen, D. (2024). Explaining creativity: The science of human innovation (third edition). Oxford University Press.

Sawyer, K. (Ed.). (2022). The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences, Third Edition. Cambridge University Press.

Sawyer, K. (2019). The Creative Classroom: Innovative Teaching for 21st Century Learners. Teachers College Press.

Sawyer, K. (2017). Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration (2nd edition). Basic Books (Perseus/Hachette).

Evans, M. A., Packer, M. J., & Sawyer, R. K. (2016). Reflections on the learning sciences: Past, present, and future. Cambridge University Press.

Sawyer, R. K. (2014). Group creativity: Music, theater, collaboration. In Group Creativity: Music, Theater, Collaboration (pp. 1–214). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410609090

Sawyer, R. K. (2014). The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences, second edition. In The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences, Second Edition (pp. 1–776). https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139519526

Book Chapter

Sawyer, K. (accepted). Improvisational creativity in theater. In Creativity and theatre: A dialogue between scholars and artists. Palgrave MacMillan.

Sawyer, K. (2022). Conclusion: The future of learning. In The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 658–686). Cambridge University Press.

Sawyer, K. (2022). Introduction: The new science of learning. In The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences, third edition (pp. 1–23). Cambridge University Press.

Nathan, M., & Sawyer, K. (2022). The foundations of the learning sciences. In The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 27–52). Cambridge University Press.

Sawyer, K. (2019). John Dewey: Art as experience. In V. P. Glaveanu (Ed.), The creativity reader. Oxford University Press.

Sawyer, K., & Dunlosky, J. (2019). How the Learning Sciences Can Inform Cognitive Psychology. In The Cambridge Handbook of Cognition and Education (pp. 17–34). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108235631.002

Sawyer, K. (2018). An interdisciplinary study of group creativity. In The nature of human creativity (pp. 280–290). Cambridge University Press.

Sawyer, R. K. (accepted). Improvisation. In M. Runco & S. Pritzker (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Creativity, Second edition (3rd ed.). Elsevier.

Sawyer, R. K. (2016). Learning for creativity. In R. Beghetto & J. Kaufman (Eds.), Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom, Second edition (pp. 265–286). Cambridge University Press.

Sawyer, R. K. (2017). Interpreting and understanding simulations: The philosophy of social simulation. In Understanding Complex Systems (9783319669472nd ed., pp. 331–347). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66948-9_14

Sawyer, R. K. (2017). Unresolved tensions in sociocultural theory: Analogies with contemporary sociological debates. In Introduction to Vygotsky (pp. 147–165). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315647654

Sawyer, R. K. (2016). A Foucauldian analysis of the learning sciences, past, present, and future. In M. A. Evans, M. J. Packer, & R. K. Sawyer (Eds.), Reflections on the learning sciences: Past, present, and future (pp. 259–280). Cambridge University Press.

Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Sawyer, K. (2014). Creative Insight: The Social Dimension of a Solitary Moment. In The Systems Model of Creativity (pp. 73–98). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9085-7_7

Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Sawyer, K. (2014). Shifting the Focus from Individual to Organizational Creativity. In The Systems Model of Creativity (pp. 67–71). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9085-7_6

Sawyer, K., John-Steiner, V., de Saint-Laurent, C., Jovchelovitch, S., Tanggaard, L., Valsiner, J., Wagoner, B., Cresswell, J., & Zittoun, T. (2014). Preface: The sociocultural approach to creativity. In V. P. Glăveanu (Ed.), Rethinking Creativity: Contributions from Social and Cultural Psychology (p. xii–xiv). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315866949

Sawyer, R. K. (2014). Conclusion: The future of learning: Grounding educational innovation in the learning sciences. In The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences, Second Edition (pp. 726–746). https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139519526.043

Nathan, M. J., & Sawyer, R. K. (2014). Foundations of the learning sciences. In The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences, Second Edition (pp. 21–43). https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139519526.004

Sawyer, R. K. (2014). Introduction: The new science of learning. In The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences, Second Edition (pp. 1–18). https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139519526.002

Sawyer, K., Frey, R., & Brown, P. (2013). Knowledge Building Discourse in Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Groups in First-Year General Chemistry. In Productive Multivocality in the Analysis of Group Interactions (pp. 191–204). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8960-3_10

Sawyer, K., Frey, R., & Brown, P. (2013). Peer-Led Team Learning in General Chemistry. In Productive Multivocality in the Analysis of Group Interactions (pp. 183–189). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8960-3_9

Sawyer, K., & Bunderson, S. (2013). Innovation: A Review of Research in Organizational Behavior. In Innovation and Growth: What do we Know? (pp. 13–55). WORLD SCIENTIFIC. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814343558_0002

Sawyer, K. (2011). Conversation as mechanism: emergence in creative groups. In Analytical Sociology and Social Mechanisms (pp. 78–96). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511921315.005

Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Sawyer, K. (1995). Shifting the Focus from Individual to Organizational Creativity. In Creative Action in Organizations: Ivory Tower Visions & Real World Voices (pp. 167–173). SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452243535.n22

Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Sawyer, K. (1994). Creative Insight: The Social Dimension of a Solitary Moment. In The Nature of Insight (pp. 329–364). The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/4879.003.0016

Book Review

Sawyer, R. K. (2017). Review of Domenico Pietrapaolo, Semiotics and pragmatics of stage improvisation. London: Bloomsbury. Studies in Theatre and Performance. Published. London: Bloomsbury.

