Tammi+Kreutz


 * Tamara Kreutz**
 * Socratic Seminar Questions:**

1) In her Ted Talk, Isabel Allende discusses passion as a major component in cultivating creativity. As teachers, how can we creatively teach a topic we don't feel passionately about? 2) Isabel Allende discusses the need for passion when generating creativity, but how have you seen creativity generate passion? 3) In the article "The Creative Personality" Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes 10 personality traits that are often found in creative individuals. Can a person who does not demonstrate many of these traits learn to be creative? 4) The article "The Creative Personality" argues that there is not a "creative gene." Why does it seem, then, that certain people or families are more prone to creativity than others? = I particularly like your question 4. All questions could stimulate interesting conversation. =


 * Tamara Kreutz**
 * Creativity Application Lessons**


 * Lesson #1**


 * Discipline:** English A: Language and Literature, 11th grade


 * Strategy:** Branistorming


 * Guiding Question:** What are the steps for creating a meaningful personal college essay?


 * Essential Concept:** When you break the college essay into several baby steps, writing it becomes much more enjoyable.


 * Objectives:**
 * **Students will create a list of topics they can use in writing their college application personal essay.**
 * Brainstorm ideas and situations meaningful to students’ lives.
 * Select two topics to work with for their future college/personal essay.

Brainstorming is a strategy in which children will allow a flow of ideas to come to them to solve a “problem” or situation at hand. It is often the first step in problem solving.
 * Description of the Strategy:**


 * Implementing the Activity:**

I feel this brainstorming activity is a great way to help relieve pressure high school students feel regarding their personal college essays. Breaking the process into steps will make it seem more doable, and the brainstorming process will allow students to recognize numerous writing topics, rather than feeling stuck on what to write. Steps:

1. Students will be introduced to the idea of a college/personal essay by reading examples of personal college essays 2. Students will list the chosen topics as well as why these topics make for an interesting essay. 3. Students will be asked to create a chart listing the following categories: meaningful relationships, important experiences, what makes me who I am, other. 4. Students will be given 5 minutes to think of at least two topics per category. 5. Students will share topics with class. Commonly used topics will be crossed off lists to assure originality in personal essay writing. THIS IS A FINE STEP 6. Students will circle their two favorite topics. 7. Students will be given ten minutes at the end of class to create flow charts of ideas that could be used in creating essays regarding these topics.

I would assess the success of the activity through in class discussion. Students will focus on personal blocks they may have encountered, what they liked and disliked about the activity, and what they gained from it. Students will also be asked to come to class the next day having completed their flow charts. I will be able to check flow charts to deduce success in generating ideas.
 * Assessment/Follow-up:**


 * Reflection:**

This activity can also be used to help students write their Written Tasks for the IB. Students would create a chart listing three of the IB specified questions they find most interesting for the written task and will then spend a few minutes brainstorming a couple topics per question about the studied book that they could write about. GOOD STRATEGY

I LIKE THESE CATEGORIES AND BRAINSTORMING WI LL CERTAINLY HELP TO GENERATE IDEAS. AGAIN, I LIKE YOUR PROMPT TO ASSURE ORIGINALITY
 * Materials:**
 * ** Meaningful relationships ** || ** Important experiences ** || ** What makes me who I am ** || ** Other ** ||


 * Lesson #2**


 * Discipline:** English A: Language and Literature, 11th grade


 * Strategies:** Brainstorm and Creative Problem Solving


 * Guiding Question:** What are the steps for creating a meaningful personal college essay?


 * Essential Concept:** When you take your writing into your own hands, you might be surprised with what you get.


 * Objectives:**
 * **In group and individual brainstorming problem solving activities, students will develop a hook for their personal college essays.**
 * Students will develop a hook for each of the two personal college essay topics they have chosen
 * Group work will help students choose their final topic and hook as well as making it into the strongest possible hook.

Brainstorming is a strategy in which children will allow a flow of ideas to come to them to solve a “problem” or situation at hand. It is often the first step in problem solving.
 * Description of the Strategy:**

Creative problem solving is a process in which students are presented with a problem and must develop a solution to that problem through limited assistance.

