Ximena+Paola+Braganza

Assignment 1 - Scavenger Hunt
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Assignment 2- Application of creative strategies
Lesson #1 Discipline: Spanish as a Second Language (Level 1)

Strategy: Morphological Matrix

Learning outcomes:

• Students identify the different parts of speech

• Students understand parts of speech and basic sentence formation

• Students brainstorm the different parts of speech to be included on a morphological matrix within the unit of sentence formation

• Students select from the morphological matrix an option from each category in order to create coherent sentences and paragraphs.

Description of the Strategy:

The morphological matrix can be used to construct a variety of creative sentences and paragraphs using different parts of speech.

Steps:

1. Brainstorm the different parts of speech and place them in their corresponding category

2. Organize the categorical lists along a matrix. (see figure 1 for an example)

3. Students list the combinations of different parts of speech and identify what part of the sentence they fit into.

Implementing the Activity:

1. Before this lesson, students will get an explanation of the different parts of speech and sentence. We will review examples and practice with different exercises.

2. As a whole class, we will brainstorm the different parts of speech. If students get stuck then can use magazines or books to find words.

3. Students will create as many possible sentences as they can.

4. In pairs, students will pick the sentences they like the most and construct a paragraph that has coherence and cohesion.

5. Each pair will share their paragraph with the class.

Assessment/Follow-up:

I would assess based on whether or not the students can categorize the different words into the different parts of speech. Then, I will evaluate how the students construct coherent sentences, and how they later connect them to make paragraphs.

SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT WAY TO GENERATE ORIGINAL IDEAS FOR SENTENCES USING BRAINSTORMED LISTS OF WORDS USING DIFFERENT PARTS OF SPEECH. Lesson #2 Discipline: Spanish as a Second Language (Level 3)

Strategy: Problem finding

Learning Outcomes:

• Students, using Spanish only, identify problems that could be caused by bad eating habits and a sedentary life style.

• Students come up with different solutions that might solve a problem

• Students pick the solution they think would be the best to solve the problem and explain how it will take place

Implementing the Activity:

• Students create a diet and an exercise plan to help one have a healthier life and prevent diseases. They should use Spanish only.

• Students decide on the way this diet and exercise plan can be presented

Assessment/Follow-up:

Throughout the process of creating their plan, students will have the opportunity to discuss with the teacher and other classmates about the topic. The teacher then assesses the students on whether or not they understand how to solve a problem and support their ideas with facts. THIS IS A NICE IDEA FOR BOTH PROBLEM FINDING AND ORIGINAL SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM. GREAT WAY TO APPLY THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF SPANISH AS WELL.

Assignment 3 - Class participation and reflection
__**Pre-assigment**__ 1. Write a summary of five main points you find compelling from these articles.

On both articles, it is stated that creativity is as important in education as literacy and it should be treated with the same status (Robinson). Both authors argue that creativity should be taken out of the art room and put into homeroom. (Bromson: 2010) They both agree on the fact that creativity should be part of every activity done in the classroom.

Po Bronson states that creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both divergent thinking and convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten ideas. Robinson argues something very similar; he says that to be creative requires divergent thinking (generating many unique ideas) and then convergent thinking (combining those ideas into the best result). He states that intelligence is diverse – dynamic- distinct; thus, it is interactive. Both conclude that creativity is having original ideas that have value.

If you are not prepared to be wrong you will never come up with something original. On both articles, authors think that if the teachers do not allow students to make mistakes or take risks they will not develop creativity.

Both authors strongly agree that nowadays we are getting educated out of creativity. They say that in many schools, teachers focus only on the curriculum they need to cover and do not find alternative ways of delivering this information to students. Due to this, students creativity is decreasing and students are losing interest and getting bored. Robinson states that the purpose of public education around the world is to produce university professors that teach the subjects quite well, but do not go beyond what is stated in the books.

Both articles conclude that our job as educators is to help our children make something out of the future. We should foster creativity because creative individuals are more successful and benefit our society better than individuals who lack creativity. I LIKE HOW YOU COMPARED AND SYNTHESIZED POINTS FROM BOTH READINGS (VIEWINGS). THESE ARE IMPORTANT ITEMS TO CONSIDER WHEN THINKING ABOUT LEARNING AND INSTRUCTION IN THE CLASSROOM.

