Thank you to everyone for a great first meeting. It was wonderful to meet you and to start our discussion of creativity, as we work on developing our own creative practice and discuss creativity's impact on our pedagogy.
This will be our blog, which we will develop and design as we go along. I have started with some neutral colors, and I ask you to give me thoughts and suggestions on how we can make this blog become more representative of us as a group. Send those along!!
Since our meeting, I hope you are finding time to play with the iPad minis and to start to get a sense of how to navigate them. We will (later on) add some apps to our discussion and practice, but for now, continue to get a feel for the iPad.
It has been a couple of weeks since we met, and we will meet again on December 11, 10:00-12:30 in Room 270. Please make sure to plan for this time and, again, dress comfortably.
To summarize our first gathering, let's return to some of the topics that emerged in discussion:
- How can we re-prioritize creativity (in its various shapes and forms) in our lives, and by extension, our teaching?
- What do we "mean" when we say we want creativity? What does creativity mean? What do we think employers mean when they ask for "creative employees"?
- John Cleese states that doing these creative activities (like building the habitat) is a practice of persuading ourselves of things we already know intuitively. But unfortunately, we have been taught to diminish the importance of actual creative play: How do we unlearn the lessons that diminish what we know intuitively, and encourage the voices that embrace creative practices?
- How do the pressures of time both conflict with and/or enhance creativity?
- If current systems teach risk aversion, how do we find ways to encourage risk-taking, both our own and our students?
- What is it like to be among peers, completing activities that are, perhaps, uncomfortable or uncertain? What thoughts emerge in the process? How does this connect us to our students' experiences?
- How does recent research on neural plasticity and other factors related to the mind/body connection influence our understanding of creativity?
There are many other ideas that emerged in discussion. Please feel free to add those to the blog commentary section, so we can facilitate further conversation.
Commenting on the Blog:
Our goal for this first blog is to spend some time reflecting on our experience with and thoughts on creativity. On the syllabus, you are encouraged to think about a favorite quote or observation on creativity that helps you to focus your thoughts. Please share those with us. Another suggestion coming from the group is to tell the story of our animal in our habitat--how it connects us to creativity and to the other animals in the environment.
Please do your best to find time to reflect for 5 minutes on this. Ideally, you can do this before our next meeting. Please keep your responses informal and open. Short is fine, too. You do not have to craft a perfect essay. This is for exploring.
Working on our Sketchbook:
Don't forget to also experiment with your sketchbook. Again, think about sources of inspiration: nature, quotes, images, people. Use photograph or any of the mediums provided (or that you have) to start a visual discussion on inspiration. One sketch or image is the start! Go for more if you are inspired.
If you want other inspiration to jump start your sketching, consider viewing the work and blogging of participants in the creativity sketchbook challenge.
The site address is as follows:
www.bryantcreativity.blogspot.com
NEXT TIME:
Remember to bring a book (an actual physical book) on a subject that is meaningful to you. But remember this must be a book that you are comfortable physically dismantling. This book can be fiction, non-fiction, poems, children's book, essays, theory, etc. Your choice. Just be comfortable doing it damage!
Spring Semester:
We will start our readings for the spring. I will post those on a Blackboard site for the group (good suggestion Jane!). Then, you can download them as you wish. Also, you will be able to post materials for the group, too.
