Presentation on theme: "Creativity: It’s Not Just for Art Class Penfield PACE Jan. 2012 Presenters: Karen Graham Cynthia Salsedo Kerry Young Enrichment Specialists Bay Trail Middle."— Presentation transcript:
Creativity: It’s Not Just for Art Class Penfield PACE Jan. 2012 Presenters: Karen Graham Cynthia Salsedo Kerry Young Enrichment Specialists Bay Trail Middle School, Penfield, NY
Traits of Creativity How do we use these in the classroom to begin building creative habits of mind and routines? FLUENCYFLEXIBILITY ORIGINALITYELABORATION
FLUENCY FLUENCY refers to the production of a great number of ideas or alternate solutions to a problem. Fluency implies understanding, not just remembering information that is learned.
FLEXIBILITY FLEXIBILITY refers to the production of ideas that show a variety of possibilities or realms of thought. It involves the ability to see things from different points of view, to use many different approaches or strategies.
ORIGINALITY ORIGINALITY involves the production of ideas that are unique or unusual. It involves synthesis or putting information about a topic back together in a new way.
ELABORATION ELABORATION is the process of enhancing ideas by providing more detail. Additional detail and clarity improves interest in, and understanding of, the topic.
Exercising Fluency in the Classroom: Ways teachers can do this with students- Write down as many 3 syllable words as you can in 3 minutes Name all the polygons you can in 1 minute Write a persuasive essay in 10 minutes
Your Turn! Write a short paragraph about Wegmans… without using the following words/phrases: Grocery store, groceries Food Shop or shopping Buy or buying Selection, variety, a lot Big, huge, large Danny Have students generate this kind of list before they write!
How can you help your child exercise fluency at home? Generate a lot of ideas about something Think quickly about all the choices we could make
Exercising Flexibility in the Classroom: Thinking in Metaphors Teachers can do these with students - Create analogies _____ is to _____ as _____ is to _____ Create a metaphor for justice in the next 5 minutes (also fluency)
Synectics Putting together two disparate ideas Your turn! How is a snake like a doorknob? Write your own!
Flexibility – how can you encourage this in your child at home? Thinking from different points of view Different uses for things Trying/thinking of strategies different from what we’re used to – what’s another way we could approach this?
Exercising Originality and Elaboration in the Classroom: Writing children’s stories based on facts and concepts from content area Example: periodic table of elements stories Creating political cartoons based on a well- known story Example: Three Little Pigs/Political Parties
Students work with a partner or small group to write collaboratively online Using Titanpad.com for collaborative writing www.grabbabeast.com
How can you encourage Originality and Elaboration with your child? New ideas – inventions Asking for details – why do you think that? Putting two things together to make something new
Putting it all together Fluency Flexibility OriginalityElaboration
Exercising all aspects of creativity in the classroom: See-Think-Wonder Project Zero Visible & Artful Thinking Routines Examples: artwork, photographs related to curriculum, artifacts and objects, worksheets
Using Improvisational Theatre in the Classroom Expert Explanation I am a tree…
Improvisation Activity: Expert Explanation Goals – To communicate verbally and non-verbally who your partner is To listen To use questions appropriately To explain your topic Honesty/openness Directions - Two person scene (Person 1 is an “expert” on something, Person 2 is a scene partner) Person 1 should establish (in her mind) who the partner is in relationship to her and talk about her topic Person 2 should listen to Person 1 and try to determine the relationship and respond accordingly
Improvisation Activity: I Am a Tree Goals - To act quickly (jump in!) To be physical – use own body, use others’ bodies To participate in team work To “yes, and…” To create an environment Directions - One person starts with “I am a…” Second person adds to the scene with “I am a…” Third person adds more to the scene with “I am a…” First person taps one of the others, those two leave the scene Last person left, repeats line “I am a…” New person joins Content – Related Elaboration – Use I am a Tree as a starting point - Create an Environment and have a scene – related to the curriculum Rules: no blocking (denying established reality), yes and, don’t ask a lot of questions
How can you encourage your child to think visibly and improvise? Really look at things – the parts, pieces, functions Make up stories, songs, role play Word association – Clover; one word at a time stories Lateral thinking, brainteasers that require thinking in new ways or from different perspectives (Nathan Levy – March 5 th )
Resources www.pzweb.harvard.edu www.titanpad.com www.grabbabeast.com Improvisation: Use what you know – make up what you don’t by Brad Newton Theater Games for the Classroom by Viola Spolin firstname.lastname@example.org email@example.com firstname.lastname@example.org