...Creativity In Schools: A Maltese Perspective Paper presented during the First International Conference on Strategic Innovation and Future Creation, Malta, March 2009 Shirley Pulis Xerxen 1 The knowledge and skills needed in the future may not even be known at the time a person attends school or university. As a result, these institutions cannot limit themselves to the transmission of set contents, techniques and values, since these will soon be useless or even detrimental to living a full life. (Cropley, 2006, p. 136)1 Introduction In this paper I attempt to provide some insight about the teaching of thinking and creativity in schools by drawing parallels between what is found on this subject in the literature, my experience as a teacher of thinking skills in Primary schools in Maltai and from findings that emerge from a questionnaire that I conducted with Maltese Primary and Secondary school teachers to analyse their perceptions on the teaching and learning of creativity, compatible with the educational values of current pedagogical practices. Facing today’s challenges Educators are being increasingly faced with the ever-growing call for entrepreneurial citizens who value openness, diversity and creativity, who are able to design the future in all areas of their life. This demands that a school’s curriculum must be open and flexible enough to accommodate these new perspectives. This paper focuses on the need for a holistic approach to creativity in education, an...
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...Assignment 1 – The Teaching and Learning of Mathematics Part 1: The Nature and Place of Mathematics in the School Curriculum When I studied maths at secondary school I had no real understanding of its importance in our society, I enjoyed the satisfaction of solving problems but, like many young people, believed that maths was going to be unnecessary in the real world. As an adult it became abundantly clear to me that mathematics was a vital component in not just personal success but in the success of society. The notion of what mathematics should be taught and how it should be taught differs dramatically between different educational ideologies; Industrial Pragmatist, Mathematical Purists, Progressive Educator and Social Reformer. These ideologies are not real groups or organisations but represent the competing influences in mathematics education. “The industrial pragmatists see mathematics as an established collection of very useful techniques and skills that can be applied to a large range of technical and scientific contexts.” (Johnston-Wilder, Johnston-Wilder, Primm, & Lee, 2011) Mathematics is needed in the school curriculum for the prosperity of our country; industry needs the future workforce to have the necessary skills to push the economy forward. For this reason it is seen as important for education to provide good standards of numeracy, data handling skills and use of ICT. Although I acknowledge this is an important requirement of mathematics’ place in the curriculum...
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...required (Craft, 2001). The National Curriculum Handbook (QCA, 1999) describes creativity as a rounded thinking skill, which implies that it can be taught rather than fostered. This suggests that creativity is much more dependent upon context and relationships. In order to teach creatively, imaginative methods should be employed to make learning more interesting and valuable. NACCCE (1999) suggests teaching creativity tries to support children in their “creative potential” and to “give them confidence to try”. This suggests a need to encourage children to believe in themselves and their abilities in creative practices. Craft (2000) believes it is more about a ‘mind-set' or attitudes, and an inclination to do so. The majority...
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...research and literature on CREATIVITY IN EDUCATION Report prepared for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority by Anna Craft March 2001 2 Contents Page Numbers 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Aims and purposes 1.2 Approach taken and areas covered 4 2.0 A summary of the research and literature on creativity 2.1 Historical overview 2.2 The early part of the twentieth century 2.3 More recent directions in creativity research 2.4 Lines of study stemming from the 1950s 2.4.1 Personality 2.4.2 Cognition 2.4.3 Ways to stimulate creativity 2.4.4 Creativity and social systems 2.5 Background to creativity in education 2.6 Broader claims for creativity in the curriculum 5-12 3.0 What do we mean by creativity? 3.1 Definitions or descriptions of creativity 3.2 High creativity 3.3 Ordinary, or ‘democratic’ creativity 13-15 4.0 The development of creativity in education 4.1 Research into the development of creativity in education 4.1.1 Comprehensive approaches 4.1.2 Educational approaches 4.1.3 Psychodynamic approaches 4.1.4 Humanistic approaches 4.1.5 Behaviourist approaches 4.2 Teaching approaches to developing creativity 4.2.1 ‘Creative cycle’ approaches 4.2.2 Single-strategy approaches 4.2.3 Multi-strategy approaches 4.2.4 System approaches 4.2.5 Overall pedagogic criteria approaches 16-22 3 5.0 Assessment and creativity 5.1 Recording and assessing creativity 23-24 6.0 Conclusions and key findings 6.1 High and democratic creativity 6.2 Domain-specific and...