Conference Proceeding

Sawyer, R. K. (2017). Creativity Research and Cultural Context: Past, Present, and Future. Journal of Creative Behavior, 51, 352–354. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.204

Stahl, G., Jeong, H., Ludvigsen, S., Sawyer, R. K., & Suthers, D. D. (2013). Workshop: Across levels of learning: How resources connect levels of analysis. Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Conference, CSCL, 2, 460–464. https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84886515273

Other

Sawyer, K. (2014). Preface: The sociocultural approach to creativity. In Rethinking Creativity: Contributions from Social and Cultural Psychology (p. xii–xiv). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315866949

Sawyer, R. K. (2014). Preface. In The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences, Second Edition (p. xix–xxiv). https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139519526.001

Professional

  • Research Team Member, International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IISCI), Guelph. (2013 – Present).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Thinking Skills and Creativity. (2011 – Present).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Contemporary Educational Technology. (2010 – Present).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Psychology of Music. (2007 – Present).
  • Series Editor, Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, Cambridge University Press. (2014 – 2020).
  • Board of Advisors, NSF Cyberlearning Program Design and Implementation Project “Connecting Idea Threads Across Communities for Sustained Knowledge Building.” PI Jianwei Zhang, University of Albany, New York, NY. (2014 – 2018).
  • Board of Advisors, NSF Cyberlearning Transforming Education Project “Exploring Social Programming Environments in Early Computing Courses.” PI Christopher Hundhausen, Washington State University, Pullman, WA. (2013 – 2017).
  • Editor, Educational Research Review. (January 2010 – December 2017).
  • Scientific Committee Member, Tracking the Creative Process in Music conference (TCPM), University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield. (September 14, 2017 – September 16, 2017).
  • Program committee, Seventeenth International Workshop on Multiagent Based Simulation (MABS 2016), held at AAMAS. (May 9, 2016 – May 13, 2016).
  • Editor, Educational Research Review. (2010 – 2014).
  • Member, External Academic Advisory Council, Purdue University School of Engineering Education. (2007 – 2013).
  • Technical Program Committee, Conference on Creative Education (CCE), Shanghai. (2011 – 2012).

University

  • Member, Post-tenure review committee, School of Education. (2024 – 2027).
  • Member, Education Policy Committee of the UNC Faculty Council. (August 2021 – June 2027).
  • Member, Provost’s Wellbeing Day Committee. (2024).
  • Member, Provost’s Working Group for Academic Freedom & Free Expression. (2024).
  • Member, Administrative Boards Curriculum Committee. (2021 – 2024).
  • Member, School of Education Post-Tenure Review Committee. (2021 – 2024).
  • Member, Educational Policy Committee, Subcommittee on University Approved Absence Policy. (August 2022 – June 2024).
  • Member, UNC SOE Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure committee. (July 2017 – June 2023).
  • Member, Administrative Boards of the General College and the College of Arts and Sciences. (September 20, 2019 – June 1, 2023).
  • Member, IDEAs in Action Course Review Committee. (November 1, 2019 – May 30, 2023).
  • Member, General Education Oversight Committee (GEOC) of the IDEAS in Action General Education Curriculum. (December 2, 2019 – June 1, 2022).
  • Program Coordinator, Learning Sciences and Psychological Studies Ph.D. program. (August 1, 2017 – June 30, 2020).
  • Area Chair, Learning, Development, and Psychological Sciences Area. (January 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019).
  • Ex-officio member in my role as LDPS Area Chair, Faculty Executive Council. (January 2018 – May 2019).
  • Faculty Search Committee Chair, Open-Rank, Tenure-track/Tenure-eligible Professor in the Learning Sciences and Psychological Studies. (August 30, 2018 – March 1, 2019).
  • Faculty Search Committee Chair, Search committee for the Program Director for the MA in Educational Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (MEITE). (August 30, 2018 – March 1, 2019).
  • Elected Representative of the School of Education, UNC Faculty Council. (August 15, 2017 – May 30, 2018).
  • Faculty Search Committee Member, Search committee, Professor in Learning Sciences and Psychological Studies (LSPS). (August 1, 2017 – March 1, 2018).
  • Member, Provost’s Educational Innovation Working Group. (2016 – 2017).
  • Member, School of Education GURP leadership group, Program Review subcommittee. (2016 – December 2017).
  • Executive Director, Chancellor’s Faculty Boot Camp, “The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Maximizing Faculty Impact.”. (2014 – 2017).
  • Member, School of Education Graduate and Undergraduate Research and Policy Programs (GURP) leadership group. (August 2013 – December 2017).
  • Program Director, MA in Educational Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. (July 2016 – August 2017).
  • Elected Representative for the Full Professors, School of Education Faculty Executive Council. (August 2014 – May 2017).
  • Proposed a dual degree program MEITE and MBA, GURP. (August 2016 – February 1, 2017).
  • Member, The Graduate School’s Weiss Urban Livability Faculty Board. (2015 – 2016).
  • Design, propose, and execute an MA degree program, School of Education Master of Arts degree in Educational Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. (August 1, 2013 – May 30, 2016).
  • Member, School of Education International Programs Advisory Committee. (2014 – 2015).

Public

  • Board of Directors, LearnTrials (Raleigh ed tech company) Advisory Board, Raleigh, NC. (July 2015 – June 2020).
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