UPAL Project 1 - COHORT V - Group C: Loren, Julissa ,Erin, and Lisa

Loren Rich, Julissa Jimenez,Erin Hines, and Lisa Brinker

The ENVISION square (sharpened by the focus of the binoculars) provides a look into the future. It isn’t always easy for teachers and staff to buy-into the vision and goals of the principal; instead, staff should engage with the process and help create the mission to foster the connectedness and ownership of the school’s vision.  All staff members share their strengths and talents, and the collective nature of this activity allowed for brainstorming and interaction of the team within the initial individual square creation into the collective arrangement.

The “Dream” square was chosen when thinking of endless possibilities.  It is important to not limit yourself or anyone. As principals we need to  continuously foster and embrace children’s creativity within our schools.  When creativity is a part of our student’s school day we are allowing them to express themself in ways that we may not have been able to reach them.  Aftering reflecting on today’s session, I have learned creativity is necessary as a principal.  As leaders we need to allow our teachers to  express their creativity in their teaching.  Giving the teachers  flexibility with their lessons and the style of delivery is essential and most important in our schools!

Julie Jimenez: The INNOVATION square is my square. It has the development of an idea that came from past frustrations and became something new.

I chose INNOVATION because of the need to move beyond how we’re used to doing things. Even if things work in a decent capacity, we have to always ask ourselves, how can I make it better? Education is no exclusion.

I would like principals to understand that Student Creativity is a skill that is important to build upon in order to meet the whole child and not just the academic side of that child. We can learn a lot from our students if we let them express themselves in their comfortable zones of creativity, and this doesn’t just mean Art class. Let’s take coloring as an example. It is seen as a non-academic activity (and I could understand why), however, it has a role in helping a child (even an adult!) express their feelings, find a calm place, see and communicate things through color, etc. It’s an open window into a child’s psyche and emotional well being.

Allowing the opportunity to integrate creativity into academics is something every educational leader should keep in mind. Not only is it critically important to foster the creative process in our students, but also in our teachers. To allow them the autonomy to bring their lessons to life and extend the excitement of the learning process by adding the element of creativity is so important in creating innovative minds that learn through doing and seeing and “figuring out”.

Loren Rich: Grow

The GROW square is my square. I chose the GROW prompt because I believe the concept of “GROW” truly embodies the U*PAL philosophy. Personally, I have grown so much in the last 13 months here at Lehigh University.

School Leaders should embrace the concept of creativity in every aspect of their leadership role, especially the creativity of their students. Students afford some of the most insightful and valuable learning experiences and promoting their creativity will only foster their development and “growth” as well. I learned that creativity is infinite, the sky is truly the limit. If you can DREAM it,  ENVISION it, INNOVATE it, you can GROW from it.

UPAL Project 1 - COHORT V - Group B: Ellen, Andrea, Elizabeth (Liz), and Alison

Ellen E. Crowell

1. I created the AHA! Square.
2. I created this prompt because moments of clarity during creative endeavors are so important.  Why are they important?  The visceral feeling of an AHA moment propels us forward through the art making process.
3. Principals need to understand that student creativity requires time and in many instances, a hands-off approach from adults.  To foster creativity, the teacher needs to function as a co-learner, intervening when a sense of frustration surfaces.  Ask many questions and try to guide students to a solution as opposed to providing the the solution.  This process and experience creates ownership and a feeling of satisfaction.
4. Creativity is defined as using the imagination or origination of ideas.  In relation to the traditional principal role, creativity may not have a place.  In U*PAL, we know that creativity is our mindset and it serves as a launch pad for everything we do and the goals we hope to accomplish.    

Andrea DeVico

I created the square with a face.I thought of envision as a creative prompt because the vision, although it might change slightly or even drastically through the course of the creative process, is incredibly important. The vision grounds us and reminds us of our ultimate goals. Envisioning where we hope to end up is all part of the creative process. Especially if you think of envisioning something innovative or 21st century. Creativity within classroom and within the entire school environment is a way of thinking. School leaders should encompass this way of thinking when they approach their work, when they evaluate others’ work, and when they assess student achievement. The creative process is a much needed approach to learning in this world of endless possibilities. We as principals need to push ourselves to operate within this process, push our staff to learn in this process, and empower our students to grow in this process.  

 “Zeal” by Elizabeth (Liz) Rega

The word that I chose was “Zeal”. There is a vibrant light that emanates from Zeal in a bold horizontal space that I created. The lines that pull out from the word are helping to amplify the light source that is n omnipresent within the shape of the block letters. The word Zeal, is written bold, and clear.

I chose the words Zeal because I have a conviction to lead rather than be complacent. I have the heart to stand up and make a change and am willing to sacrifice myself for this cause. Even if I try to “hide” I cannot. Something always pulls me.

Something that I want principals to understand is that project based learning is an experience for students. Within this boundary there is a freedom for students to truly learn at their own pace and path. Why is it not important to be human? Why is it not important to engage in your own thoughts? We have a lot of work to do as a society to “get back to our roots”, and I think it is about getting “back to humanity” and away from “making the grade”. I believe in design thinking rather than telling a child how to think. I believe in the power of our individual talents and how they can contribute to the overall wellness of our society. Let’s create a society that allows us all to strengthen who we are.

Alison Saeger

Text Assignment:

My square features the word “Oops” with lettering that ranges from formal to informal as it is viewed left to right. The last letter breaks out of the letter shape to create designs from ink spots at the bottom and free-moving line designs culminating in a colorful splash and droplets at the top. I chose “Oops” as my creativity prompt because as an administrator, former arts-based teacher, and an artist myself, I find the “oops” opportunities to be the places where I get to exercise my creativity the most. This is true when I accidentally smudge a drawing and have to extend my idea to incorporate the smudge. And it is also true when I discover an “oops” in my work as principal and I have to be creative to contemplate the what if’s of possible avenues forward. The one thing I want principals to understand about the job of principal  is that problems happen. Schools are problem factories. That’s normal. If you as the principal aren’t finding the “oopses”, then you are probably not paying attention. We aren’t supposed to avoid the oops or strive to never have or find an oops. An oops for the principal is an opportunity to use strategy skills, make observations, contemplate the what if’s, and guide action. Sometimes the oops provides us with an opportunity to design a new program, create a new process, develop a new team that we would not have thought of if not for the oops.

One thing I want principals to understand about student creativity is that  critical thinking is about posing and grappling with questions. When we model that experience with our teachers - posing and grappling with questions about our school, teaching and learning, intentional creativity, etc. - we invite them to creative experiences. In reflecting on those experiences, we make our staff aware of the power of creativity in a socially constructive context, which can lead our teachers to pose and grapple with questions with their own students. Showing that we as leaders are brave enough to pose questions we do not have the answers to, that we can trust that the creative process with our staff can help us creatively approach our own school challenges can inspire the same kind of creative courage in our teachers.