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...com/locate/ijhcs Developing creativity, motivation, and self-actualization with learning systems Winslow Burlesonà MIT Media Lab, 20 Ames St. Cambridge, MA 02139, USA Available online 10 May 2005 Abstract Developing learning experiences that facilitate self-actualization and creativity is among the most important goals of our society in preparation for the future. To facilitate deep understanding of a new concept, to facilitate learning, learners must have the opportunity to develop multiple and flexible perspectives. The process of becoming an expert involves failure, as well as the ability to understand failure and the motivation to move onward. Meta-cognitive awareness and personal strategies can play a role in developing an individual’s ability to persevere through failure, and combat other diluting influences. Awareness and reflective technologies can be instrumental in developing a meta-cognitive ability to make conscious and unconscious decisions about engagement that will ultimately enhance learning, expertise, creativity, and self-actualization. This paper will review diverse perspectives from psychology, engineering, education, and computer science to present opportunities to enhance creativity, motivation, and self-actualization in learning systems. r 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Keywords: Creativity; Learning systems; Psychology; Failure; Motivation Education has the dual power to cultivate and to stifle creativity. Recognition of its complex...
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... is something I value, especially with older students. The impact of group work, when students help fellow students, changes each person and transforms the atmosphere of the class as a whole. In my classroom, I want students to have freedom that allows for expression and creativity. Students should be able to experiment with likes and dislikes and to realize their strengths and weaknesses. After this base is developed, the curriculum can be molded to tie in each student’s learning style. I want to teach students in a way that has some straightforward instruction, but that also gives students room to grow and expand on their own. At the beginning of the year, it is understandable for the teacher to lead class discussions, but towards the end of the year, students will pose their own questions and try to answer them independently. I feel it is beneficial for students to sometimes work for the answer rather than being told because it stretches their knowledge and teaches them how to find information in a variety of ways. I also feel a key to success is for the class to work on projects to help others. As an educator, it is important not only to help the students that you are teaching, but also give them direction to help others. As a future educator, it is critical to remember to enjoy students and everything they have to offer. Sometimes it can be a struggle, but if something goes wrong, there is always a way to fix the problem. No matter what, there...
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...SECOND SEMESTER EMBA/ MBA Subject: Information Technology How is IT innovated? As an IT student what do IT students today need to learn to become innovators themselves? Innovation is a new idea, more effective device or process. Innovation can be viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, in articulated needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more effective products[->0], processes[->1], services[->2], technologies[->3], or ideas[->4] that are readily available to markets[->5], governments[->6] and society[->7]. The term innovation can be defined as something original and more effective and, as a consequence, new, that "breaks into" the market or society. Information technology (IT) is widely understood to be the enabling technology of the 21st century. IT has transformed, and continues to transform, all aspects of our lives: commerce and finance, education, employment, energy, health care, manufacturing, government, national security, transportation, communications, entertainment, science, and engineering. IT and its impact on the U.S. economy-both directly (the IT sector itself) and indirectly (other sectors that are powered by advances in IT)--continue to grow in size and importance. Information Technological innovation is essential for human development. From the printing press to the computer, people have devised tools for facilitating learning and communication. Technology is not inherently good or bad, the outcome...
