For those schools who really want to bake creativity into their core being…weave it into much of what they do…breathe it in like air as a taken for grantedness some day, then they better dig into, unpack, and implement the stuff mentioned just in this 1 min, 20 sec.
And it wouldn’t hurt to re-imagine, re-solve, and re-purpose school according to many of these lessons…
TED Radio Hour:
And don’t forget GRIT!
Yesterday, someone sent me an email about Warren T. Jackson’s 4th Grade Class led by Ms. Campbell. In part of the email, Ms. Campbell explains,
Earlier this year, my students were inspired by the Apple Education Summit and its introduction of interactive, digital textbooks on the iPad. In class we tied what we learned about this new technology in with American history to produce our persuasive essays titled, Common Sense: 2012,” inspired by Thomas Paine’s original “Common Sense in 1776.
In their writing my students discussed and persuaded why textbooks on the iPad were the inevitable replacement of the paper textbook, and the time is NOW.
Their ideas were so spectacular, Dr. Reich encouraged us to film them. I took it a step further by applying for the PTA “Teaching in Excellence” Grant. We ended up winning and produced it as a professional movie!
I am inspired by Ms. Campbell’s classroom leadership and educational innovation. I am inspired by Dr. Reich’s administration encouragement. I am inspired by the support of the PTA. I am inspired by one of my local, public elementary schools! And I am inspired by those amazing 4th graders. KUDOS to you for what you created and for that which you are advocating! [Watch them at http://www.commonsensekids.org/ to be inspired!]
I love the art and science of storytelling. I am not the storyteller that I one day will be, but I am committed to practicing. Last night, I wandered onto Jason Kottke’s The art of film and TV title design. His post made me think – What would the title sequence look like for the course that I facilitate…for the school that I lead? How would teachers and administrators design the “film or TV titles” of various school elements? How would we visually tell those stories? Shouldn’t we be thinking about that? Shouldn’t we want title series that invite people in, excite them, and compel them to be part of the story of our learning?
What if school could be more play-based, more project-based, more passion-based? What if school could look more like Caine’s Arcade? [WATCH the 10 minutes! You won’t regret it.]
A boy, a dad, and a stranger share the roles of “teacher” and “student.” There’s math, engineering, communications, design, sociology, social media, economics, marketing, ethics,…
[Many thanks to @occam98 for making me aware of Caine’s Arcade! My boys are saving boxes now!]
Most schools offer “History,” and many provide “Study Hall.” What if we offered “News?” Various points of entry for current events and modern journalism could be explored. By nature, the topic is transdisciplinary and PBL-rich. I can imagine weaving in every discipline. In “Studio Hall,” learners of all ages could use time to create, not just to complete (Study Hall’s focus).
it's about learning 