Once again, this activity will take away much of the pressure of writing a personal college essay by breaking the process into small steps. The group and individual problem solving activities will put the process of learning in students hands, rather than students feeling the need to depend on what I as the teacher think about their ideas. 1. This activity is based on the previous lesson, in which students brainstormed ideas for a personal college essay. 2. Students will take out the college essay samples they were given in the last lesson. They will read through the first paragraph of each essay and will underline what they feel to be the hook. 3. Students will select their favorite hook and will share that hook with the rest of the class as well as why they are most drawn to that particular hook and what they feel the hook contributes to the essay. 4. After discussing the purpose of the hook, students will be given 6 minutes to brainstorm a hook for each essay. 5. Students will break into small groups and will share their two hooks. Group discussion will help students decide which hook they think is strongest. The chosen hook will dictate the topic the student will write about. 6. Students will regroup with their chosen hook. Teacher will explain the importance of the hook in making sure your essay is noticed by the college review board. Teacher will tell students that they are going to rely on each other to decide if a hook is strong or if it needs more work. 7. Students will stand in a circle. Each will take turns reading his/her hook. If students like the hook, they will stay standing. If students do not like the hook, they will sit down. If a student sits down, he/she will need to explain why the hook doesn’t grab her/him. Students will write down critiques and suggestions about their personal hooks. 8. After this process, students will regroup in small groups to discuss their hooks, taking into consideration the critique of the entire class. Students will rework their hooks until they feel they fully generate interest.
 * Implementing the Activity:**

Teacher will be able to observe the process during the entirety of the class to judge the success of the activities. To follow up, students will come to class with an introduction paragraph that includes their chosen hook. Below this paragraph, students will write why their hook is successful.
 * Assessment/Follow-up:**


 * Reflection:**

Once again, this activity can be used to help students develop multiple kinds of writing. I could easily use this, not just for deducing hooks, but also for working on thesis statements. This would be a useful tool for helping students with their Written Task 2 and also for Paper 1 and Paper 2 on the IB.

THIS IS NOT CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCEDURE. I AM REALLY NOT SURE WHERE THE CREATIVITY IS. PERHAPS TAKING THE HOOK AND APPLYING SCAMPER TO IT. WHAT CAN I CHANGE, ADAPT, MODIFY, AND (ETC).


 * Tamara Kreutz**
 * Creativity Scavenger Hunt:**

For the creativity scavenger hunt, we headed to my husband’s and my neighborhood in Guapulo. We figured that Guapulo, the hippie, quirky, artisan/indigenous neighborhood of Quito. As imagined, we did find creativity in our neighborhood, lots of it. We found people doing things in unique ways (children churning water with paintbrushes), a cemetery that might have inspired Shakespeare, and corrugated metal to block erosion (a creative solution to solve a problem). The surprising part of our trip, however, happened before our exploration of Guapulo began, in my own apartment. Who would have thought we would discover creativity in the most ordinary of places!

What happened, was that as we sat in the living room, discussing where we might look in Guapulo, Sebastian noticed a crack in one of the ceiling beams and said, “Hey, the way the wood splits is beautiful, like art.” By looking at my own apartment in new ways, I was able to see my own surroundings through playful eyes. Instead of a rug, we noticed a 3/4 pattern, which would inspire Mozart’s waltzes. We noticed multiple uses for different household items—a tablecloth on the wall as decoration and also a sound buffer, a deflated bike tire that blocks a crack above the bathroom window.

I really enjoyed the Creativity Scavenger Hunt. Not only did my group have a blast thinking outside the box, but group jived really well during the process. We enjoyed ourselves, being silly together, and each one of us identified different ways to look at things to see them from the perspective of the scavenger hunt categories (as English teachers, Diana and I brainstormed a cemetery for our Shakespeare category), Nash identified what Mozart would write. Phil and Sebastian noticed art in an unusual way, etc. The scavenger hunt was great—a relaxing way for us to look at life differently, more playfully and as a child might.

I AM PLEASED TO SEE HOW YOU IDENTIFIED THE CATALYSTS FOR SEEING THINGS IN NEW WAYS LIKE HAVING FUN AND BEING SILLY. YOU HINTED AT THE ITMES IN BARRON AND EISNER. MORE EXPLICIT DISCUSSION OF THOSE 6 FACTORS WOULD ENHANCE THE REFLECTION AS INDICATED IN THE ASSIGNMENT.


