I recently watched a video by Sir Ken Robinson in which he was speaking about the importance of creativity in our students. As I listened to his call to educate the students' entire "being", a spark of encouragement was lit within me. Sir Robinson makes many great points. However, one that really sticks out to me is that children are not frightened by being wrong and they will take chances. Yet, as they continue throughout our education system, they are "educated out of their creativity". This poses some questions in my mind, such as "what will I do in my classroom to engage my students' creativity and help it to thrive?" and "what will I NOT do as to not cause my students to be afraid of being wrong?"
The first thing I will implement in my classroom to encourage creativity is develop a sense of community. This will begin on the first day of school. Our classroom will be a SAFE place. A place where the students are free to discover new things, ask questions about things they do not understand, and each student will be valued for the diverse and dynamic person that they are. I want my students to know that their ideas are valued! The second item I will implement is to know my students well enough to teach them in a way that connects with their individual learning style in order to spark their creativity. While these implementations may not change the "fundamental principles of how we educate our children", I believe it is a start to,as Sir Robinson says, "to see children as the hope that they are."
Jennie,
ReplyDeleteAlso, I watched this video and want to inspire my students to use their creative abilities. I am glad that you mentioned laying a safe environment in order to promote creativity in your classroom. This is very important in order to have a safe place that students can relate to one another in order to further their learning. Also, I like how you will implement your teaching style to your students in a way that will speak to their creative side which will give them hope. I feel students need to let out their own voice in order to problem solve an issue so they are prepared for their future. When watching this video, I felt empowered because I can use creativity in order to help my students figure out different ways to look at a problem. So, they are not looking to an adult or authority figure for the answers later on in life. I hope more teachers will try to not stifle students' creative side because they will need this skill when they are older to help improve our world.
I think you are spot on when you say you will provide your students with a safe classroom and learning environment. So many times students feel trapped in the classroom and fearful of what reactions their might be to their contributions. I think great teachers are the ones who encourage diversity and creativity. Students will be luck to have you! There are too many teachers out there that lack the desire to provide their students with the resources they need to succeed; especially a safe learning environment! I too hope that more teachers will realize that it is often times not about the final project, but how the students reached that conclusion that matters most!
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