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...character. In this regard, it could be considered that teaching is both the noblest profession and the most challenging also. The interest of the students to learn highly depends on how strategies of the teacher awaken it. Thus, motivation in learning is anchored to how lessons are presented by the teachers and welcomed by the learners. Indeed, teachers face various challenges to test if learning takes place in the classroom. Quality education requires quality teachers. Teachers who are equipped with skills, knowledge and passion are the front liners in the battle to eliminate illiteracy in the country. Teachers are the quiet companions that hold the hand of the learners and walk with them until they become the educated. Along this journey, teachers must be given various opportunities for self- improvement so as to provide help when faced with different situations. They must be updated with the modern tools in teaching and effective approaches. These are very important in teaching English as the second language. Learners are faced with difficulties in different aspects of learning English subject. These difficulties hinder them to acquire vital information useful especially in oral and written communication in English. Due to lack of confidence and knowledge in using the English, learners feel intimidation resulting to withdrawal from taking attempts to utilize the language as means of communication. Hence, motivation must be effectively drawn but the English teachers....
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...ACE Architecture Its Place in Education By Bear Matthews “We shape our buildings and afterwards, they shape us.” - Winston Churchill Is it possible to design a classroom that measurably improves academic performance? With the emergence of evidence-based design this is indeed possible. Evidence-based design is the process of basing decisions about the built environment on credible research to achieve the best possible outcomes. Evidence-based design first emerged in the design of health care facilities. The result of measuring the influence of various design factors on patient outcomes has considerably altered the design of hospitals and other medical facilities over the past several years. Evidence-based design is increasingly focusing on educational facilities and is an emerging influence on the design of schools. Particularly intriguing are studies that correlate certain aspects of learning environments with academic performance. Evidence-based design has also investigated other measurable outcomes including improved student attendance, reduced disciplinary problems, and better faculty retention. Focusing on classroom interiors, sev studies over the past several years establish links between specific design characteristics and academic performance. Importantly, each of these design characteristics can be readily implemented in both new and modernized schools. NATURAL LIGHTING The first and perhaps best-known evidence-based research...
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...Computer Mediated Communication Final Reflection Paper on Group Collaboration Project COMM.444 The online environment, and in particular, computer mediated communication is an effective medium to provide the social aspect of learning emphasized with collaborative learning. Collaborative and cooperative interactions can occur within virtual teams and groups based on how information is exchanged and requiring group members to formulate opinions and facilitate goals to accomplish. The utilization of a variety of CMC tools also helped our group establish a more collaborative and cooperative approach towards developing content and creativity, distributing tasks, creating a more cohesive online work environment. Through formulating certain ideas through our topic of CMC and its influence in online dating, we were able to give and receive feedback and evaluation from peers, gain greater knowledge into CMC principles, develop virtual interpersonal skills and critical thinking skills which are very important (Harasim et.al. 1995). Active participation strengthens learning. A learner is regarded as present online only when he or she makes a comment. "Lurkers", that is those who read but do not comment, are not regarded as part of the learning environment. Our collaboration research group consisted of four members. We initialized our approach into the project by utilizing our email to contact each other about particular research topics of interest in relation to the influence of...
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...Introduction According to the Oxford Dictionaries online values are “one’s judgment of what is important in life.” One’s values do shape their perspectives and influence their actions in their lives. Values determine what people stand for and what they believe in. It is vital that teachers know their values in education -- teaching and learning. Values in education are the corner-stone whereby the processes of teaching and learning are moulded together into sharing knowledge, skills and experience that help a society to form new ways of doing things as well as innovating and creating new things. In this statement, values in education are referred to as a representation of teacher’s beliefs that underpins gratification of their needs in education -- the intended outcomes of teaching and learning in the society. Sources of Values in Education There are many sources of values in education and this statement will briefly mention a few sources namely: governments, professional boards, religions and religious institutions/establishments, and ideologies. It is worth noting that values in education, and indeed in society at large, are subjective, dynamic, fluid and do change with time. In this respect, values in education not only reflect the societies’ values but also influence societies in forming new values in education. Thus, across the world, the purpose of education is to shape the populace so that it fits into the society and function as it is required (MacIntyre, 1987)....
