Module Summary (111 Words)

Creativity is said to assist in the growth of positive self-esteem as the learner fully engages in meaningful activities learning valued knowledge and skills.  Creativity offers relevance to the learner, confidence in risk-taking and realization of abilities.  Offering a creative curriculum which is rich with resource and diversity the learner is said to develop faith in their own abilities thus motivating a deeper understanding so their knowledge becomes transferable.

Creativity can be regarded an essential facet to learning which is being developed within primary schools today, yet secondary schools are still to adopt creativity within a wider curriculum context which can lead to the learner disengaging with education as a whole.

Film Education (384 Words)

With the concentration of STEM subjects and the importance of the Literacy and Numeracy Framework, it can be argued that there is little time for watching films.

There is, however, research being undertaken with positive results within schools in the UK with the use of film informing positive educational outcomes for all pupils. Film is a fun, exciting new concept within the learning environment that allows flow learning allowing internalisation of subject knowledge from across the curriculum.

According to a BFI  paper, children of all abilities are said to increase confidence, engagement and attainment throughout the curriculum.  Film Education is said to develops both 'soft' and 'hard' skills essential for a creative economy.  By learning 'fusion skills', the learner becomes a practitioner connecting relevance and culture into their learning.   This style of learning is similar to  Csikszentmihalyi, representing flow-learning with benefit to those children who are unable to conform to the norms of a rigid curriculum, allowing creative expression.

Arts in Education sets out guidelines for a creative learning core within education to compliment a fast growing creative society.  Studies from the UK and around the world have proven that creativity within learning has a plethora of benefits for today's learner. Students are said to be powerfully engaged in their learning and teachers CPD developed with online teaching guides such as Moving Images in the Classroom and Look Again.

Film education is an interesting approach to learning, where research has proven its on-going benefits within schools to engage learners in a way that expands across the curriculum.  By viewing The Lovely Bones clip for KS3/4, I could relate to film as an educational tool the learner can engage with stories that would take a considerable time to read and take in.  I chose this clip as I have read the book, however just from this preview activities such as courtroom role play, debate into whether the police were acting fairly or to whether the father had a right to interfere. Morality and religion could be discussed or talks on safety issues by police or self-defence instructors. This learning system offers age appropriate memes and curricular activities such as debate, culture, values, research, reviewing, discussion, imagery and creativity the learner can take time to reflect on meanings and literature that may have been considered out of their reach.

@Bristol (345 Words)

@Bristol is an experiential science experience that offers interactive exhibits that are both fun, interesting and educational. It takes the visitor on a journey of  the world in which we live through science and creativity. Each exhibit is designed specifically for investigating a particular intention through our senses. Each of the exhibits could be linked to Leonardo Effect and The Mantle of the Expert learning systems to further the experience within the classroom.

The planetarium takes you into space to examine the constellations and clusters that beam down at night. The whole experience left adults and children in awe of what earth is part of. We learned that because of science, there is always a human being in space looking down on our plant and that history and other cultures have contributed to how we view and navigate the night sky.

The Planetarium

 A worksheet which informs what is visible in the night sky for the particular month you have visited so you can experience the stars at home.

      

Later, visitors can enjoy an area of exhibits displaying different aspects of space and space travel.  All of these exhibits are however non-interactive, being are held in glass cabinets.  If there was an area where you could handle moon rock, a room where planets hung from the ceiling or a controllable space shuttle robotic arm visitors could become more engaged with the subject.

The experience of the Planetarium increased my own awareness of; the planets; how we interpret the stars culturally and historically; and my understanding that each of us are a very small component in a huge world of science.

This visit could be incredibly relevant for school children of all ages, allowing interpretation into schemes of work through cross-curricular learning. Welsh Government education targets can also be met via the Arts in Education Wales paper, the encouragement of STEM subjects and articles listed within the UNCRC, regarding ethics and diversity. Sustainable living guidelines for education are met in relation to IDE to care for our planet and respect all its other inhabitants as we are all very small in comparison to the worlds population.

@BRISTOL 

International Dimension in Education (308 Words)

International Dimensions in Education (IDE) is a component within Welsh teaching and learning that explores global awareness, and that how we live our lives has global consequence...........

Teaching and learning for a sustainable future supports the Education for Sustainable Development and Global Development which is designed to embed values of sustainable living within the modern, and changing world that we live into the National Curriculum and school ethos.The ESDCG  promotes global awareness which underpins A Common Understanding for Welsh schools.  Education for sustainable development and global citizenship has an important part within the curriculum and included within the publication Making the Most of Learning.

The UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) came into force in 1989 given rights of entitlement within 42 articles that recognize basic human rights to children worldwide and it underpins all Welsh policy today.  Although primarily concerned with basic human rights for children all around the world it could be viewed as not making a difference in some countries with children and adults living in absolute poverty in conditions that we would consider unbearable. Rights Respecting Schools follow the ethos of the UNCRC allowing cross curricular meaning to schools ethos, PSE, and is designed to allow each child's talents to be developed fully.  Therefore each child will be active and successful in their learning journey.

