u04_a1: Blog on Creativity in the Classroom

Do schools kill creativity? Kill is a harsh term, but I would say that schools undoubtedly prohibit creativity to some degree. In his TED Talk, Sir Ken Robinson discusses this topic and seems to agree. He notes,“And we're now running national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. And the result is that we are educating people out of their creative capacities” (TED Talks, 2007). Often, education is such a strict environment, that there is little room for creativity. The emphasis placed on standardized tests frequently leaves teachers so rushed to cram in all of the relevant content material before test windows that they feel that creativity is not an option. 

Fortunately, though, it is possible to meet state standards while also fostering creativity. In regards to keeping creativity alive in my classroom, there are several steps I can take. Digital media provides a great opportunity for students to express creativity. It could be something as simple as using iPiccy to create a digital media writing prompt, as I did in my previous blog post with a lesson on imagery. Viewing a digital image can help spark creative writing that would be harder using just imagination alone. Another option would be to have students use digital media to create  a final project for a literature unit in lieu of a more traditional test or writing assignment. For example, for the Romeo and Juliet final project, I give students several options, including creating a movie or creating a fake twitter of Facebook page for one of the characters. These assignments promote creative thinking.

A remark that stuck with me from Sir Ken Robinson was his comments about renowned choreographer Gillian Lynne. He describes how she didn’t perform well in traditional school and succeeded in dance school where she was surrounded by “people who had to move to think” (TED Talks, 2007). By the time students reach high school, where I teach, the majority of their day is spent sitting in a desk, and they are often ridiculed or punished for doing anything other than sitting quietly in those desks and paying attention. Inevitably within our high school classrooms, there are students who work better with the opportunity to get up and move and interact with others. While it would be hard to allow my students to dance in class on a daily basis, I do believe there are some steps I can take to help reach these sorts of learners. Setting up learning centers with digital media can at least help students get up and moving throughout the period. They can visit various stations where they watch a video on a chromebook, listen to an interview or speech and analyze it, or interact with a series of images.The Prezi I made for the media-infused presentation could be adapted to work in such a setting. I believe that allowing students to get up and move around may keep them interested and help spark creative thinking.

By strategically incorporating digital media into the classroom, teachers can help keep creativity alive while also ensuring that state standards are being met. It simply takes some creativity from the teacher to foster creativity in students. 

References

TED Talks. (2007, January 6). Do schools kill creativity?| Sir Ken Robinson. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

u03_a2: Media Infused Presentation

Click here to view my Media Infused Prezi

Presentation Reflection

This media-infused presentation provides students an engaging and interactive opportunity to combine prior knowledge with new learning. In the process it will help foster the development of the disciplined and synthesizing mind. It may be used an interactive class lesson, but it may also be completed independently, which is beneficial because attendance is often an issue at my school, particularly with the students to which the presentation is geared.

Several components of the lesson will contribute to fostering a disciplined mind. The first is having students apply prior learning to analyze new material. As opposed to subject matter, which focusses on specific facts, Gardner (2007) argues, “a discipline constitutes a distinctive way of thinking about the world” (p. 27). Instead of simply having students memorize definitions and facts, teachers need to teach students how to think in order to foster disciplined minds. This particular presentation does just that by having students analyze material about another culture and draw conclusions about how similar and/or different that culture is from their own. Gardner (2007) also urges to “approach the topic in a variety of ways” (p.33).  The images, video, and audio components provide an engaging way for students to obtain new information and learn independently. Combining this new information obtained through digital media with the text component of the novel will help students understand the topic on several levels.

Next, this presentation also promotes a synthesizing mind in students. Gardner (2007) outlines four general steps to synthesis: a goal, a starting point, selection of strategy and approach, drafts and feedback (p. 51-52). This presentation guides students through each step of the synthesis process. The goal of comparing and contrasting American and Vietnamese perspectives of the war is clearly stated in the Purpose section of the Prezi. Next, students will recall their previous learned knowledge about the American perspective, which will serve as the starting point of their synthesis. Reviewing the images, video, and audio throughout the rest of the Prezi serves as the strategy in which to achieve synthesis. Finally, students will synthesize their findings into a digital Venn Diagram and present it to the class. The rubric-graded Venn Diagram and class discussion after the presentations will provide valuable feedback to help aid in the synthesis process.

This media-infused presentation is a good way to spark synthesis and discipline. As students progress and become more comfortable with the steps of synthesis, they will be able to complete more of the steps on their own. Eventually, my goal would be to have students develop all four steps of the synthesis process on their own in order to achieve true synthesis. Incorporating more media-infused presentations can help achieve that goal.

References

Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

u03_a1: Synthesizing Mind

Here is my EduClipper Romeo and Juliet Board. I created it for my 9th grade Romeo and Juliet unit. All of the information I clipped pertains to background information about the play. For most of my students, Romeo and Juliet is their first exposure to Shakespeare, so I wanted to give them access to a variety of digital media resources that would help explain the new material while also sparking their interest. Gardner (2007) notes, "a multiperspectival approach recognizes that different analytic perspectives can contribute to the elucidation of an issue or problem" (p. 71). It is beneficial to look at historical and philosophical approaches to Shakespeare in addition to the literary approaches.  As a result, I compiled a variety of videos that examine various aspects. One video takes students on a tour of Elizabethan England, and includes a 360 degree view of the inside of the Globe Theater. Another video provides a brief overview of William Shakespeare's life. There is also a video of popular teen-novelist John Green explaining the history of the Italian Renaissance, which serves as the setting of the play. The final video, which is perhaps my favorite, is a TED talk explaining why Shakespeare is still relevant in the 21st century. I also added a PDF of a character chart that provides a brief descriptions of each main character and shows how each is related to the others. My goal is to make Shakespeare as easy and interesting as possible, and these resources will help in doing so.

References
Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

u02a1:Digital Media Writing Prompt

I have my students complete daily bell-ringers that relate to the content we are currently studying. It's a good way for them to review the prior day's material while I take attendance and get make-up work passed out to students who were absent the previous day. One of the topics I teach in the poetry unit is understanding imagery. To help with this, I have students practice writing their own imagery, being as descriptive as possible. Usually, I just have written prompt that is something along the lines of "Describe your favorite vacation. Be sure to include all 5 senses." However, this can be a bit abstract, and sometimes students struggle to find a good starting point. Incorporating an actual photo (such as the one above, which I took at Sinnemahoning State Park, PA) is a much more concrete way to help students visualize an actual scene. The photo can spark their imaginations, which will help them describe the non-visual senses behind the scene, including sound, taste, touch, and smell. Gardner (2007) notes that one way to help 21st century learners is to "approach the topic in a number of ways" and "draw on several intelligences in including key concepts or processes" (p. 33). Having students describe an actual photo is an alternative to having them analyze imagery in poetry. The photo appeals more to spatial learners, while analyzing actual written imagery in a poem appeals more to linguistic learners. Incorporating both methods in the classroom is a good way to help more students understand the material. Additionally, this digital media can help increase engagement because it catches the eye and is a change from the normal text prompt. 

References

Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

u01a1: Introduction Blog