Thinking outside the sphere.
Sphere just doesn't sound as good as 'box'. The metaphorical box allows us to conceptualise the sum of human understanding. The box as a well known container fits the bill nicely.
But it can't be a box. I was thinking that an ideal model of human understanding would be a sphere. The sphere would symbolise a balanced understanding of the human condition and existence.
Take it a stage further and the new metaphor takes on the appearance of a lumpy sphere. Perhaps there are lengthy pseudopodia representing technological advances. The representation suggesting that not everyone is connected to the concept.
To think beyond the sphere or box is to be unconnected, lacking value. Even 'standing on the shoulders of giants' retains the connection to the sphere of human understanding. Who knows what lies beyond the sphere.
Box is nice, box is comfortable, it allows us to work in new conceptual spaces but I feel still feel the sphere needs to have its day.
Friday, October 29, 2010
A fun way to tell students about their homework.
This is not so much about the homework but just a fun way to let the students know what they have to do. Send the students an email link leading to the cartoon below.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Connective Thinking or Creative Thinking?
Sir Ken Robertson famously accuses schools of killing creativity. Elsewhere he and others have laid the blame on the school system, standardised tests, poor teaching but only passingly on poor teachers (not the same thing).
We're all engaged by the un-inhibited thinking of little children and Robertson like others enjoys making this connection. I would suggest to you that we should not be duped into believing that the cute behaviour of little children is necessarily the type of creative thinking we need to foster in older school children.
Perhaps it is a kind of small c, creative thinking, within the unconnected world of the young child. These children are building mental models of their reality and playing out these scenarios allows them to test and reform their mental models.
This is a very different thing to the type of creative thinking shown by teenagers or adults. I find Gardner's definition of creativity more useful in this situation. In 'Five Minds for the Future' he suggest that creative thinking produces a synthesis which extends our understanding. Extends our capacity to explain, interpret, analyse or empathise with our world.
This type of creative thinking occurs at the edge of our understanding, extends the 'edge' but it needs to remain connected to be useful or have value. In this respect we find a contrast between 'grown up' creative thinking and that of the young child. The young kindergarten child is 'creating' within the box, not outside the box (or on the edge). This type of thinking is trying to make connections with that which has already established and also within the bounds of what is already established.
Perhaps the real problem is the vocabulary. Perhaps the confusion, difference of opinion is actually caused by the term 'creative' rather than our understanding of the process.
We're all engaged by the un-inhibited thinking of little children and Robertson like others enjoys making this connection. I would suggest to you that we should not be duped into believing that the cute behaviour of little children is necessarily the type of creative thinking we need to foster in older school children.
Perhaps it is a kind of small c, creative thinking, within the unconnected world of the young child. These children are building mental models of their reality and playing out these scenarios allows them to test and reform their mental models.
This is a very different thing to the type of creative thinking shown by teenagers or adults. I find Gardner's definition of creativity more useful in this situation. In 'Five Minds for the Future' he suggest that creative thinking produces a synthesis which extends our understanding. Extends our capacity to explain, interpret, analyse or empathise with our world.
This type of creative thinking occurs at the edge of our understanding, extends the 'edge' but it needs to remain connected to be useful or have value. In this respect we find a contrast between 'grown up' creative thinking and that of the young child. The young kindergarten child is 'creating' within the box, not outside the box (or on the edge). This type of thinking is trying to make connections with that which has already established and also within the bounds of what is already established.
Perhaps the real problem is the vocabulary. Perhaps the confusion, difference of opinion is actually caused by the term 'creative' rather than our understanding of the process.
The Purpose of Planning
Plan your curriculum
Plan your lessons
So that you can change your mind with purpose.
Plan your lessons
So that you can change your mind with purpose.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The New Dawn for ICT
Management information systems (MIS) have ruled the past 20 years of education. Deployed as costing cutting, auditing and number crunching systems they have been very successful.
Whilst being a success as a management tool the MIS was a singular failure as a reformer of learning practice.
If anything the momentum of bureaucratic process established by the MIS has now become the unstoppable force that teachers have to over come to reform the learning process.
But things have changed, the democratisation of media has provided teachers with new opportunities. Real tools, tools that work, tools of today, which will cause change tomorrow.
No more false dawns for educational reform, the tools for reform are now in the hands of the classroom teacher. Such teachers will cause change, reform, the are the new leaders.
Seek the tools, empower yourself
Whilst being a success as a management tool the MIS was a singular failure as a reformer of learning practice.
If anything the momentum of bureaucratic process established by the MIS has now become the unstoppable force that teachers have to over come to reform the learning process.
But things have changed, the democratisation of media has provided teachers with new opportunities. Real tools, tools that work, tools of today, which will cause change tomorrow.
No more false dawns for educational reform, the tools for reform are now in the hands of the classroom teacher. Such teachers will cause change, reform, the are the new leaders.
Seek the tools, empower yourself
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