Reflecting on the UNCRC, Csikszentmihalyi explains that in countries where there are no schools and books, memes are therefore not introduced into that culture and creativity is thwarted by the countries poverty.  If WG succeed in promoting STEM subjects to budding scientists that could increase our own creativity thus may help countries in need.  This, in theory may assist countries in need to build on their own education thus introducing memes to countries in poverty which in turn should boost their creativity for sustainability independently. As Csikszentmenhalyi states "Creativity is the engine that drives cultural evolution."  (pg.7)

A Creative Practitioner (281 Words)

Ben Milne is a creative practitioner working in Ashgrove Special School for children with autism. Milne has created and developed a creative curriculum to help develop children with these specific learning needs.
In a recent lecture within UWTSD Milne explained in detail how a creative curriculum can help engage children that are hard to engage in the processes of learning.

Creativity within any learning environment is important as employers require creative thinkers and risk takers in today's society.  As Milne explained that self expression through creativity is a form of communication, and a vessel for self-esteem and confidence through positive feedback for a personal creation.  Developing creativity also develops risk-taking, children learn that it is acceptable to make mistakes and start again.

The use of creativity within the classroom allows pupils to; think for themselves and re-contextualize original ideas; develops fine motor skills; opens up opportunities to communicate, discuss and debate; and develops essential life skills such as finance, cookery, and interaction with others.

Milne explained for a fully creative environment you need space, time and a safe calm atmosphere to promote meaningful activities and pupil engagement. It is also imperative to create a positive relationship between pupil and staff.

To engage the learner Milne spoke of ideas to use within the classroom:

• A shop
• A radio station
• Games
• Musical instruments
• Web tools
• Photography
• Nature/ Outdoor activities
• Film/ Recording studio
• Animation

To me it is clear that, even though Milne creative curriculum is designed for children with learning difficulties, this curriculum would be successful within any learning environment and in all subjects of the curriculum within cross-curricular lessons, thus engaging pupils in a system of learning that they find engaging and relevant.

The Mantle of the Expert (373 Words)

"The Mantle of the Expert sets up a supportive interpretative and reflective community through a pattern of relationships and a network of tasks." (O'Neill, 1995)

The Mantle of the Expert (MOE) is a creative pedagogy developed by Dorothy Heathcote, an expert in drama in education, that facilitates speaking and listening throughout the curriculum in a holistic, situated learning community.  According to Sayers (2011), it involves an enterprise model of learning in a project from ideas to an end product usually throughout a term period.  It is a learning system of active imagination and inquiry and is regarded as autonomous learning based on an agreement between the learner and the teacher in role-play by adopting certain function roles as feild experts. 

To experience MOE for ourselves within seminar we were given the task of creating a construction company to build a bridge for the city of Swansea, which could be considered the collective frame in a social dimension.  

Bridging the Future Construction.

Re-building the future- Bridging the Gap

Reliable-Safe-Quality-Honesty-Community-Ethical-Charitable

Our Brain Storming

Our Preliminary Designs

Our End Product

Within our communities of practice (COP), we used a budget developing maths skills, we created a company developing organisation making the aim legitimate and social skills with negotiated ownership thus developed our understanding of roles and responsibilities. We used the internet to discover how to build a bridge developing research skills.  We learnt to work as a team to produce and end product and presented our ideas to a board (The class). Within the domain, our COP was a group of people sharing ideas, thoughts and knowledge; memes that creative thought and action are collectively motivated by a process and end product. We felt safe to take risks and held belief in our own abilities in relation to the task through our interpersonal relationships.
                                                        

MOE is more than just experiential learning; being considered to be a situated learning experience using research and investigation for a purpose.  By learning the topic specific language in a learning situation it is said that the learner obtains deeper understanding of knowledge holistically through enquiry.  

This pedagogy is exciting, engaging and purposeful and encourages risk taking which meets the needs of the today's learner and can be used to address many subjects within the curriculum while freeing the restraints of time.

Scientific Inquiry (204 Words)

Within research or science in education it is customary to follow a recipe format.  However, Barrow (2010) this approach can create barriers to learning science and to break down these barriers a creative approach to science must be implemented.  A scientific inquiry-based process is argued to be a more successful and engaging pedagogy in the teaching of science in school.  Nonetheless, within schools today, the more scientific method approach is more widely used.  According to Doing Science: The Process of Scientific Inquiry, a web tool of conceptual frameworks are organised to allow the learner to progress from what they already know to investigate further with a 5E instructional model with a Process of Scientific Inquiry: 

1. Engage the learner.
2. Explore with investigation.
3. Explain with linking ideas and experiences.
4. Elaborate, problem solve and introduce scientific language.
5. Evaluate what the learner has discovered.

