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TED Talks: Sir Ken Robinson asks "Do Schools kill Creativity?"

8/5/2013

Have you checked out the wealth of recorded talks from TED Talks? (TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as education, business, science, politics and the arts.

I really enjoyed the thought provoking question and the ideas shared by Sir Ken Robinson in his talk on "Do schools kill creativity?" What you have not heard of him? He is a creativity expert who challenges educators to cultivate creativity and teach to the multiple types of intelligence. Check out his talk below:

As I reflect on this talk I am reminded of one of the most creative people, Pablo Picasso who once stated “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up” When I was in high school my art teacher was very supportive even if I lacked much creative talent with my sketches or paintings. She always commended me on my efforts even if they were not as attractive as some of my classmates. Later I took a class in college and was told that I would never earn a living as an artist. Ouch! I was not even trying for a career in art but rather looking for an opportunity to enjoy "playing with different artistic materials."

According to the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, schools are supposed to teach students in accordance with their aptitude. In my opinion, each student is unique and talented in different areas and they learn in different ways. A teacher should learn who their students are, how they learn and what motivates them. An inspiring teacher inspires their students from within! As I begin the new academic year, I pledge to foster creativity and motivate my students by first learning who they are and designing a learning environment that supports their learning.

Interested in listening to more? Check out these TED Talks on Education.

Now I would like to hear from you. What will you do to foster creativity among your students?

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A Lesson in Freedom

5/3/2013

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“We only think when confronted with a problem.”
― John Dewey

Today was graduation day for the College of Health. It is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our student's successes, but it is a bitter sweet. We say goodbye to our students and wish them only the best as they begin this journey into their professional careers. Unfortunately, time has been limited today so I hope you will forgive me for sharing a story that touched my heart today. We often take the freedoms we enjoy for granted. Not only does this story bring home a valuable lesson, but it illustrates how changing up the routine can challenge our students and create a memorable experience as they are challenged with a problem.

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom.

When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.

'Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?'

She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.'

They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.'

'No,' she said.

'Maybe it's our behavior.'

She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.'

And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom.

By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.

The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he or she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.'

At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniform, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.

Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'

By the way, this is a true story. And this teacher was awarded Teacher of the Year for the State of Arkansas in 2006.

Please don't forget that the freedoms we have in this great country were earned by U. S. Veterans. Always remember them and the rights they have won for us.

God Bless America !

Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/elyssecurry/blog/freedom-isnt-free-thank-you-martha-cothren-for-this-inspiring-lesson/

I dedicate this blog post to my father who like so many of the men in our family that have served our nation. My father was in the Navy during World War II and was injured ensuring that we had access to the many freedoms our citizenship guarantees. My father was very supportive of my advanced education and I only he had lived long enough to be present when I received my doctorate. I know that he is proud of my accomplishments and of each of his children and grandchildren that have served in the military. Thank you to each member of the military who continues to ensure that our children are guaranteed an education regardless of gender, ethnicity, or economic status.

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Communicating with Today's Students

5/2/2013

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When I first started teaching several decades ago, I received calls from students on my office phone, chatted with students before or after class, or met them in my office. When I went home from the campus, I was "disconnected" from my work. If I needed to contact the students I returned to the campus to call them. My mobile phone was actually a phone attached to the wall with a 15 foot cord that allowed me to walk around my apartment while talking. If I missed a telephone call, I had to listen to an answering machine located on the kitchen counter. Mail arrived once a day in a paper envelope. Communication has certainly experienced unprecedented changes and the evolution in mobile technology shows no signs of slowing.

Millennials (those students 18 to 29 years of age) or Gen Y are more connected than any previous population attending college. If we are to be equally connected with our students, then we need to consider how we can tap into these communication preferences.

Mobile Devices:

Millennials are almost always connected via a mobile device. They are actively engaged in real-time communications and they expect everyone else to be equally connected. In fact, this connected market segment spends 14% more time using their mobile devices than other age groups (Experian).
90% of Millennials have a cell phone and over half are Smart Phones.
88% of Millennials use a cell phone to text.
80% of Millennials have texted in the last 24 hours.
Sadly, 64% confess that they have texted while driving
41% of Millennials do not have a land line, only a cell phone.

