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This week’s focus in integrated arts was creativity. The definition of creativity is “the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness”. In the lecture we were asked the question ‘are schools killing creativity?’ In schools, the focus is moving away from the creative subjects and moving towards the academic subjects. However, this should not be the case as it is essential for pupils to express their creativity and the arts is the best way to do this. Czikszentmihalyi was a psychologist who believed that schools do not encourage their pupils to be creative. He stated “it seems schools do not have much impact on the lives of creative people. Schools seem to extinguish the interest and curiosity that the child had discovered outside its walls.” This shows that schools try to create critical thinkers rather than encourage creativity.

 

Firstly, in art we got the chance to make our own paintbrushes using multiple materials such as wool, thread and wooden sticks. This can be seen in the above picture on the right. The purpose of this task was to allow us to be creative by not using a regular paintbrush. We were allowed to use our imaginations and create our own idea of what a paintbrush should look like. We were then told to use our paintbrushes to paint a picture. A story was read out to us describing a scene which we had to remember and then paint. This encourages creativity as everyone’s pictures ended up looking different. We were able to imagine what the scene looked like and from memory, try to paint it, which can be seen in the above picture on the left. No one felt nervous about this task as everyone knew their picture would not turn out perfect as we used our homemade paintbrushes. This took the anxiety away from the task and everyone ended up enjoying themselves. Therefore, creativity is essential in the classroom. Children should be given the opportunity to use their imagination without the fear of looking bad in front of their peers. Tasks like the one we carried out would be great in the classroom as children would be free to express themselves without any embarrassment.

 During the music input we were discussing improvisation. In order for children to be creative during a music lesson they must have the opportunity to improvise. We were asked to play a solo on the xylophone. A tune was played in the background to assist us. Each person played a different tune. The point of this task is for us to show our creativity. It was also to teach us to that children need to be given the chance to use their imagination in schools and they do not always have to follow a guide or set of instructions. Teachers do not always have to plan lessons for pupils and give them step-by-step instructions, by letting children guide their own learning they are free to be creative and independent.

 Overall, creativity is vital for children and their education. Teachers need to be aware that they must teach creativity to a certain extent but also, they must let their pupils learn to be creative on their own. Both are important, and children must be allowed both within their education. Schools must encourage creativity rather than kill it. This does not have to be difficult, teachers can encourage creativity by allowing children to ask more questions and work collaboratively. By incorporating this into lessons we will be encouraging children to expressive themselves more. Curriculum for Excellence believes that creative learning is important within education and it can have a massive impact on children. They have stated “Creativity is a process which generates ideas that have value to the individual.  It involves looking at familiar things with a fresh eye, examining problems with an open mind, making connections, learning from mistakes and using imagination to explore new possibilities.” This means that children will have the chance to come up with their own ideas and thoughts on things, this encourages them to be expressive. The more children learn how to be creative the more their confidence will grow.

 

References

Creativity Across Learning 3-18 (2013) [online] Education Scotland. Available: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/18518/7/Creativity3to18_tcm4-814361_Redacted.pdf [Accessed: 02 October 2018]

Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi (n.d) Creativity Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. Available: http://moodle1819.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/45629/mod_resource/content/1/creativity-by-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi.pdf [Accessed: 02 October 2018]

Oxford dictionaries (n.d) [online] Available: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/creativity [Accessed: 02 October 2018]

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As part of our workshop for Situated Communication this week, we ventured outside with the task of ‘building a den’. This task was done in groups, meaning communication was crucial.

Group and leadership

• Within my group, there wasn’t really a set leader throughout the task. I feel that we all took turns at being the ‘leader’ at different stages.
• One positive trait that everyone showed was determination and were ready to give it our best shot. The verbal communication within our group was good and clear meaning everyone was on the same page and no one was isolated and not knowing what to do.
• I often found that we would discuss ideas in smaller groups of the team and then feedback to everyone once we had a solid plan of action.
• The most challenging thing that I found working within the group was the amount of people for the task, especially to begin with. Everyone had ideas and wanted to share them with each other but looking back, I think if we had discussed this within smaller parts of the group and then did some feedback to the full group with possible ideas and contributions then this could have been more successful and less time consuming.

