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Open publication - Free publishing - More manual

Article: Indian Express

'Make kids creative by changing the way they are taught'

Thu, Sep 30 05:52 AM

"If we want our children to be creative, there is an immediate need to change the way we are teaching them," said Kerala-based educationist K B Jinan. He was in the city recently to talk about why the present education system needs a paradigm shift to retain the creativity of children.

Jinan has been documenting the behaviour of children in rural as well as urban settings in places like Nagaland, Bihar, Orissa and now Kerala. He has been studying the differences in the behavourial patterns in these different settings and has reached the conclusion that teaching children through strictly structured curriculum makes a child lose his natural creative ability.

"I have interacted with children in the slums of Hyderabad and have found the astonishing fact that most of the children there can fluently speak at least four languages such as Kannada, Tamil, Telegu and Hindi. However, they do not have any teacher to teach languages. It is simply their ability to grasp what they are watching and hearing. It is such a cognitive process and there is so much of natural learning taking place here," said Jinan.

He said learning is a more biological realm whereas teaching is psychological, thus both the processes belong to two completely different paradigms. "We impose set rules on children, thereby disturbing their natural learning process. What I feel is children are more innocent, open and humble who do not know anything about the vices of that it is we who should learn from them," he said.

Jinan is an engineer and did a course from National Institute of Design (NID). He says his outlook towards education changed when he was at the NID. "NID is a place where students are not taught. They are just left to be and that is where they come up with the most amazing designs. You take responsibility for what you learn. You think, you read, with no external pressure. We need to have similar teaching processes for children. Our system needs flexibility."

Jinan also said since after parents, a child spends maximum time with teachers. "Children are being taught skills of reasoning and memory in schools, which are useful for analysing what is known. But what about the unknown? A child's creativity is getting killed with the old methods of teaching. The brain is getting used to static memorised information. What we need to do is to let them learn naturally. That is the only way how their creativity can be retained."

Trying out Layouts.

I was just having fun with the layout wanted it to be like a journal.

Having fun!!

Session 17+18: Combined classes!!

It was the first time that both class 4 and class 3 were together in our sessions. We were to work towards the performance now. The kids are extremely excited and enthusiastic about the performance. We have started taking longer sessions also. We divided them into groups of air water and earth and one group called humans, sticking with their earlier narrative idea. We got MUSIC and percussion in for the first time. The idea is that there is going to be no dialogue and the kids will make their own music. We also brought the other materials in that we have been working with in previous session like, newspaper, cloth, drawings. They are beginning to realise the importance of the past sessions and have started to combine all their leanings.
According to the element we divided the instruments. We asked them to choose what instrument would compliment their movement and feeling of their element. The school has a bunch of extremely unusual and interesting instruments that we are working with. One of the exercises we did in the beginning to get them comfortable with these instruments was conversing with themselves as an element group with no dialogue. Music being their words and expressions. If they wanted they could add a body movement to enhance their conversation they could feel free to do so. We also told them to fell free to pop up and give an opinion or an idea which comes to their minds. One keen idea they have is to draw on stage and to hang paper birds to build up the feeling of a forest.
Only the elements will have instruments, Humans will use their movements and voices to make music and express. Their bodies have become so comfortable to response and move freely. They are not inhibited or scared to say the strangest things because they know we will listen and they are "allowed" to voice out what they think in class. One thing that was amazing to see was how both the classes fed off each other without the discrimination of age or class. The kids enjoy themselves and love to play loud music and get over excited. They are not getting bored because there isn't a structure or a particular tune to what they are playing but the experiment and feed off each others instrument. Even int he middle of the performance they can exchange instruments if they like. There are no fixed instruments allotted to a child so every time they get new ones to play.
On the first day when we introduced music first we made them express with their bodies like the other session and then with music but we didn't ask them to moved. We asked them to freeze in a position of the element and play responding to each other. We told them there are no dialogues in this performance so if u have to say anything to each other either mime it or say it with your instrument. When you don't have your voice then your expression on your face and body language get enhanced because you are trying to convey what u mean in the best way possible so that another person understands. We depend on our voices a lot and when its taken away from us we explore other methods of expressing. The kids were so amazed to see that Beatrice and me could understand exactly what they mean.

Just Drawings!!!!

This exercise was done in their EVS class with their EVS teacher to highlight the difference in the child when you break out of the classroom mode and book learning. From their drawings, children came up with concepts that surprised the teacher. These were not talked about in class or taught to them. The children had a lot of fun doing this and they felt proud of their work. I wanted to highlight to the teacher the difference between the child when hes relaxed and enjoying himself and when he is in a formal environment like class and with books. It was a successful exercise, we will have an exhibition of the child's work by the end of this project.

