We cannot create observers by saying 'observe,' but by giving them the power and the means for this observation and these means are procured through education of the senses. Maria Montessori
Create; bring (something) into existence. She created a beautiful garden.
synonyms: generate, produce, design, make, fabricate, fashion, manufacture, build, construct, erect, do
Create; bring (something) into existence. She created a beautiful garden.
synonyms: generate, produce, design, make, fabricate, fashion, manufacture, build, construct, erect, do
When you look at the word create and some of the synonyms for it, in reality, it means to make something (happen). That, in itself, describes the efforts of young children, who can be happily absorbed in making something that embeds their thoughts, even if the end product does not, to an adult eye, look like the intention.
“Look mummy, I’ve made a …” Smiles and pride…Response?
The incomplete nature of the product may be due to a lack of hand control, choice or availability of materials, but is, to the child, a work of immense pleasure. The making, in itself, gives pleasure.
You don’t have to be an expert to achieve that level.
You cannot create experience. You must undergo it. Albert Camus
“Look mummy, I’ve made a …” Smiles and pride…Response?
The incomplete nature of the product may be due to a lack of hand control, choice or availability of materials, but is, to the child, a work of immense pleasure. The making, in itself, gives pleasure.
You don’t have to be an expert to achieve that level.
You cannot create experience. You must undergo it. Albert Camus
Having created something, the act of reflecting on the process of creation can lead to practising specific aspects and improving elements of the process. That could be, in the case of the young learner, practising cutting with scissors to improve the cutting skill, or exploring alternative ways to join different materials together. Looking at and evaluating the outcomes from others can provide insights into personal needs for improvement, but also to other possibilities.
Improving discrete aspects of the process can lead to improvements in future outcomes.
My favourite words are possibilities, opportunities and curiosity. I think if you are curious, you create opportunities, and then if you open the doors, you create possibilities. Mario Testino
I have a problem with the use of the word creativity in education at the moment, as I think it is being over-used to the point where it has begun to lose its meaning, especially as it has been taken to only mean a few specific subjects by some.
Every subject has the potential for creativity, sometimes by design, sometimes by accident.
Creating can simply mean following a recipe or an instruction, step by step enabling something to emerge. This copyist approach has a place, especially if the steps are designed with specific processes in mind, so that they have to be practised and replicate several times to develop facility in that skill. This was the basis of the early Design Technology curriculum.
However, if the only diet in creating is the copyist route, the learner does not learn an essential skill; that of making appropriate decisions about selecting materials, organising work areas and working methods. It also undermines confidence to move away from the recipe, which can be restrictive. As EYFS children can show skills in these areas, it is a concern that older learners often struggle with that often as a consequence of a recipe based diet. They unlearn their natural curiosity and confidence, becoming less, rather than more independent.
Improving discrete aspects of the process can lead to improvements in future outcomes.
My favourite words are possibilities, opportunities and curiosity. I think if you are curious, you create opportunities, and then if you open the doors, you create possibilities. Mario Testino
I have a problem with the use of the word creativity in education at the moment, as I think it is being over-used to the point where it has begun to lose its meaning, especially as it has been taken to only mean a few specific subjects by some.
Every subject has the potential for creativity, sometimes by design, sometimes by accident.
Creating can simply mean following a recipe or an instruction, step by step enabling something to emerge. This copyist approach has a place, especially if the steps are designed with specific processes in mind, so that they have to be practised and replicate several times to develop facility in that skill. This was the basis of the early Design Technology curriculum.
However, if the only diet in creating is the copyist route, the learner does not learn an essential skill; that of making appropriate decisions about selecting materials, organising work areas and working methods. It also undermines confidence to move away from the recipe, which can be restrictive. As EYFS children can show skills in these areas, it is a concern that older learners often struggle with that often as a consequence of a recipe based diet. They unlearn their natural curiosity and confidence, becoming less, rather than more independent.
Circumstance can dictate periods when resilience and adaptability are tested. The need to “make do and mend” is often the point where this is so. At some point soon, I have to drain down my central heating system to take out some sediment that has built up. In seeking to do this a few days ago, I discovered that the drain valve has locked and cannot be used as planned. So I have to adopt a different approach, which will take longer, but which will clear the water, very slowly and allow me to replace the drain valve before putting it all back together again. It can be a case of “If you can see it, you can do it”.
Now that’s a practical solution to a problem and, in reality, that’s life. Occasionally things will happen and it need to be sorted, so that life can go on. Sometimes it means adapting circumstances. You may not have exactly what is needed at the time, so you improvise, sometimes a little more creatively than others.
Now that’s a practical solution to a problem and, in reality, that’s life. Occasionally things will happen and it need to be sorted, so that life can go on. Sometimes it means adapting circumstances. You may not have exactly what is needed at the time, so you improvise, sometimes a little more creatively than others.
Creativity, to me, is thinking around a problem or an issue and coming up with viable solutions. That may be a plot line in a story, an issue with a piece of art work or a practical issue. If you can see the problem, you might be able to see the solution.
The problem with a recipe/copyist approach is that the recipe deviser has already removed the problems from the process, so adaptability from the copyist is not required. Not required means not practised, so not developed and refined through use. This reductive approach does not bode well for future needs, when the recipe may not fit the needs of the problem.
As a classteacher, I often found that starting a task with the terms “create”, “design and make” or “show how” had a very positive impact, as it did not specify from the outset how something should be done. It also embedded the need to consider the process involved. Children were encouraged to make choices at every stage. They developed what I would term creative habits of mind, analysing the project, planning and approach, starting with the knowledge that adaptation was possible within the task, reflecting throughout and making decisions. They always finished by evaluating the outcomes for future reference.
Examples might be
They were my infant classes…
The problem with a recipe/copyist approach is that the recipe deviser has already removed the problems from the process, so adaptability from the copyist is not required. Not required means not practised, so not developed and refined through use. This reductive approach does not bode well for future needs, when the recipe may not fit the needs of the problem.
As a classteacher, I often found that starting a task with the terms “create”, “design and make” or “show how” had a very positive impact, as it did not specify from the outset how something should be done. It also embedded the need to consider the process involved. Children were encouraged to make choices at every stage. They developed what I would term creative habits of mind, analysing the project, planning and approach, starting with the knowledge that adaptation was possible within the task, reflecting throughout and making decisions. They always finished by evaluating the outcomes for future reference.
Examples might be
- Create a picture that shows spring.
- Design and make a model of how a portcullis/drawbridge might operate.
- Create a plan for…
- Design and carry out a fair test to see…
- Create a 3D model of …
- Show how you thought through a specific equation.
- Create a circuit with three equally bright lights.
They were my infant classes…
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