From This Week's Discussions

EDIM 508 Unit 4 Summary Posting
Consumers to Creators
Ive enjoyed reading your discussions this week. I hope that the readings have better opened
your mind to fostering the creative mind in education. Id like to highlight some thoughts
from this weeks discussions.
Amy- They didnt stop asking questions because they lost interest: its the other way around.
They lost interest because they stopped asking questions. Teachers and bosses generally want answers, not
questions. Forgive the length of this quote, but I find every single word here to be eye-opening and quite
honestly sad. If were not giving students opportunities to question and wonder and explore their curiosities,
were not tapping into the creative mind.
Angela- But something that stood out to me while reading Chapter 4 was on
page 87. He stated, "(teachers) ought to facilitate classroom visits by charismatic
inventors and artists who have gone their own way and achieved success" (2008). I've
become more active on Twitter this year as a way to connect with authors and illustrators
and have had the opportunity to Skype with some of them. Some of my students have
become very talented illustrators to their stories. They have learned how to use different
types of mediums and can't wait to take pictures of their work to share on Twitter.
Catherine- With everything we have to cover, standards that have to be met, emphasis on doing
well on assessments it's no wonder it can be hard to find ways to encourage creativity in students and find
times for students to be creative. "The United States has moved toward uniform curricula, tests, and
standards, while progressively tinted education is on the defensive" (Gardner, 2008). Technology is another
example of ways we can weave creativity into the standards and curriculum.
Hannah So, I suppose I am saying that I feel that our current system of standardized testing is
robbing the time we need for more creativity in the classroom - at least, in my classroom. I don't currently
have a solution for this testing problem (if I did, I would copyright it and get rich!), but I do try to allow my
students to express their creativity through varied assessment - writing a poem/song, recording a video
explaining a concept, drawing or creating artwork, performing a dance or a skit based on a story read in
class, etc. If students are given more chances to express themselves that appeal to their strengths and
individual intelligences (visual, kinesthetic, interpersonal, etc.), creativity can find its way into the classroom
despite issues of time constraints for larger projects.
Jessica- While I definitely see how schools can "educate" it out of them, I think our society, our
culture, and how we parent influences this process as well. How many times have we had to speak to a child
about something they were doing that we felt as adults they shouldn't be doing? In school, the child might
have been curious about what was in a drawer or bin, same thing at home. Sometimes parenting and
educating can feel very rigid and full of too many rules. I remember the simple wonder of exploring a new
place as a child and seeking out all the neat hiding places.
Kathryn- In order to balance the demands placed upon us and the need to
develop the creating mind in our students, I think we can work to incorporate small creative
opportunities within each subject. There are many digital tools that can assist us in
providing these opportunities. Although we may not all have time to have students create a
digital story, we can try to find the time to allow for an abbreviated version of this. I also
think that cross-curricular connections can make it more doable to complete elaborate
projects to promote the creative mind. This way, time from multiple subjects can be used so
that you do not fall behind in just one area.
Kevin- I have found that by giving less requirements on a project, paper, or discovery
assignment, I am more blown away I am when I see the final product. Every final product becomes unique,
and there is a passion within their work that cannot be fabricated. What I want to work on as a teacher is
finding that balance of how much do I "hold their hand" and how much do I "let them create". I have a
tendency to give them too little, and I have to go back and give them more. However, there if I give them too
much, I cannot take that back. It can make a project take longer, but I believe it is better for their creativity
to start them with less and supplement with more requirements as the project progresses
Kheila- It seems that our idea of learning and measuring success has changed, while we are still
required to administer the same standardized tests to each student. While we do have standards that students
need to master at each grade level, that doesn't mean the pathway for each child has to look the same for
each child. Often I see students given a problem and then asked to find a creative solution. This is a great
start and it encourages learners to think differently and be open to multiple solutions. However, the real
passion for learning comes in when students identify the problem and then work to find a solution. It makes
me question how often we truly see student engaged in work they are passionate about.
Krista- I believe that teachers want to be more creative but because of these factors, creativity
often gets pushed aside. I will say that its been my experience that giving my students the opportunity to be
creative is a bit of a challenge. Ive said this before. Students want to know exactly what to do and how to do
it. They want to know what I am looking for. How can they get it done and get it done right so they dont
have to redo it. Sometimes it can get so bad that they cant even think for themselves when it comes to cutting
something! Yikes!
Lindsey- I think as a society we hinder the creative mind because we praise conformity. We
teach students at the age of 1 year to get in a line, sit in a circle, color inside the lines, match their clothes,
etc. I'm not arguing that it's a bad thing, but I think school/society does kind of naturally suppress curiosity
and creativity.
Michelle- Bottom line, I dont think you will find many parents or teachers who do not value
creativity. Rather, what you will find is differences in the ability of schools, and the teachers within those
schools, to provide instruction in the arts to their students. Whether teachers hands are tied by school or
district policies, or by a lack of funding, many simply dont have as much ability to provide creative
experiences for their students. In addition, in some areas there is indeed a lack of support from parents for
time in the school day being allocated to the arts.

From This Week's Discussions

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

From This Week's Discussions

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

From This Week's Discussions

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

EDIM 508 Unit 4 Summary Posting

You might also like