Explaining

• I think that our groups explaining and overall communication was effective. I always knew what was going on, who was doing what and what our end goal was due to clear discussion. This was shown as everyone was constantly doing something and nobody was standing around with nothing to do, everyone was helping and supporting one another.
• If we were to improve on one thing it would be the preparation behind who was discussing what part of the process. Although our presentation and explanation to the other group was fine, we could have put more thought into who was saying what in order for everyone to have a chance at explaining.

Environment 

• The environment impacted our groups decision making. Due to being in such an open space, we became very indecisive as to where to build the den. It was a bit of a distraction to begin with as we were in a different environment than what we were used to.
• I think that if the weather had been different (eg. windy, rain etc.) then we may have struggled more with the volume of our voices, however the weather was dry and not too windy so it didn’t affect us too much. If this had been the case then a louder voice would be necessary in order to get information across to all members of the group to prevent miscommunication or confusion. By using a louder voice, this doesn’t necessarily mean shouting but instead articulating your voice and speaking clearly, this would be effective so everyone can hear and understand whats happening.

Negotiation 

• Our negotiations were successful. We bargained with another group and explained why we needed the item and what they could use as a replacement to it. Therefore, we offered an alternative solution in order to benefit ourselves and them.
• This was challenging as it meant speaking and negotiating with different people that I might not have yet spoken to properly, however I found this beneficial as it created conversation that might not have happened otherwise.

Group and leadership

• We didn’t have a particular group leader although there were a couple of individuals who took control of particular activities or initiated next steps in an informal way.
• We all knew it was an informal leadership as there was no debate amongst us as to who should be leader.
• It wasn’t voiced that there was any resentment or feeling of exclusion although it may have been wise to have asked if anyone felt uncomfortable. I felt the group worked well this way and very efficiently. We had a good mix of confidence between us as well as an awareness of each of our personality and encouraged one another in our particular strengths.
• The biggest challenge for me was not portraying a motherly attitude being an older member of the group. I felt we needed to work as equals and direct each other for the benefit of the task in hand. I am happy on reflection I felt I did that quite well.

Explaining

• I felt the group explained very well to each other. Ideas were discussed between us and any problems that might occur and how we might solve them.
• We talked about how we might attach the tarpaulin to provide shelter over the top of our den and members of the group demonstrated what we might do to achieve this.
• A member of the group demonstrated how to unfold a cardboard box to use as a suitable constructive material also which proved to be a positive motivation for the group and a source of empowerment for the group member.
• We may have missed out some elaboration in the presentation and didn’t do a post mortem in following the 5 p’s From Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication. 5th Edition. London: Routlege

Environment

• There was a buzz of activity and energy within the group.
• We had to talk slightly louder than in a classroom area and indicate more clearly who the questions or requests were aimed at using body language and eye contact.
• It was a little more difficult to get a person’s attention as we worked due to the noise from the other groups and dog walkers etc and we had to raise our voices slightly, to be heard.
• We used eye contact and body language to attract the listener’s attention rather than shouting at them making it easier to communicate without appearing rude or over bearing.
• We came closer like a huddle to hear and see better what ideas and information was being communicated.

Negotiation

• It was difficult to negotiate with the other groups and we were unsuccessful. We had agreed on what we would negotiate with but might have been better to have discussed more how we would have negotiated (what to say, ideas on what the material could be used for) we should also have discussed more who would be the best negotiator (a group member not having a specific task volunteered). In the end we all tried together but think it was too close to the end of the task and most people were completed.
• It was very challenging being convincing to the other groups while negotiating.

Group and Leadership

As I was absent from the den building task I will be giving an im-put on what I feel like the task would have been from a collection of reports from a few of my fellow BA1 students. In some groups there was a group leader but few groups preferred to all work together collaboratively. The group leaders would naturally take charge and not be appointed by their groups. Whilst working in the group many people felt like they weren’t being listened to which made communication between the other members of the group.

