January 3, 2009

By: Ben z. from Mpls, MN
Comments: 9

Thanks for the post Kathy. I am a guidance counselor and often I find the use of metaphor a powerful element in working with my kids. Perspective is key in helping understand where kids are coming from and ultimately helping them find answers to the concerns that have brought them to me. I took a moment to visit a website about Mr. Rodari and enjoyed the e-journey entitled, "The Adventures of Chippoleno". As you have stated it is ripe with imagery and notions of conflict. Excellent fodder for the work that I do. Having taught social studies for twenty years I now watch my colleagues in the trenches reinventing ways to maintain the good works that they do despite the overwhelming demands to meet the 80% mark for students meeting goal at mastery. I am always amazed at the creative work done by their students, however, I do share your fear that the time left for "deeper learning" diminishes. Anyways, thanks for the post. Bruce

Posted By: Ben zhao
On: 12/30/2008 7:28:16 PM

How is it related to imagination? What is the role of sleep and dreams? What are the biggest role blocks to creativity? To imagination? Why are some people more "compelled" to "create"? Are all art or design worthy or important? If so, to whom? These are some of the questions I asked my students to explore. These are the issues I continue to explore. There are tons of books and website out there on these issues. In the psychology section. In the art theory section. In the philosophy/aesthetic section.

Posted By: Bruce Miller
On: 12/31/2008 1:22:29 PM

Hi Ben! These are great questions, and I am glad that you are including your students in with this conversation. As I read the numerous entries within the Cooper Hewitt site, I have found a great many ideas that certainly provide opportunities to expand student imagination through creative problem solving. I also feel the systemic roadblocks that are being voiced by many as schools face the standardization wrought by the drive for greater accountability. What has helped me is finding ways to intertwine the creative problem solving process (six step procedure) in curricular areas that make sense. In my field I have included these steps in simulations relating to the Constitutional Convention, and the Bill Writing Process. Design is all about ideas. The process that one would use to make the most efficient use of space in a particular room can also be applied just as easily to addressing the question of slavery during the time of creating a nation. Here is a book that I have found invaluable to me in helping to both understand what the creative process is, as well as incorporating it's advice within my teaching: Creative Teaching: Ideas to Boost Student Interest By James P. Downing Good luck in your quest, and happy new years! Bruce

Posted By: Jennifer Szeto
On: 1/1/2009 9:54:50 PM

I have been teaching 'Art' for almost five years now and the notion of creativity has often perplexed me, its origins seeming to have no one logical place in the minds of students, or humans, generally speaking. I learned quite quickly, interestingly, and overwhelmingly that creativity seems to thrive when there are more limitations. In other words, giving students an assignment with more specific requirements always resulted in more thoughtful and 'creative' solutions.

Posted By: Tiffany DeJaynes
On: 1/1/2009 11:09:11 PM

I relish in the question, "What is creativity?" It's so pure and amazing. It's a question I love putting out there for my students as a 12th great English teacher, however, I'm also concerned that it's so difficult to open the doors for real exploratory learning, thinking, and inquiring, because school almost trains creativity out of students. I've been thinking a lot lately about the resistance I get when I try hard to decenter my classroom, when I give lots of options and less structure than students might otherwise expect. It's hard and daunting for students to have the freedom to be creative. But it's so worth it to try to create that space for them. Right now, I'm puzzling over Jennifer's sense of allow students to find creative solutions to a specific problem. Good stuff!

Posted By: Bruce Miller
On: 1/2/2009 7:44:23 AM

I think that we recognize creativity because it lies in divergent thinking. I mean that it is discernible from the status quo because it was original. Can everyone do this, or is it the domain of the few that possess the quality to produce original thought? I really don't know, however, I do believe that all of us, as educators, can recognize that the environment that our students work in should promote divergent thinking. In reading Ben's initial entry regarding "creativity", what it is, and how to encourage it in your classroom I did what probably many of you did and reflected on my own experiences, the books that I regularly consult and other internet sources because that question goes to the heart of what we do. What I am learning is that to promote divergent thought you first have to establish a desire to take on a puzzle, problem, question, conundrum. Students have to come to expect that there can be several ways to address the question. Students have to feel safe when they strive to go out on a limb. Students have to learn that they can draw from a variety of experiences and reference points to transfer old learning to new. That does not mean that there is no guidance. I think Jennifer is right when she recognizes that students respond best to clear and specific parameters, the next step is to help them with their own elaboration of the solution, or alternative solutions.

