Instructions for Series of Creativity & Innovation Forum Blog Posts
August 13, 2015
During the second year of the Massachusetts Creativity and Innovation Initiative (Fund Code 189)the initiative isfocusing on dissemination ofstrategies and ideas as well as continuation of the grant projects. As part of this dissemination strategy, we are asking each grantee to contribute to a series of brief articles to be published in the Creativity and Innovation Forum.
This series will feature one post from each of the eleven grant programs, running from October to June, with 1-2 posts each month. Posts will be shared on the Creativity and Innovation Forum, as well as sent to forum subscribers via the weekly digest emails. Posts may also be cross-published elsewhere or shared in conference presentations during the year.
FOR EACH GRANTEE PROGRAM: Write a forum post exploring some aspect of the question: “What are the ingredients that help schools and classrooms foster student creativity and innovation?”
Posts should brief – suggested length 400-500 words / 3-5 paragraphs.
These posts should:
- Focus onone of the elements described in the Creativity & Innovation Rubric. The forum post should focus on one or more of the elements of creativity and innovation described in the Creativity and Innovation Rubric (see list of suggested topics below).
- Describe experiences from your grant project (or related projects) and apply to general principles. You can describe strategies and approaches from yourcreativity/innovation project, and then highlight some general principles that can be applied in other classrooms and across other subject areas.
- Pose a question to invite feedback and discussion. The forum post should open or close with a question that invites responses by readers. You might ask readers to respond to a broad question about the philosophy of teaching creativity and innovation; a question about concepts and definitions; or more specific questions about challenges, solutions, project examples, assessment approaches or other issues.
SUGGESTED TOPICS
Connections across disciplines
From your experience, what are some advantages and/or challenges of designing cross-disciplinary projects? Has cross-disciplinary work helped students to build creativity and innovation skills? Has cross-disciplinary work helped students see the value of creativity and innovation in varied settings, both inside and outside of school?
Alignment with frameworks
What skills, concepts and topics within the curriculum frameworks for your subject area provide a platform for challenging projects that build students’ skills in active inquiry, creativity and innovation?
Initiative, risk-taking, and persistence
How have you structured your projects to encourage initiative, risk-taking, and persistence? What are some challenges, strategies and benefits of creating an environment that allows trial-and-error and making and learning from mistakes?
Collaboration
How have you structured your projects so that students can take an active role in shaping the project, collaborating with teachers and other students in leadership of the project? From your experience, how does the development of student voice, leadership, collaboration and teamwork complement the development of creativity and innovation skills?
Creative thinking skills -- fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration
Do you see growth in your students’ ability to exercisedivergent thinking and creative thinking skills? Literature about fostering creative thinking defines four core skills -- fluency (many ideas), flexibility (adaptability to changes; varied ideas), originality (new, unusual or unique ideas), and elaboration (add/expand details to ideas).
Time and resources
How have you designed your project to allow students time and resources to support creativity -- includingtime to experiment and tinker,and access to resourcessuch as various media, technologies, mentors/experts; visits to a business, lab, or gallery, or other resources. What are the challenges, strategies and benefits of providing time and resources for creativity?
Tools and techniques
From your experience, has the introduction of varied tools and techniques helped students to develop creativity and innovation skills? (Such as tools and techniques for creating graphics, images, and symbols, building models, creating simulations, presenting performances, designing exhibits, or other tools, techniques or modes of expression.)
Exploration of classroom, personal, community and career/workplace-related interests
Literature about fostering student creativity and innovation emphasizes the value of applying creativity skills across all types of settings and interest areas, including classroom subjects, personal interests, community and career/workplace-related interests. How has your project helped students to build skills that apply across various settings and interest areas?
Technical skills
To what extent has your project given students the opportunity to exercise technical skills relevant to classroom, personal, community and career/workplace-related interests? To what extent does development of these technical skills complement development of creative thinking skills?
Assessment and grading
How have you used assessment to encourage creativity and to evaluate both the creative process and the final product? What are some challenges, strategies, and benefits to designing an assessment process that encourages creativity?
Reflection
How have you structured your project to include opportunities for student reflection on the creative experience? How can you help students to reflect on the skills that support their creative work? How can you help students to reflect on future applications of this work in classroom, personal community and career/workplace-related settings?
School-wide culture for creativity
What strategies can help to build a school culture that encourages student creativity in classrooms and after-school activities? How can schools use curriculum maps, school mission statements, habits of mind, professional development plans and other guiding materials to encourage creativity?
Readiness for an innovation economy
What creativity-related experiences, skills and knowledge should students develop in elementary school, middle school and high school as preparation for active participation in a dynamic “innovation economy”?
Creativity in the local and regional economy
How can students in your community learn about the role of creativity and innovation in your local and regional economy? Does your local and regional economy have an active arts community, design sector, technology sector, small-business start-up centers or other sectors focused on creativity and innovation? Are local businesses, organizations and government entities engaged in innovative strategies around marketing, design, technology, community services, community development or other functions? How can (or does) your school help students to see the role of creativity in the economy?
School-family-community connections
What family and community connections have been important in your creativity-focused projects? What are some of the benefits of creating family and community connections for fostering student creativity?