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...ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EDUCATION Introduction The domain of entrepreneurship education is now faced with ever more interesting choices about what to be, who to serve and from what principles to profess. Opportunities and challenges in teaching and training related to globalization, technology, political organization and shifting demographics and social views have created entirely new understandings of what is important and where attention should be directed. Entrepreneurship is exciting and valued and most agree that while academics and others can’t help every person to be an entrepreneur, but can help those who are interested with tools, skill acquisition and ideas. The emergence and growth of women-owned businesses have contributed to the global economy and to their surrounding communities. The presence of women around the world driving small and entrepreneurial organizations has had a tremendous impact on employment and on business environments worldwide. Women-owned firms comprise between one-quarter and one-third of all the businesses in the formal economy, and are expected to play an even larger role in informal sectors (Delaney, 2002). Entrepreneurship refers to an individual’s ability to turn ideas into action. It includes creativity, innovation and risk taking, as well as the ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives. To achieve success, growth and employment, we need to stimulate the entrepreneurial mindsets of young women, encourage innovative...
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...Teaching method From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A teaching method comprises the principles and methods used for instruction to be implemented by teachers to achieve the desired learning in students. These strategies are determined partly on subject matter to be taught and partly by the nature of the learner. For a particular teaching method to be appropriate and efficient it has to be in relation with the characteristic of the learner and the type of learning it is supposed to bring about. Davis (1997) suggests that the design and selection of teaching methods must take into account not only the nature of the subject matter but also how students learn.[1] In today’s school the trend is that it encourages a lot of creativity. It is a known fact that human advancement comes through reasoning. This reasoning and original thought enhances creativity. The approaches for teaching can be broadly classified into teacher centered and student centered. In Teacher-Centered Approach to Learning, Teachers are the main authority figure in this model. Students are viewed as “empty vessels” whose primary role is to passively receive information (via lectures and direct instruction) with an end goal of testing and assessment. It is the primary role of teachers to pass knowledge and information onto their students. In this model, teaching and assessment are viewed as two separate entities. Student learning is measured through objectively scored tests and assessments.[2] In Student-Centered...
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...Creativity can be defined as an idea or solution to a problem or situation which is original and distinctive to other work to which can be compared (Runco, 2004). It affects many varying domains that play a substantial role in society e.g. business, innovation, arts, sciences and education (Simonton, 1997). The concept of creativity was not fully recognised until the practical developments of man aided with the economy and also the standard of living –for example the invention of the steam engine and the telephone (Sternberg and Kaufman, 2010). However, it wasn’t until the late 18th century that ‘imagination’ was accepted independently as the leading factor in creativity (Engell, 1981). Many psychologists believe that the imagination is limited due to both internal and external factors that I shall outline in my essay. Cognitive processes and knowledge are fundamental factors when attempting to comprehend creativity. It is generally agreed that obtainable knowledge greatly contributes to creativity, and the quality of creative thoughts are affected by a person’s knowledge and the way in which the aspects of this knowledge is processed (Munford and Gustafson, 1988). Some psychologists believe that there is a threshold level that above an IQ of approximately 120, there is a strong association between IQ and creativity, but above that level this hypothesis is not supported (MacKinnon, 1961). A low IQ suggests that a person would struggle with creativity – regarding both the...
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...schools to ensure that teaching and learning is balanced and consistent.” The National Curriculum is thought by many to be complex and unclear. However, it is at the heart of the education system in England. This is noted by Baumann et al (1997) and Kyriacou (2009) who document that the basis for the National Curriculum was established in the Education Reform Act 1988; creating the idea that education must begin with the needs and interests of the child. The following model acknowledges how the National Curriculum is central to a school and a pupils learning. School Curriculum Basic Curriculum National Curriculum It can suggest that the National Curriculum is a central organising feature to school learning and allows a core curriculum to be delivered in a standardised way. By identifying the skills required for learning, the National Curriculum provides a range of contexts and opportunities that presents a chance for all pupils to succeed as well as allowing for some flexibility in teaching. There are a range of key features within the National Curriculum and these have been outlined by the Department for Education (2011). They are; * to create a national benchmark through coherence across schools, * to set out essential knowledge that best meets the needs of the children, * to raise standards of all children and * to identify key subject disciplines. The key features identified offer a source of support in teaching and in addition, they...
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