Current status:
Appreciating how freeing it has been to write about more than education, technology and productivity on my blog over the last few years.
Setting constraints can help give a project focus but it is important to recognise if the restrictions you put in place are stifling your creativity.
Do not be afraid to liberate yourself from self-imposed limitations.
“The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed — it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardise education, but to personalise it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.”
― Robinson, Ken, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, 2009
I was very sad to learn of Sir Ken Robinson‘s passing.
His 2006 TED Talk and subsequent work had a profound effect on my educational outlook and practice; and featured significantly in my M.Ed.
Schools should be places where young people have room to breathe and grow; able to explore ideas and make mistakes; where creativity is not only encouraged but actively nurtured. Those of us at the chalkface can honour his memory by working every day to “inspire and engage the imagination and creativity of the students” we teach.
If you haven’t read ‘Out of Our Minds‘ or ‘The Element‘, now would be a good time to do so; not least given the disruption that the pandemic has wrought on schools over the past six months.
Perhaps there is another way – free from ‘one size fits all’ and ‘standardised tests’, where children are not “educated out of” creativity.
When I was an art student I could lose myself for hours sitting at the potter’s wheel. This video truly captures the tranquility of the creative act.
Artist: Sue Paraskeva
Video created by: Jamie Isbell
Music: Chihei Hatakeyama
Today, I am delivering a presentation at the Study Group Teachers’ Conference in Brighton.
The title of my session is: Getting interactive: Moodle in the Secondary classroom
Abstract: What is Moodle for? And how can it enrich your students’ learning experiences? This workshop will aim to set out a practical and pedagogically sound consideration of the role that Moodle can play in helping to support learning inside and outside the classroom. The belief? That Moodle should be a tool to garner interaction and not simply host resources.
Here are the slides that accompany the presentation:
Since I submitted the abstract, the presentation has evolved. As such, it begins with an explanation of how I use Moodle, building up to a consideration of when to use a VLE and when a VLE is not the best tool for the job. It culminates with a reflections on the work I have been doing with Google Docs & AFL.
You can find out more information about the conference on their Moodle Site. Enter as ‘Guest’.
Having a regular weekly check-in with someone who challenges you and helps you think beyond your limits is vital to creativity.