"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."
-Albert Einstein, What Life Means to Einstein (1929)
-Albert Einstein, What Life Means to Einstein (1929)
The topic I want to explore is creativity in learning, and how can we use creativity in literacy education.
What do I already know?
I know that there is a large gap in creativity in today's education system. Students these days are taught to know the "right" answer, and how to fill in that answer on a bubble sheet. I know the arts education funding has been slashed down to being almost non-existent in our public schools, and it private schools it is not looked on as a priority. I know that creativity is vital to success in the world, especially in a country that values invention and prides itself on being a leader in business innovation. I know that we need to start bringing creativity back into our classrooms, beyond just doing the occasional collage for a project.
What do I want to know?
There seems to be a lot of resources out there for teaching creativity to elementary students, but not as much for secondary education. I want to learn how to tap into the creative minds of our high schoolers, without it seeming juvenile, or silly. How to we "unteach" learning the correct answer, and teach them how to find the best possible answer with the most outside the box thinking? And how does this relate to literacy, something that is easily quantified?
Resources...
I think it would be interesting if there was a way to teach a subject and to do something creative that students will see as interesting and to move away from the traditional poster projects. I do not know if you already knew this, but MPS has made this year the "Year of the Arts." I included the website address because they might have additional resources that might help in your research:
ReplyDeletehttp://mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/en/District/Initiatives/Year-of-the-Arts.htm
Hi Leah! Thank you! This is very cool and I will look more into it!
DeleteCatie,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on the importance of creativity and its diminishing appearance in education. Thank you for sharing that Leah, I was unaware of the "Year of the Arts." In order to succeed in such a competitive world people need to hone in on their creativity to set them apart from the pack. I always appreciate when teachers give the option for a creative presentation when doing a project, allowing art, music, writing, and the sort to show your understanding of a topic. One thing I think would be a cool way to boost creativity in any class is to have your students create and keep up with an altered journal.
Hi Catie, I look forward to reading more about your topic. I think that bringing in creativity in the classroom is always great. Working on multi modal projects is always good to see and engages students. I hope to read some enriching subject matter on your blog in posts to come. I like how Leah mentioned YOTA, which is huge in MPS right now!
ReplyDelete-Bryce W.
This is a delicious topic! There is much discussion around how and if you can teach creativity? Is it a mindset? Is it a muscle? What elements are necessary for it to occur? Going forward, make sure that the texts you gather are geared for students to read/view about the topic, not for teachers. I look forward to seeing what you gather!
ReplyDelete