Welsh Government has recently adopted a more creative approach to the teaching of science in Wales with the National Science Academy where a hub of external partners such as: Techniquest, National Botanical Garden of Wales, The Centre for Alternative Technology and WIMCS to support and promote STEM subjects for pupils in Welsh schools.

The Leonardo Effect. (259 Words)

Our Perspectives on Science

Our Perspectives on Art

In both art and science there is a beginning, a process and an end product.  This end product has an audience and a utility according to the processes of creativity and with both you start with an idea, take a risk, experiment until it works then end up with a creation at the end..  Humans need logic to perceive our world and we also need art to satisfy our visual and creative sides, so in my opinion, art and science should be used together to allow greater understanding.

This is transferred into The Leonardo Effect; an inspirational pedagogy designed to capture the imagination of the learner.  It is regarded a 'syncronised intergration' that entwines the subjects of art and science while encouraging creativity and flow into the learning experience with four stages.  These stages are specifically designed to develop higher order thinking skills and the internalisation of knowledge.  The learner is said to develop positive self-esteem, motivation, confidence in taking risks and meta-learning. 

To examine the The Leonardo Effect within communities of practice we were given the task of thinking of synonyms and related words for 'water', this process captured the imagination.

After this had been completed we were asked to develop our ideas into a scientific question relating to the answers that we originally thought of.  As a group, this process developed an interest in what our world would be like if we only had one land surrounded by one ocean?  What would happen if our lands had remained the Super Continent Pangaea?

We researched this subject, maturing our ideas and created a presentation that we reflected upon and discussed.

Our Group Presentation

What might have happened if the world had remained Pangaea from caroline1971

In line with the process of The Leonardo Effect, our collaborate presentation was arranged to capture our audiences imagination, to create an interest for our audience to investigate our question further.  This pedagogy promoted our own understanding and motivated our own learning experience while motivated a fascination in our question which in turn engrossed the group into the possibilities. This system of learning was indeed representative to creativity theory which easily be transferred throughout the curriculum. 

Creativity in Education (249 Words)

Sir Ken Robinson is a forerunner in advocating creativity within the UK education system. He argues in his inspirational 2006 TED lecture that the ties of curriculum oppress creativity and that schools should encourage imaginative learning.

 "Creativity is the process of original ideas that have value." 



Robinson (2006) argues that there is an abundance of human creativity within societies, however the education system of hierarchy suppress individual creativity with an "academic production line" to teach subjects that will allow for future employment.  Robinson (2006) explains that children have huge capacity to learn through creativity.  Children are not afraid to take risks, however, the education system enforces a need to get things right and this in turn produces children to be afraid to take risks, and not use their own creative talents.

More recently,Professor Dai Smith in, Arts in Education in the Schools of Wales, has championed the importance of a creative curriculum by emphasizing the need for creativity throughout all subjects to develop individuals for modern life.

A creative school ethos where every child is valued, encouraged, celebrated and allowed to take risks should be central. Creativity captures the imagination of the learner with positive consequence of internalising, relevant knowledge that the child can build on and deepen through its process.  It is also worth reflecting upon the scope for creative thinking throughout the curriculum.  Creativity does not need to remain within the boundaries of art.  Creative thinking is a process of thought that changes approaches to learning whether academic or vocational.

What is Creativity? (235 Words)

Creativity could be regarded as an implicit or imaginative action that embraces change, difference and innovation.  However creativity theorists explain that this is not the case.

An Individuals Perception on Creativity

Csikszentmihalyi theory on creativity explains 'flow theory', where knowledge is transmitted from culture to the person.  Within this theory the learner is engrossed in what is being learned, so much so the learner internalises knowledge while wrapped up in the moment. This system of creativity states the process of the need for Memes; the driver of beliefs, values and knowledge within a Domain that is accepted by Gatekeepers within the Field.

Kleiman (2008), Towards transformation: conceptions of creativity in higher education researched the definitions of creativity.  This mind-map from Bubble.us lists the different criteria that Kleiman (2008) found.

Kleiman's (2008) opinion is that all aspects within creativity are an engaging, personal process that generate creative outcomes through a 'continuum of creativity' (pg.213).  However, Csikszentmihalyi, believes that creativity does not need to be motivated by a specific outcome.  Creativity can be experienced simply out of instinct, imagination, and joy, and not forgetting an individuals own learning style, so it is important that teachers create an environment to stimulate and inspire learners.

Creativity is an important learning tool and can be introduced into the classroom as new and exciting way to learn; not just through art. The learner can offer their own ideas into how they would like to investigate the subject matter allowing the learner ownership and deeper understanding from the personal investigation and reflection. The end product will be relevant and have value that in turn will developing self-esteem, motivation and an encouragement further learning experiences.