teaching "Language Arts":
Moving past mind maps
If you are the type of person who found your way to MY website, then you have probably seen this inspiring and hilarious video of Ken Robinson explaining How Schools Kill Creativity. This video gives voice to a nationwide undercurrent that ripples beneath the Education Field's battle with standardized tests and the politicians who love them.
It is the voice that says: We need graduates who can innovate, who can think of original ideas and express them clearly. Can we teach these skills? Can we teach Creativity?
I emphatically answer Yes!
It is the voice that says: We need graduates who can innovate, who can think of original ideas and express them clearly. Can we teach these skills? Can we teach Creativity?
I emphatically answer Yes!
The definition of creativity lies along the intersection of language and visual arts. Throughout the video, Robinson references drama, painting, writing, and a variety of other pursuits that may be termed "creativity". Most secondary English classrooms are so focused on ingesting -- studying professional works -- that they fail to demand students create their own meaningful works.
The first step to teaching creativity is to teach mind mapping. This valuable skill is quick to teach and easy to learn -- and it opens the gateway to creativity by showing students how simple it is to turn their thoughts into visual arts. YOU need to teach mind mapping...which leads the way to other language arts.an
The first step to teaching creativity is to teach mind mapping. This valuable skill is quick to teach and easy to learn -- and it opens the gateway to creativity by showing students how simple it is to turn their thoughts into visual arts. YOU need to teach mind mapping...which leads the way to other language arts.an
Once my students and I started mind-mapping regularly, we began to explore other "Language Arts" pieces. Teaching these styles and incorporating them into my lessons has made my classroom a richer and more unique workshop. Because I demand students meet "creative requirements" each quarter, they are always looking for new ideas, new styles, and new inspirations.
I never tell my students what to write. My mini-lessons focus on exposing them to different styles of language art, including calligrams, cartoons, pie charts, stream-of-consciousness works, photography, doodling, abstract art, visual poetry, blackout poetry, and any other similar work that I (or a student) might discover.
I never tell my students what to write. My mini-lessons focus on exposing them to different styles of language art, including calligrams, cartoons, pie charts, stream-of-consciousness works, photography, doodling, abstract art, visual poetry, blackout poetry, and any other similar work that I (or a student) might discover.
In the March 2015 Council Chronicle, Trisha Collopy's "Students as Makers and Doers" explores the idea of "authentic literacies". This article is based on a book written by two National Writing Project directors who coach high-school teachers to transform their classrooms into student-centered workshops.
Hallelujah!!
Hallelujah!!
To convert your classroom into a creative setting, you are going to have to take risks and work hard.
“The lesson architecture changes dramatically,” Linda Denstaedt, a teacher featured in the article. “Students have to make independent decisions about what to do and how to do it."
At the heart of authentic creativity lay the hearts of students: What stories do they have? What problem do they want to solve? What art do they want to create?
“The lesson architecture changes dramatically,” Linda Denstaedt, a teacher featured in the article. “Students have to make independent decisions about what to do and how to do it."
At the heart of authentic creativity lay the hearts of students: What stories do they have? What problem do they want to solve? What art do they want to create?
Students need guidance and coaching to succeed in this environment -- and they need lots and lots of ideas. For me, the key is to maintain a website (and manila folders!) of student-samples of original work. I have hundreds of student-samples for every lesson I do, and they do the bulk of the teaching for me.
Creating language-arts pieces is a healthy, meditative, and reflective practice. This is why I created a mini-lesson entitled "The Therapeutic Value of Writing & Other Arts". This lesson invites students to up the ante and buy into what I'm teaching by creating meaningful work.
Creating language-arts pieces is a healthy, meditative, and reflective practice. This is why I created a mini-lesson entitled "The Therapeutic Value of Writing & Other Arts". This lesson invites students to up the ante and buy into what I'm teaching by creating meaningful work.
"It is my contention that creativity is as important as literacy," says Robinson. "And we should treat it with the same status." I concur! The question that Robinson never answers, however, is How? How do we even teach creativity, not to mention elevate its status?
It begins with a student-centered, workshop approach. Elevate the creative quotient with colorful markers, visual notes, and mind-mapping. Top it off with lessons in the "language arts": a broad and inspiring field of ideas that is easy to teach and will impact student lives forever.
It begins with a student-centered, workshop approach. Elevate the creative quotient with colorful markers, visual notes, and mind-mapping. Top it off with lessons in the "language arts": a broad and inspiring field of ideas that is easy to teach and will impact student lives forever.
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