APPLICATION 4: Developing Creativity
Developing Creativity
And
Encouraging
Alternative Solutions
Rochelle Henely
#6625T1002
October
1,2006
Creativity and curiosity are characteristics of a self-directed learner (Walden University, 2005). A task or assignment does not always encourage these valuable tools. The constraints of today’s classroom are such that the teachers have a small block of time to teach many facts and skills to the students. To be able to achieve “wonderment” in every lesson would be a teacher’s dream. How often has one said to the class, “Isn’t this exciting?”, and yet gotten no response? The enthrallment of wonderment does not come naturally to many people, therefore teachers must create lessons that will develop creativity and encourage alternate solutions. (Walden University, 2005).A lesson of wonderment is more “caught than taught” (Costa & Kallick, 2000). In “The Creative Classroom Project” ( Ritchhart, 1999-2004), a collaboration between Project Zero and Disney Worldwide, the task group felt that creative teaching was not necessarily the next step of a high performing teacher, but a more “generative and responsive” form of teaching. Both of these readings lead one to believe that a lesson of wonderment cannot be planned. The task of creating a meaningful, engaging learning experience that will foster these characteristics is possible, but the “wonderment” cannot be always guaranteed. A well laid out plan may foster the seeds of creativity and wonderment, therefore, the teacher must prepare for these moments.
Trying to come up with an idea to create a lesson that causes wonderment is not an easy task. In program six (Beimfohr, E. 1997), Dr. Costa refers to the “wonderment” created by a spider web. This set my gears in motion. The relationships between math and nature are immense. To teach a child a lesson through discovery and wonderment will give ownership of the lesson for life. It will also generate an excitement for learning that will stimulate the beginnings of a life long learner.
To summarize my creative thinking task I will state the title, “I Wonder if a Spider Knows Geometry and Other Geometrical Curiosities”. This lesson will fulfill requirements for Standard 4.2 ,Geometry and Measurement. The following excerpt is taken from the NJ Department of Education web site.
Descriptive Statement: Spatial sense is an intuitive feel for shape and space. Geometry and measurement both involve describing the shapes we see all around us in art, nature, and the things we make. Spatial sense, geometric modeling, and measurement can help us to describe and interpret our physical environment and to solve problems. (2002)
This lesson will promote intuitive thoughts and interpretations of mathematical concepts in nature. The students will be expected to have prior knowledge of geometrical shapes and concepts. Using strategies such as brainstorming, mind mapping, and “compare and contrast”, this lesson will enable the students to generate creative ideas. The next step in the lesson would be to have an interactive class discussion to post results and make some decisions. As discussed in video 6, working together brings out a variety of strengths. The interaction amongst peers enables the students to ignite different thoughts and ideas. Although the class would be very active and engaged, the teacher would have to set boundaries of time and order. The students will create various methods of finding examples of math in nature and designing projects to complete and share with the class. The students will have to generate a plan of action with limited resources and time. These constraints will force the groups to think about their decisions, a definite behavior of a good habit of mind. In any good lesson plan, the teacher has a specific goal in mind. The key to implementing creativity is to encourage the students to understand that although the students all need to get to the same destination, they may take different paths. As a parent of Cross Country runners, one of my many favorite quotes is Ralph Waldo Emerson’s,” Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” This quote was used in our week three discussion board and fits in nicely with the essence of creativity and wonderment. As discussed in Habits of Mind (Costa & Kallick, 2000), teachers could and should not expect to incorporate and teach all habits of mind at once. One of the most important attributes of the creativity and wonderment, are that they foster the habits of life-long learners. Through my modeling and the student experience of these specific habits of mind, my students will begin the journey of life-long learners!
Resources
Beimfohr, E. (Director). (1997). Program six: Habits of mind: creativity, wonderment.
[Motion Picture]. In C. Arnold (Producer). Helping students become self-directed learners. Los Angeles: Laureate Education, Inc.
Costa, A. L., & Kallick, B. (Eds.). (2000). Activating & engaging habits of mind. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
NJPEP: Virtual Academy, NJ Department of Education (2002). New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards Mathematics . Retrieved July 27, 2006 from http://www.njpep.org/standards/index.html
Ritchhart, R. (1999-2004) The Creative Classroom Project Retrieved Seoptember 27, 2006 from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/Research/CrClass.htm
Walden University. (2005). M.S. in Education. Week four Introduction. Habits of Mind: Listening with Understanding and Empathy, Metacognition, Creativity, Wonderment. Retrieved September 25, 2006 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=2475479&47=3174723&UnitNumber=4&later=307854&bhcp=1