Session 15: Class |V D

This session was great!! This was the first time i felt that the kids were free and responding well with body and sounds. They have begun to explore their space and levels and even body parts and movement and how each part of their body moves and expresses. We made them together do situations and comparisons between scenarios and locations. They adapted well to the change and the pace of the session and the understood the difference well which you could see in their movement. The are understanding the difference between freedom and rigidness of both expression and movement through the elements. After that we divided them into groups to come up with possible ideas keeping in mind all the sessions we have done and come up with an idea for what they want to present as a performance. It was a hard thing for them to do. Kids take time to adjust to things and i feel after so long they have become comfortable with their bodies and expressions because it depends on a lot of things, moods, weather, focus, fun. So making them come up with stories or narratives is a little tough because they are still stuck in the "moral mode," because they write like that in their classes and have been tough to do so, since they were younger. After the session we asked them how they felt and they said " When we were in the forest we felt free and fresh and in the city we felt cramped and heavy." We encourage then to think like an element, feel like and element rather than feeling like a human.
But in all there is a difference between the first day and today!!! Little difference but still-a difference!

:)

A girl from class 3C was very excited about her character Mrs Rosy. She wrote a story on her. You can read the story here:

"Mrs Rosy was a good person. She had seven friends. She always miss her friends. She always be happy. One day she was having a race with the sun. But the sun won. Next day she was very sad. She decided to race with Venus. Then also Venus won. Again she was sad. She was sad because she couldn't race fastly. Now, she went to the doctor. She told him all her story, he said "What you have is good." She didn't realise her mistake. Then also she was again sad. One day she was running so fastly then she fall. A lot of blood came.
Moral- We should be happy with what you have. "

Ideation

Session 13: Class |V D

The session with class 4 D was really similar to the one I did with class 3 C. We divided them into groups and asked them to come up with a story on the elements either using all the three or just one or two. They worked in teams. We realised that they suddenly became rigid in the exercise when the dialogue was brought in. Beatrice then made them do a freeing exercise. One thing i noticed is that all the stories had a moral to it. They were doing acts that they thought we wanted to see. I kept telling them to express rather than have a moral behind everything. It was extremely hard for them as they have been conditioned to have a moral behind everything since they were a child. Being able to express what they feel is a new concept to them and it is very hard to break out of a structure. This is one thing we need to work on!

User Research

I decided to give 10 parents and 10 teachers a questionnaire to gain insights about how children learn best and the differences in a child when he is playing as compared to when the child is in class.

Session 12 : Class ||| C

This was the first session I was conducting alone without Beatrice. I was extremely nervous. We had decided earlier to start moving these kids towards story and narrative building based on their characters.
We started the session by a sentence game each person had to say one word for the completion of the sentence related to the elements. "Once upon a time there was a good air, good water and good earth who lived together in a big house in a forest." This was the sentence the class came up with. We closed our eyes and then imagined a forest and a big house, and your element in the forest. They began to move.
It was interesting to see how they moved trying to be an element in a given space. They were trying to express the freedom of the elements. While they were moving i secretly choose two humans from the elements and just asked them "What happens to the elements and the forest when we humans come in?"
I left it open enough for them to move and create a situation. The humans started cutting down all the trees and polluting the air with smoke and throwing garbage in the water. The elements became angry.
I then put out another question to the elements, "What happens when air water and earth become angry?"
Like this we build a narrative. The air water and earth against the humans have a tiff and ultimately the two humans won destroying all the elements and the trees.

Then I changed the location from the forest to the city. "How are the elements different in the city as compared to the forest?"
They started acknowledging these questions and they started thinking differently. But in the city i made more humans and less elements. They clearly understood the difference between the two scenarios and acted accordingly. They really enjoyed being the humans!!!

Observation

In the school there is something called the DR(Discovery room), which is their practical lab. Through this lab they try and do hands on learning and field trips. One of the games they play is A journey to green land. This game is very simply put, its aim is to teach the child good deeds and bad deeds about the environment. You start at the stalk of the leaf and as you go if you fall on a good deed square you go forward 2 steps and if you fall on a bad deed square you go back two steps. This game requires a dice and a counter for each player.

The good deeds include: e.g:
- Played music on low volume.
- Collected rain water to wash your bicycle.
- Used slate and chalk to do home work.

The bad deeds include: e.g:
- You threw left over food.
- You burnt garbage.
- Plucked flowers.
- Wrote your name on a monument.
- Threw stones at a stray dog.

Product: Concept sketches

Concept 1:
- Scenarios + flash cards (Game in a form of a book so that the child is free enough to choose their own location and as per location there will be activity cards.)
- e.g: Goosebumps, Choose your own ending.
- Interactive
- the flash cards can either stand alone as activity cards or can go with the book.
- Locations: Market place, classroom, bathroom, room, park, beach, forest, city.
- Each location will have a game within the bigger game.
- Can be played individual or in a team with players.
- Game directed through a mascot.

