Group
Members' Reflective Descriptions of Their Responses:
Heather
Heather
My square is
the one that says vulnerability. I chose
the word vulnerability because creativity requires not only risk, but also the
willingness to allow yourself to be susceptible to opinions that are different
than yours or opinions that might even make you feel discomfort or even
unappreciated. When you open my fortune
teller, you will see a close-up photograph of a flower, the reward for taking
chances. Principals need to know that student creativity comes with guidelines
and then unleashing - offer some expectations and then be confident enough to
step back and let your team go. To
foster creativity, principals need to make sure that the space is safe. This
doesn’t mean that everyone says “Great job!”
because that doesn’t move the idea forward. Instead, the team needs to
develop skills to critically analyze - what works, what could be changed, what
are they now wondering. With this
activity specifically in mind, I was reminded that everyone sees things with
different eyes. This happened because we
used photographs I’ve taken and I have always looked at these photos as whole
compositions ----- and then my teammates transformed them! April cut the center out of her photo so the
viewer could complete the image with their own ideas. Katy cut her photos into triangles to fit
into the folds. Sabrina cut her photo to
make a butterfly. It’s a fantastic
reminder that as a school leader, I MUST surround myself with people who see
things differently than me.
Sabrina
My square calls
for both a response from the audience and a response to creativity itself. It’s
a flexible accordion-type shape with one vanish point that draws the attention
of the audience. When unfolded, you find a heart, the heart of your own
creativity. The back of the square is a butterfly made of photographed leaves,
inviting you to grow and free yourself to become creative. I chose the prompt
“response” because a response with creativity is sorely needed in solving human
problems. Humans become resourceful when there are constraints or when we face
difficulties. And in those quiet moments between difficulties and frustration,
it asks our souls to find the best response to our problems-- forcing us to
respond with a creative solution. Our 21st century students are our 21st
century future leaders, not just students replacing cogs in a machine like in
the industrial era (which sadly, many of our schools still mirror). In order
for our students to become leaders, they are not to sit idly and repeat
history. Our students will need to powerfully and creatively respond to
problems that we may never have seen in our own generation. Yet the problem
solving process is the same. As educators, it’s important to emphasize and
impart a problem solving process that calls for new “out-of-the-box” solution.
Using the problem solving process as a backbone allows for students to respond
creatively. As so the problems of our own education system realities also call
for school leadership to courageously respond creatively. We need to become
flexible and courageously try something new. History seems to repeat itself and
we can’t stand idle if we want what is best for our students. When dealing with
systemic issues that our students face and the cumbersome structure/ politics
of American education, school leaders are called to and forced to look within
themselves, use the problem solving process, and reach out to others to
respond. We are called to give a response in a flexible and creative way to
navigating the overbearing, “status quo” systems that hinder our 21st century
students. As a school leader, how do you plan to respond to your current
challenges?
April
My square has
all group members prompts as the “legs” that it uses to stand and it is
bursting with a yellow circle in the center.
I selected the prompt “connect” because creativity is something that
connects us living and nonliving things. We must connect in order to create and
when we create we become more connected. I would like school principals to
understand that Student Creativity is a process that should be fostered and
encouraged. It is not something that is done, but something that is cultivated
and nourished. Principals should let students explore with a purpose. Give
students a task or a “problem” to solve with minimal restraints and see what
they create as solutions. Creativity and designing pushes people to think
beyond traditional writing and/or lecturing. As a principal, I would like to
facilitate a school culture where teachers and students create and design their
way through problems with a “yes, and” mentality.
Katy
a) Focus Question:
“Identify your ‘square’ by describing it”
My square
represents “innovate.” It was folded
into a fortune teller, which stands up on 4 corners so that the opposite 4
corners point up to the sky. Each of the
4 outer squares is a different color and says “INNOVATE.” Inside the fortune teller, there is a
pinwheel of photographs depicting a variety of textures (for example, a close
up of gravel or berries in the snow). If
you turn the fortune teller upside down, it reveals 4 small photo squares
hidden inside the fortune teller (larger pieces of the inner pinwheel photos).
b) Focus Question:
“Why did you choose the creativity prompt you did?
I chose the
prompt innovate because I believe that innovation is absolutely necessary in
order to improve schools for students.
In my own work as an educator, I try to embody innovation by seeking new
pedogogical techniques and finding creative ways to support students (for
example, using creative ways to build the school schedule so that all students
have access to multiple arts disciplines).
c) Focus Question:
“Thinking about your experience today , what is 1 thing
you want principals to understand about Student Creativity and how to foster,
nourish, develop it?“
I want
principals to understand that creativity is often a result of problem-solving
and is tied to purpose. Students should
be making thoughtful decisions as part of their creativity.
d) Focus Question:
“Through the experience of today’s session, what have you
learned about creativity for which you see a connection to the work of a school
principal? Explain this in a sentence or 2 (or more).”
A connection I
see between creativity and the work of a school principal is that principals
can access their creativity to solve problems within their schools in
non-traditional ways. Moreover, the
creative process (which included pre-planning, collaborating, evaluating,
revising, and committing) is a process that effective school leaders will need
to engage in on a regular basis to ensure that decisions and structures are
designed as effectively as possible.
Additional Photos
(Above) - Various arrangements of the individual projects to form the group project.
Some group members at work on the project.
Additional Photos
Some group members at work on the project.
No comments:
Post a Comment