Creative Current
Creativity is only going to show up, if you show up every
day looking for it. It finds you, only if you are open to receiving it. It’s a
huge ocean of ingenuity, discovery and imagination out there. Each circling and
flowing in the current. Creativity sinks and floats. It's fickle and if it
feels you don't care, or are ambivalent- it just might pass you by.
You may be making a wide turn towards it, but if the trim
tab isn't functional, you may lose it in the wave. Trim tab- a smaller
surface on a ships rudder, allowing it to turn, helps the vehicle to
counteract hydro- or aerodynamic forces and stabilizes the boat. We all
have trim tabs. They are our compass, our sense of direction, when we are
overwhelmed, they are the remedy to our doubts and fears- they are by design our sense
of self.
Trim Tab
Sharp turns are difficult when we are adjusting the
direction of a barge, our large vessel of self-consciousness and motivation and
apprehension. We carry with us all of these emotions- each shaping our
decisions and attitude. We are each, social, emotional, personal transport
ships- moving around the vast sea of curiosity, hope and growth. We pull into
port at times, we traverse the open ocean at others- but we are always carrying
a load of information and feelings we pick up along the way.
That's why we need to show up, looking for creativity, so we
can alter course quickly, when we feel its approach. We also have to maintain
our trim tabs; they are the device we use to maintain our course. Curiosity and
creativity go hand in hand. Rudder’s and trim tabs work together. There has to
be a synergy. This is when we are comfortable and open to new experiences. We
know we can endure any storm, because we know our barge is heavy, weighted and
sea worthy.
Adjustment Allowance
How do we get our students to enter the water- trust the
construction of their vessel? Practice. Lots of storms. Throw some lightning
and few tsunamis in there for good measure. Make sure their barge hits the high
seas, bounces around, feels the turbulence. If we don’t push them beyond their
comfort zone- they will sink at the first sign of agitation.
Here are a five disturbances, I use in my classroom, to
entice students to take a risk. To steer into the unknown:
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I give them verbal directions only,
generally three steps and NOT let them write them down. I say them three
times, emphasizing each step with a visual image (I say picture a funnel,
or a box). Then I have them execute the plan without speaking. This builds
their competitiveness, listening skills and problem-solving skills.
-
I use Ziplocs to lure them in. Clear bags full
of odd objects. Things they are unfamiliar with, mixed with a few familiar
ones- for example: Lego bricks, mini-koosh, a ball bearing, an aglet, zip
tie, a strange key, and a film container. I tell them build me a model of
a cell or a body system- each part has to represent an organ or organelle.
If they don’t know what they are they struggle with the purpose and have
to debate which organ it represents.
-
After a discussion, I simple say- you have 2
minutes, with a partner, find a way without words to show me you
understand the concept. Or, you have 2 minutes, using poetry/song, explain
the concept to your table partners.
-
Before we start a new topic, or avenue of
investigation I like to ask them a question that lures them to the
opposite of what we are doing. I have them start with the wrong approach.
For example, if we wanted to demonstrate the order of the organs in the
digestive system- I would make them go backwards first. Then discuss why
this wouldn’t work? Not just that eww! How disgusting, but mechanically
and chemically why it couldn’t happen.
-
One of the best ways to get students to adjust
to their heavy barge direction, to steer at a new course, trim tab at the
ready, is to let them think for themselves. I say "Take it upon yourself,
to demonstrate your understanding”- I let them teach themselves science-
is that what I am not meant to do? I think so. So I present a problem- ask
a simple question and let them roll with it.
You would be surprised how much more effort they put into
something they designed, they thought of- its personal and that my friend is
creativity and curiosity incarnate. We as educators just need to trust. We can
see very quickly if they are off track or distracted- a little turbulence (I
add a new component or dimension to the assignment) will get them right back to
center.
Some days it’s straight-forward research or a bit of notes
and some application. Some days its Jenga, Puppet Shows and Play-doh creations.
We use the makerspace or we podcast. No matter the agenda- it needs to be based
on student input. Their navigational tools are what allow our classroom ocean, to
benefit from the plethora of barges, as they cross the great divide. It’s all
about curiosity, waiting for the turbulence. It’s all about the trim tab, the
minds control, over where the rudder steers.
When students capsize, they will flip back over quickly, if
we just step back for a moment and let them. If they are taking on water, and
rely on their classmates to start bailing, they will work together to halt the
intake of water. Creativity and problem-solving require showing up and looking
for it- understanding that both need our full attention. For when we give it
what it needs, it will return the favor.
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