After my last post on creativity and being open to new ideas, I wanted to stretch my thinking and dive into the creation of a podcast. I didn’t want this to be any old podcast, but one that focuses on student voice, kindergarten to 5th grade. With this in mind, I began to compile resources…
Category: Making
Add a dash of imagination
Add a dash of imagination to ………. (fill in the blank)? When we begin to investigate what it is we do everyday, what stands out? For me, the times where I can be creative stand out. Add a dash of imagination and I bet you can create an interesting story. The opportunities I create along…
Imagine what it could be…..
In my last post, The Beginning, I talked about sharing your imagination with students. One excellent way to show students your imagination is with drawing starts/challenges. Students need to be imaginative, and so do teachers. ————————– Working with 3rd grade students a few years ago, we started each day with a drawing start. This activity…
Blank Canvas: Choosing the Best Brush
How often do we have the opportunity to express ourselves? What kind of brush would you use if you didn’t have breakfast in the morning? What type of color would you use if you slept the night on the floor? What type of image would you draw if your teacher always started the day with…
Small Cubes, Huge Opportunities
Throughout the last year I have been experimenting with the game based creation tool called Bloxels and I have been blown away by the possibilities. What amazes me the most are the attitudes of the students as they receive feedback from their peers and revise their game creations. These little blocks pack an amazingly powerful…
What’s a Low Level Opportunity?
As I was continuing my 2nd read of the Innovator’s Mindset this week, I came across a quote that connected with me in a different way. George wrote, “What risk might you take to change learning experiences?” I have always felt like I need to provide opportunities for students to experience learning in many different…
Ideas: What are they Worth?
Where do our students’ ideas go as they get older? What stops a 9 year old from expressing an idea compared to a 5 year old? Why do we see smiling and play in a 5 year old, but a 9 year old shows an indifference towards anything creative? Take a look at this…
Caring and Sharing
Why should our students care about their own learning? How can we facilitate learning that is embraced by all students? When will our students begin to look at their learning as their own and not teacher directed? Who directs learning each day? What kind of classroom environment do students need that creates a culture of acceptance…
Thinking Differently
Throughout the day we have opportunities to think differently, to value thought patterns that might not be our own, and ask questions from different viewpoints. The question that I have been wondering about is how often do the adults think differently so that students can think differently? We are in a profession that is helping…
Imagination Trumps All
Interesting title huh? Truly our imagination is what we need to be successful. Imagination is what leads us to possible options to solve many of the problems we face. Yet how many times a day does our imagination get to come out and be seen by others? I’ve started our week back with an art…
Perspective through Art/Design
I came across the #k12artchallenge today and thought that it would be a great way to bring perspective into what we do in our classroom. Perspective is: a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view. Perspective is huge when it comes to design. Perspective allows for feedback, reflection, thinking. Perspective is…
Collaboration, not just with adults
To learn in just one way is to do a disservice to what learning truly is. Think of all the different ways that people learn, visually, online, books, social media, making, and more. If we were to just choose one way to learn, would we be better? Would we be where we are today? Those…
Curiosity, Exploration, Wonder 