Explaining 

As communication was thought to be a problem as many people were said to have been running around looking for materials and not taking into consideration other peoples thoughts and opinions then the task could have became very unclear very quickly.  A few people felt like the Planning stage of the 5Ps was missed out as they weren’t being listened to and that others had their own plan whilst not sharing them with the group.

Environment 

As the surrounding environment to the group would have been very busy and very noisy it made the communication very difficult however not impossible as many groups were successful in creating a den.  It was very challenging to both speak to and hear people but it was all about changing the tone in your voice and how you spoke to that specific person. It was not about something over the noise but it was about being able to make yourself heard in the noise which is a vital skill to have in a classroom environment. As the environment was very different to what BA students are used to so it made the communication more difficult but everyone adapted very well and were able to make themselves heard whilst not screaming and shouting at one another.

Negotiation 

Many groups were successful in their negotiations as they were able to swap and trade materials with others groups in order to make their dens more stable and practical. I can imagine that two different groups trying to agree on different materials to swap and trade would have been the most difficult part to agree on as both groups would have wanted the best materials for their den.

Group and Leadership

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Was there a Group Leader?

A couple of people took charge at different points throughout the session.

How was this Chosen?

The group leaders weren’t really chosen as people would naturally take charge in certain situations.

If informal, how did you know? What were the actions that marked them as a leader?

When someone would take charge they would tell you what to do and would ask what other group members thought. They tended to speak clearly and made sure everyone knew what was happening.

How did this impact on the rest of the group?

This made sure that everyone in the group knew what was happening and had the chance to share their thoughts and suggestions as to how we would build our den.

What was most challenging for you about working in this group?

The most challenging thing about working in this group was that since a few people were off it meant there was less people in our group which made it harder to come up with more ideas and solutions to problems that arose. Also, since I had never really built a den like this I found it hard to help come up with ideas of how to build it and help provide options as to what to do.

Explaining

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How clearly did you think the group explained to you? What made this clear or unclear?

The group explained their method of how they built their den very clearly as each member of the group had something to say and used clear and projected voices. They also used hand gestures and eye contact when presenting their den which helped keep us interested in heir explanation. The group also let us see inside their den which gave as a better understanding of the method they used to build it. They also made sure they didn’t digress from what they were saying which made sure we understood what they were talking about and also didn’t get bored.

Environment

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What was the impact of the environment on your communication?

Since we were outside and it was quite windy we had to make sure we spoke louder than we would inside to make sure that we all heard each other. Due to the wind the trees would move quite loudly so you had to concentrate on others when they were talking to make sure you understood what was going on.

What changes did you make when explaining to others that you might not have considered in a typical classroom?

We had to speak louder as the wind was quite loud and it was a more open space. We also had to make sure the wind wasn’t distracting if it started to become stronger and move the trees, our hair or the bin bags on our den.

How challenging was it so speak above the sounds in the environment? How can we make this communication easier on both speaker and listener?

It was challenging at times as the wind was sometimes stronger and louder than at other times which made the speaker have to speak louder and the listener had to concentrate more on what was being said. This communication could be made easier for the listener if the speaker spoke louder.

When listening, did the environment distract you? How can we overcome this?

At certain times the environment did distract me as it was windy and if people were talking and walking at the same time it was harder to concentrate as we ha to be careful not to trip over sticks on the ground or even the uneven surface. We overcame this by either talking louder or waiting for the wind to calm down, we also made sure to talk when we weren’t walking so that we could make sure we were paying attention to what was being said.

Negotiation

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Were your negotiations successful? Why/Why not?

Our negotiation was to try and convince another group to let us have something that was a vital part to their den. It was successful as, a member of our group was able to convince another group that what we wanted wasn’t vital to their den. Since she used clear points as to why we should have it and why they don’t need it meant we were able to be successful in our negotiation.

What was most challenging about these?

The most challenging part about our negotiation task was that we had to get something that was vital to another group which we thought would be really hard because we didn’t think we’d be able to convince anybody to give us something that was important. Since it had to be vital we also had to wait a bit before we could start our negotiation task and we also had to have a look around to see what would also be useful to our group.

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