Lesson Learned - Connect with my students using my Smart Phone:Today, my office phone forwards to my cell phone when I am out of the office. If I happen to miss a call, I can pick up my voice mail or read the voice messages on my email. If the caller failed to leave a voice mail, I can check my recent calls list. I start every day by checking my class email on the course Learning Management System (LMS). The messages students send via the LMS can be set up to forward to my Smartphone. I am more connected with my students using my Smartphone than ever before in my teaching career. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. To really meet the needs of my students I need strive to make as many of my online course materials mobile friendly.

Social Media:

Millennials have the highest social networking penetration of any generation. They are the most active age group on Facebook and Twitter.
75% of Millennials have a profile on at least one form of social media.
62% of Millennials report having used wireless Internet away from home.
20% of Millennials have uploaded a video of themselves.
14% of Millennials use Twitter.
Early adopter millennials are one third more likely to IM/Chat than the average millennial (eMarketer).
Millennials prefer short and sweet communications. Concise and to the point.
Millennials are eager to share what is important to them.
Millennials are multi-taskers or multi-channel communicators.

Interestingly, for my discipline (parks, recreation and tourism) utilizing social media, and specifically Facebook would be the most effective means of capturing the Millennial's attention. We need to effectively utilize Facebook and Twitter to communicate. Our course materials should incorporate video and audio whenever possible. We can increase our accessibility if we incorporate IM/chats within our office hours.

Recently CompassLabs released the results of a research study examining the most frequent topics posted by Millennials. Favorite activities identified by the study provides insight into what types of posts will capture their attention.

Camping
Sleeping
Cooking
Hiking
Traveling
Playing video games

Working out
Singing
Hanging out with friends
Running
Dancing
Eating
Drinking

Many of these topics relate to a major in parks, recreation and tourism and could be incorporated into our news, feature stories, and updates on a new departmental Facebook page. This will be a great boost to our marketing effort to attract new students to our program.

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The Challenge for Today's Teachers

5/1/2013

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"If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow" ~ John Dewey, 1944.

John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose visionary ideas have influenced education and social reform for over 100 years. Whereas, he may have never envisioned a world where students read ebooks in lieu of heavy textbooks, listened to lectures on their iPods, took notes on tablets, Skype with peers from around the world or tweet questions to their classmates and/or instructor, but he realized that education needed to change. His 1915 book entitled Schools of Tomorrow stressed that schools needed to revise their curriculum and provide students with the freedom to foster individual growth.

Have you accepted Dewey's Challenge? How have you changed your teaching techniques or curriculum to best prepare our students for tomorrow?

Today's students not only need to compete in an increasingly digital world, but they compete with peers from around the world. Teachers and administrators must keep abreast of technological advancements in order to integrate innovations, new techniques, and applications in their curriculum. The revolution in learning must start with the basics, such as the school schedule and expanding the "walls of the school." I have traveled around the world and I am fascinated by many of the education programs that operate outside the traditional school hours. After-school education programs allow students to enhance and expand their learning and creative opportunities. Now it might be the "one-child" policy or just the rapidly changing economic landscape in China, but school children attend classes longer and then proceed to after-school "children's palaces" at the end of the regular school day. These children education centers provide music, dance, martial arts, arts, and traditional Chinese cultural opportunities plus advanced science, math, language, and other academic training. We can learn something from this eagerness for academic success that we could adapt or incorporate in our programs. The technology exists for educators to partner with schools around the globe to open an exchange between educators, students, and professionals.

This month I pledge to share ideas to extend my classroom to a broader learning community . . . beyond the classroom walls and outside the traditional class schedule. Check back for ideas and resources . . . feel free to share your own ideas and experiences for how you have accepted Dewey's challenge.

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TED Talks: Sir Ken Robinson asks "Do Schools kill Creativity?"

A Lesson in Freedom

Communicating with Today's Students

The Challenge for Today's Teachers

Dr. Linda Ralston

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