Creative Geniuses
10/4/2019
Creative geniuses, eh? Yes. Your children were born creative geniuses and it is our job to help them keep this spark alive throughout their education. Sir Ken Robinson gave a TedTalk (begin at minute 2:06) in 2006 that is still relevant in 2019. He argues that our children have this innate ability to think outside the box, problem solve, and create solutions that are not only creative but genius. He says, "creativity is as important as literacy - and we should treat it with the same status." These are skills that the 21st century needs in order to create a more sustainable, humane, and prosperous future. I am so excited when I see your children deep in thought and their creativity at work. Add this to developing leadership, teamwork, and communication skills and we have the baby building blocks of a phenomenal next generation of movers and shakers. PNA is a unique place of education where children can flourish not only through academic rigor but also encourages holistic, creative, and personal growth. I believe deeply in guiding children down a path of exploration and discovery, and this week was focused around fueling their curiosity and creativity through various challenges and experiences. So how did students go about being challenged both academically and creatively? We focused on some fun and interesting design challenges this week. Both challenges had specific parameters, required students to communicate and work in teams, and students had to explain their designs to their peers. And you know what? Students had so much fun, were so serious and engaged, and demonstrated growth mindset. I had on student state, "I was going to give up but I didn't and it finally worked!" This is the mindset our students need to be successful - in school and in life! This is an awesome article about harnessing creativity and innovation - and highlights some wonderful and updated thoughts from Sir Ken Robinson. So, what can the design process teach kids? When I first presented the problem and challenge of building something to get Mark, a tiny crayon, up to pick the apples at the height of their chair, many of my students looked at me like I was a bit crazy. One of my very literal students said, "that's impossible, Ms. Lemanski. Crayons cannot move on their own." However, after they were situated in their teams, they quickly began sketching out their ideas and coming up with all sorts of fun designs for their crayon to reach the apples. They only had a few parameters: their design must be free standing and it must be made from materials they found in the classroom. Check out this wonderful and inspiring article about what the design process can teach kids! Aside from all of our cool design challenges this week, we had a great time at the Alaska Zoo! We got to learn about adaptations, Alaskan Animals, and enjoy a lovely albeit rainy day outdoors! Thanks to our awesome parents, we had a great experience outside the classroom that helped deepen our understanding of animals and supported our animal/biomimicry unit! Adults and children alike were blown away by our up close animal encounter with Cranberry, Anchorage's very own Polar bear! Check out a few snaps of your kids hard at work below! We had such a fun week together :)
Comments are closed.
|
Hali TuomiMs. Tuomi has over five years experience in ASD, where she taught first and fifth grade classrooms. An avid skier, Ms. Tuomi is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Alaska Pacific University’s Bachelor of Arts in K-8 Education. Archives
April 2021
Categories |