Concept 2:
- Normal activity flash cards about the subject. (something like facts+activity cards)
- portable and children can carry them everywhere.
- a larger group can play.
- Can be played with two or more people.

Concept 3:
- Story book plus activity.
- Individual
- Narrative about the subject with activities in it.

Concept 4:
- Board game e.g: Life
- 2-6 players, teams
- starting line-finish line
- Narrative.
- Sequential with rules.

Activity Structure

Learning through Creative play.

Article by Leah Mann editing assistance from Diana Coogle, Amy Williams and Ela Lamblin.

Learning and play can be simultaneous
At the New Horizons Conference, Lelavision will demonstrate the manifestation of this art process I just described in performance as well as provide experiential activities from our kinetic, aural, spacial and play-filled tool belt. Within our process of discovery and creation we have a motto: "Never let the fear of being bad at something stop you from trying!" We learn so much from our "mistakes," and often they become unexpected discoveries that feed and propel our work forward.

What does Ms. Frizzle of The Magic School Bus say? "Let's get messy, take chances, make mistakes!!!!" (And learn from them!) I'd like to think that this mentality could propel students through graduation!

When Ela and I teach residencies, we often ask the students, "If necessity is the mother of invention, what would you create?" Across the board, whether students are affluent or impoverished, the number one answer is "a money-making machine." Though children in our western society seem to think the solution to their problems is best solved by outside sources, all us educators have the great opportunity to encourage them to look inward, to use their brainpower and imagination, which is their best, most accessible tool.

The second most common reply is "a homework machine-- because schoolwork is no fun." But what if fun and learning were merged more often? When Ela was young, his father made a deal with him, saying "I won't buy you any toys, but I'll help you make whatever you want." This symbiotic learning/playing process has fostered a lifestyle based in a love of science, math, engineering and invention. That same creative and learning-based lifestyle blossoms into our performances and underscores our teaching. Using gestures and sounds, we teach physics. Using whole-body and group sentences, we teach grammar. Using students as the polyrhythmic equations, we teach math.

What will your doorway be?
You know the saying? "Give a person a fish and they eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and they eat for a lifetime." How can we teach our children to have the gumption to stand up to life with all its challenges with well developed skills in invention, creative problem solving, self-motivated learning / inquiry / discovery?

What if education was fun and everyone got to play? What if the joy of learning radiated from everyone in the classroom – teachers and students alike? Would students stay in school? Would they score just as well (or better!) on standardized tests? What if "creative spark" set afire the imagination to serve all subjects and "play" became a synonym for "learn"?

"Do what I say, not what I do"

Word Associations

I made the kids write down the first thing that came to their minds when they thought of these words.

Project zero

Project Zero's mission is to understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as in humanistic and scientific disciplines, at individual and institutional levels.

One of the projects i was looking at was the The Creative Classroom Project "Although most people might look for signs of creativity in the appearance of the bulletin boards, student made projects, centers, and displays in a classroom, I feel that the truly creative classroom goes way beyond what can be seen with the eyes. It is a place where bodies and minds actively pursue new knowledge. Having a creative classroom means that the teacher takes risks on a daily basis and encourages his/her students to do the same."
—Pann Baltz, 1993 ATA Teacher of the Year

In the project, we take the stance that creative teaching must build on a foundation of solid pedagogy. However, creative teaching is not merely a higher plateau of practice. Creative teaching requires a fundamental move out of a safe zone for the teacher. Therefore, creative teaching is not necessarily the next logical step beyond good teaching practices. We see creative teaching as more generative and responsive teaching rather than just more effective teaching. In the current climate of high-stakes testing and mandated curriculum, creative and innovating teaching is perhaps more important than ever as it keeps classrooms energetic places of learning.

Another project I was looking at was Artful learning
The program focuses on experiencing and appreciating art, rather than making art. There are two broad goals of the program: (1) To help teachers create rich connections between works of art and curricular topics; and (2) to help teachers use art as a force for developing students’ thinking dispositions.

The program takes the image of an artist’s palette as its central metaphor. Typically, a palette is made up of a relatively small number of basic colors which can be used and blended in a great variety of ways. The artful thinking palette is comprised of 6 thinking dispositions which emphasize intellectual behaviors such as asking provocative questions, making careful observations, exploring multiple viewpoints, and reasoning with evidence. These 6 dispositions are developed through the use of "thinking routines." Thinking routines are short, easy-to-learn mini-strategies that extend and deepen students’ thinking and become part of the fabric of everyday classroom life. They are used flexibly and repeatedly--with art, and with a wide variety of topics in the curriculum, particularly in language arts and social studies

What is the Method Iam using?

Meeting Standards through Integrated Curriculum by Susan.M.Drake and Rebecca.C.Burns
In this reading it is stated that there are three kinds of integrated curriculum: Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary and Trasndisciplinary. I realised that the method I am using is a mixture between Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary, at different stages. In the table below I have highlighted the different methods being used at various stages.