Fostering Creativity in the Classroom

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Fostering Creativity in the Classroom

• Focus on Learning Concurrent / 2008

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Welcome!

• Please select a centre and indulge your cerebral
  laterality!
• The human mind is like a parachute - it
  functions better when it is open
• Coles Rules

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Fostering.

• There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you
  it is going to be a butterfly Buckminster
  Fuller

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Me..Creative?

• Its just a process with various stages that
  dont always occur in the same order
• Defining the problem
• Generation of ideas
• Testing the promising ideas
• Evaluating the idea
• Implementing the idea

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Why Not? Proceed with Caution.you might have
fun!

• It is better to have enough ideas for some of
  them to be wrong, than to be always right by
  having no ideas at all.
• Edward De Bono

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Creativity is doing something differently than
your habitual way

• An essential aspect of creativity is not being
  afraid to fail
• Dr. Edwin Land

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Functional Fixedness and Blockage!

• The right answer
• Dont be foolish
• Avoid Ambiguity
• To err is wrong
• Im not creative

• Thats not logical
• Follow the rules
• Be practical
• Play is Frivolous
• Thats not my area

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Cognition and Problem Solving

• You're out hiking in a remote area when you are
  drenched by a sudden, violent storm. You seek
  shelter in an abandoned cabin in which you find a
  pile of 2X4 lumber (each board is 8 feet long),
  some very rusty carpenter's tools, and some
  woodworking clamps. You decide to dry out your
  clothing, gear, and yourself by building a fire
  in the fireplace (your matches are dry).

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• It would be good if you could hang up your
  heavy, soaked overcoat so you decide to build a
  clothes rack to place near the fire. But you
  can't find any nails, rope, or wire which you
  might use to build a sturdy enough structure to
  hold your wet coat, which must weigh a ton! As a
  responsible camper, you don't want to damage the
  cabin or its contents. Is there a solution to
  your dilemma?

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• Try this... Take two 2X4's and place the clamp
  where indicated. The ends of the 2x4's should be
  jammed between the floor and the ceiling of the
  cabin. You can then hang your soaked coat on the
  handle of the clamp.
• What now seems pretty obvious to you probably
  wasn't only a few seconds ago. The reason is that
  we are often blinded to new, creative uses for
  common objects by something called functional
  fixedness, a mental set in which we think only of
  the traditional use of objects. In this example,
  you probably thought of building something out of
  the lumber using the tools instead of making a
  pole out of the objects available.

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1 Reason to Just do it!

• Q W E R T Y U I O P

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DNA and the Millennial

• Knowledge is created by the learner, not given
  by the teacher unknown
• (Sesame Street and the 20 minute rule!)
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vdGCJ46vyR9o

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Cerebral Laterality

• Why is your brain like a pizza?
• http//thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/d/d_01/d_01_cr/d_0
  1_cr_ana/d_01_cr_ana.html
• Right Brain / Left Brain
  Preference
• Testing.testing..
• We do not see the world as it is, we see it as
  we are
• unknown

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Key Functions of Left and Right Hemisphere
Left parsing Successive or sequential Logical
expression Focal perception Analytical Aggressive
Sense of time Literal Linguistic/symbolic Verbal
intelligence Mathematical calculation Conscious
thought Logical analysis Outer awareness Use of
language Methods, rules
Right holistic Simultaneous Gestalt
expression Synthetic Passive Present-mindedness Me
taphorical Configurational Practical
intelligence Recognition of patterns Subconscious
thought Emotional reaction Inner awareness Use of
intuition Creativity
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Multiple Intelligences

• Linguistic
• Logical / Mathematical
• Musical
• Spatial
• Naturalistic
• Body / Kinaesthetic
• Interpersonal
• Intrapersonal

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Personality Theory

• 18,000 words!
• Extroversion
• Agreeableness
• Conscientiousness
• Neuroticism
• Openness to Experience

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Sensation and Perception Connecting to Memory

• Sensation
• Vision
• Perception
• Hearing
• Taste and Smell

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Storytelling

• Once upon a time..
• dereweretreebears
• 5 random objects..make a story-the more
  outrageous, the better so memory serves!

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Using your whole brainAnd adding on.

• Using the Creative No
• Humour - fun and in service (surprise,
• exaggeration, nuance, juxtaposition, reversal,
  release and timing
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vzse4LJK8OZ0
• Its Inspirational!!!!! A love letter?

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Thinking Hats De Bono (A Whack and a Kick)

• White hat knowledge possessed as needed
• Blue type of thinking being used
• Black risks, drawbacks, criticisms
• Green opportunities, possibilities,
  alternatives
• Yellow advantages, benefits
• Red feelings, intuition

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http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Debo
no_Diagram.JPG
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Theres more than one way to think!

• Divergent Thinking Guidelines
• (Putting it all out there)
• Defer Judgement
• Combine and Build on Ideas
• Seek wild ideas
• Go for quantity

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Divergent Tools

• Mind mapping
• Brainstorming
• Brain writing
• Forced Connections
• Visual Connections
• Ladder of Abstraction
• Scamper

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Convergent Thinking

• (Pulling it all together)
• Be Deliberate
• Check your Objectives
• Improve your Ideas
• Be Affirmative

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Convergent Tools(Putting it together)

• Card Sort
• Evaluation Matrix
• Highlighting
• Pluses / Potentials / Concerns
• Power
• Lets Think

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TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

• Expect the unexpected and be prepared to be
  different its all about perspective!
• Use music, auditory and visual stimulation
• Dont forget to doodle!
• Always diverge before converging and do so at
  every step!
• Use Storytelling
• Just keep being curious
• Turn it upside down, inside out and backwards

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More.

• The classroom is the best place to fail for
  students, too!
• http//www.mycoted.com/CategoryCreativity_Techniq
  ues
• Use something different (YouTube)
• If its not the right answer, change the question
  the answer changes automatically
• (Jeopardy or circle discovery for Review)
• Soft and Hard Thinking (got a hunch? Use a
  metaphor..
• Create or Recreate a game Youll regret being
  boring more
• youre right, trust yourself! Do a little bit at
  a time youre in charge!

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Go forthfoster!

• Enjoy! Create!
• Use your resources, ask and dont be afraid to
  fail!
• Make your classroom what you want it to
  be..touch the future!
• Thanks for being here - Im always happy to help
  kenneyc_at_algonquincollege.com