2. Discuss how you nurture creativity in your students currently. Provide concrete examples.

I engage my students in project based activities such as creating songs, video clips, or choosing their own project to show what they have learned. I usually just tell them what needs to be included in the song or video, and the students are free to create the song and the video the way they want. If I let them choose their own project for me to assess them; I usually ask them to create a plan and explain the weakness and strengths of it, and how it will show what they have learned. For my class activities, I often have the students role play different topics. They create their own characters and develop a plot based on the topic they are required. I also use a lot of debates in which students take part as being somebody else. I think these activities help estudents be creative. THESE SOUND LIKE FINE EXAMPLES OF TAKING CREATIVITY OUT OF THE ART ROOM AND PUTTING INTO THE REGULAR CURRICULUM. BRAVO.

3. Finally list three understandings or skills you would like to learn in this course on Creativity. • How can we use technology in our classrooms without lowering creativity? How do we integrate both?

• Ways to develop activities and assessments that foster students’ creativity.

• How can we as teachers become more creative? I HOPE THESE ISSUES WERE ADDRESSED ADEQUATELY FOR YO IN THE COURSE THROUGH THE ACTIVITIES, DISCUSSIONS, AND READINGS/VIEWINGS.

__**Creativity Poster**__ GREAT VISUAL METHAPHOR TO COMBINE THE FACETS OF CREATIVITY YOU PUT IN YOUR DEFINITION. Math Problem 3 ZACK the Massai Pre Warrior with witch doctor powers The caller is complaining about his constipated cow causing a lack of manure for the fields. To cure, the caller will need to purchase: 4 shiny beads, 1 bead = $ 1,00 5 shell, 1 shell = $1,00 2 metal medals, 1 medal = $15 1 lion tooth = $ 50,00 1 rabbit’s tail = $ 5,00 1 lock of human hair = $ 0,10 5 red beans, 1 bean = $ 0,25 1 toe bone of a bat = $ 100, 00 5 shavings of eyebrow hair, 1= $0,10 If a cow is worth $ 200,00 should patient buy a new cow or save his constipated cow?

WASN'T THIS SUCH FUN. MATH AND CREATIVITY GO WELL TOGETHER AND WILL LEAD TO DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF MATH CONCEPTS WHEN YOU GRAPPLE WITH THE CONCEPTS IN A CREATIVE WAY.
 * Benjamin Zander's TED talk: Classical Music with Shining Eyes**

Have you ever looked around your classroom at the expressions on your students faces and thought of it as a reflection of you? In this talk, Benjamin Zander discusses the importance of inspiring "shining eyes" in those around you. His basis for communicating is classical music. Zander contends that everyone has the ability to appreciate classical music, it is just a matter of awakening a person's awareness or interest, helping them to listen with informed ears. Here is a short list of some ideas you may walk away with from this speech: - Everyone has the capacity to appreciate and be moved by classical music: an analogy for creativity

- No one is tone deaf - otherwise, how do we recognize people's voices or gauge emotion when talking on the telephone?

- How to play the piano with one buttock: learning to express oneself through music

- Try to live your life as though everything you say could be the last - shining eyes! GREAT SUMMARY AND POSTER. HOW COULD ANY ONE NOT BE INTRIGUED TO LEARN MORE!!!

Assignment 4 Creativity Socratic Seminar
Benjamin Zander talks about the impact of one's words on the people around us and how their shining eyes are an indication of how they feel towards you. How can we as teachers make sure that all of our students have shining eyes?

I would have the opportunity to lead the lower school Spanish department next school year. I would like to implement play among the department... "Happy workers are productive workers" How do I break cultural blocks of my coworkers without making them feel disrespected and not valued? THESE ARE GREAT QUESTIONS. I AM ASSUMING YOU READ THE ARTICLE ON PLAY BUT YOU DON'T MENTION OR SUMMARIZE IT HERE.