Posted By: LeQuyen Tran
On: 1/2/2009 12:45:04 PM

I agree that creativity needs some sort of parameters to help students focus on the project. I am an elementary teacher and I can see how creativity is seen so differently at this level. For some, it is just a copy of another original, for some it is a completely new creation. But I think it is helpful to push young students to look further from the basic idea to practice being creative. I remember when I started teaching, we used to do the SCAMPER activities to help students think outside the box. I always amazes me when I walk into a junior/high school to see the superior levels of creativity.

Posted By: Kathleen Melville
On: 1/2/2009 2:53:02 PM

I think that Tiffany's point about school "training" the creativity out of students is a good one. My students come from a variety of schools all over the city - some of them that encouraged creativity and many that did not. Even some of my best students balk at the idea of doing real creative thinking because they've learned to survive so well by just doing the work, getting through the assignments, etc., and creative work seems daunting, uncharted territory. I wonder if there are ways to train creativity back into students. I've noticed my ninth graders do love to give their opinions on things. Even if this isn't something they're accustomed to doing at school, they're accustomed to doing it/hearing it at home and with friends. I think that may be a way in for me as a teacher - to capitalize on the energy of their strong opinions and push them from their to expand into creativity (in expressing or publicizing those opinions).

Posted By: Kathy Scoggin
On: 1/3/2009 11:40:13 AM

I’ve recently become acquainted with a 1950’s Italian educator, Gianni Rodari. you He is now considered by many literary historians to be Italy’s most important writer of children’s literature in the twentieth century. The initial appeal (for me) of Mr. Rodari is that the Catholic Church regarded him as a devil’s advocate in the 50’s and they tried to ban his work. But, his belief (similar to my own), in the absolute importance of imagination in education is what brought him prominence. He worked extensively with the Reggio Emilia schools in northern Italy – the idea being to mold schools into cooperative learning communities where teachers and children would engage in the imaginative exploration of what might be as well as what is. Herb Kohl wrote in the foreword to Rodari’s book, The Grammar of Fantasy, this statement: “What is the place of the imagination in education? The word imagination does not appear in the government’s list of “Goals 2000”, nor does it turn up on lists of behavioral objectives or educational outcomes. “ UGH! I connect here to the fact that one of the educational inspiration quotes most meaningful to me over the years comes from Mr. Einstein, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” My reflection on this leads to a reinforced determination that culturing imagination will be my guiding light in working with my students. The poet Wallace Stevens wrote, “the imagination is the power of the mind over the possibilities of things” – my job is to keep all possibilities open. This is what makes teaching fun.

Posted By: Ben zhao
On: 1/3/2009 12:22:01 PM

Imagination is letting our mind float- letting our subconscious speaks for ourselves... Psychologically, very close to daydreaming but more active? Creativity implies a willingness to MAKE your imagination becomes reality or at least try.. Imagine your brain as a computer... input.. probabilities... output.. Imagination is all about exploring unique or impossible probabilities... Creativity- design... we are aiming for a solution... an outcome.. Then what is discovery? Scientific or artistic?

Posted By: Bruce Miller
On: 1/3/2009 12:32:49 PM

Thanks for the post Kathy. I am a guidance counselor and often I find the use of metaphor a powerful element in working with my kids. Perspective is key in helping understand where kids are coming from and ultimately helping them find answers to the concerns that have brought them to me. I took a moment to visit a website about Mr. Rodari and enjoyed the e-journey entitled, "The Adventures of Chippoleno". As you have stated it is ripe with imagery and notions of conflict. Excellent fodder for the work that I do. Having taught social studies for twenty years I now watch my colleagues in the trenches reinventing ways to maintain the good works that they do despite the overwhelming demands to meet the 80% mark for students meeting goal at mastery. I am always amazed at the creative work done by their students, however, I do share your fear that the time left for "deeper learning" diminishes. Anyways, thanks for the post. Bruce