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

Who are we?(And why are we here?)

CreativityCan it be taught?

Traits of Creativity How do we use these in the classroom to begin

building creative habits of mind and routines?

FLUENCY FLEXIBILITY

ORIGINALITY ELABORATION

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.

Fluency

Exercising Fluency in the Classroom:

Ways teachers can do this with students- Write down as many 3 syllable words as you can in 3 minutesName all the polygons you can in 1 minuteWrite a persuasive essay in 10 minutes

Your Turn! Write a short paragraph about Wegmans…without using the following words/phrases:Grocery store, groceriesFoodShop or shoppingBuy or buyingSelection, variety, a lotBig, huge, largeDanny

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

Flexibility

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)

SynecticsPutting 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?

Originality & Elaboration

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

Originality Elaboration

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 ExplanationGoals –To communicate verbally and non-verbally who your partner isTo listen To use questions appropriately To explain your topicHonesty/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 topicPerson 2 should listen to Person 1 and try to determine the relationship and respond accordingly

Improvisation Activity: I Am a TreeGoals - 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 sceneLast 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 5th)

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 kyoung@penfield.edu kgraham@penfield.edu csalsedo@penfield.edu