 * Tamara Kreutz **
 * Ted Talk analysis: **

I watched the Ted Talk “Passion,” by Isabel Allende. I chose Allende’s talk because since I first read //Zorro// my sophomore year of college in a Spanish Literature course, I have loved Allende’s fantastical storytelling ability. What most draws me to Allende is her female characters who are all courageous, intelligent, interesting, and very passionate. Allende talked about how she writes about passionate women because she believes living her life passionately, as a writer, a social activist, and a creative individual. Allende asserts that passion is the driving force to discovering creativity. I enjoyed hearing Allende’s perspective, which is something I always have known, of course, but can be hard to live by. I feel that when I am passionate about a subject matter or an activity, I can complete it much more easily and enthusiastically. When I am passionate about teaching a topic, I am much more productive and the lesson and class activities tend to be much more interesting and creative. The question I have after listening to Allende’s video, though, is what to do when I feel little to no passion about a topic I have to teach.

FINE COMMENTS. I TOO LIKE THE FEMALE CHARACTERS OF ALLENDE. I THINK GOOD TEACHERS BECOME IMPASSIONED WITH THE ACT OF TEACHING AND FIND WAYS TO MAKE ALL TOPICS INTERESTING


 * Tamara Kreutz **
 * Post your MATH problem on your wiki page. **

Thomas and Rusesabegina were hunting antelope in a field. Rusesabegina tripped and speared himself. Thomas called an ambulance. The ambulance left the hospital located 200 miles from Thomas and Rusesabegina’s location and traveled at 60 MPH. At the exact moment the ambulance left the hospital, an antelope began charging in a straight line towards Thomas from 100 miles away at a speed of 35 MPH.

If along the way, the antelope stops at a watering hole during the length of time it takes the ambulance to travel 20 miles, which will arrive first and how much sooner will it arrive?

Group:

Ken Hadden

Belen Florez

Kristin Rinoldo

Ana Maria Egas

Jillian Parsons

Tammi Kreutz

Philip Dixon

Amy Gardner

ELABORATE, ORIGINAL PROBLEM. YOUR CREATIVITY IS ALIVE AND WELL.

**Tamara Kreutz** **Block busting activities** (MONDAY) Comment on your page: Consider Joshua in his box. What constitutes your box? In short talk about your blocks to creativity: include environmental blocks. Also, conclude with what you learned about yourself when participating in the activities in class. You can include images if you like

Boredom and stress are two of my greatest creative blocks. Boredom tends to suck the will and ability to play, experiment, or to try to see life in a unique way. On the other hand, stress bogs be down and tenses me up to a point where I physically cannot think. I have learned strategies to deal with these blocks. Oddly enough, as Joshua learned from overcoming his boxes and was able to approach each new block with wisdom from his experience of the past one, I have discovered that I can often conquer both the blocks of boredom as well as stress by using the same tactics. Often all it takes to break boredom or to cut down stress is to simply take a break from the situation causing my block. I will get fresh air, leave home to work in a coffee shop, by picking up a book, or even by watching a movie. What I’ve learned about myself during all my times years of dealing with creative blocks is that 99% of the time, simply taking a break from my situation will break through my block and bring me back to creative inspiration.

GREAT STRATEGY. I LOVE YOUR COMMENT ABOUT BRINGING THE WISDOM LEARNED FROM A FORMER BLOCK TO SOLVE OR CRASH THROUGH A CURRENT ONE. GREAT INSIGHT HERE. I LOVE THE TAGS AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POSTER. VERY CREATIVE.



GREAT VISUAL METAPHOR HERE FOR YOUR THOUGHTFUL DEFINITION.

**Tamara Kreutz**
 * Pre Assignment**

1) Write a summary of five main points you find compelling from these articles. FINE POINTS TO PONDER. SO HOW DO WE DEVELOP A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT WHERE RISK TAKING AND BEING WRONG ARE OKAY.  2) Discuss how you nurture creativity in your students currently. Provide concrete examples.
 * 1) Point 1: Project based learning is essential to students, not only for enjoyment of school but to help them retain information. Additionally, test scores will increase when students learn through project based activities in the classroom. It is important for teachers to change their teaching practices to make them more “hands on,” even though these kinds of activities are harder to facilitate and grade. I WISH ALL TEACHERS WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THE VALUE OF LEARNING AND UNDERSTANDING WHEN WE USE PROJECT BASED LEARNING
 * 2) Point 2: When students are trained to be afraid of making errors, they cease to produce creatively.
 * 3) Point 3: Human genius is stifled in students when they are told not to pursue the arts but rather to pursue something “useful” that will help advance them in their future careers.
 * 4) Point 4: Often the students whose creativity is stifled the most are those who have trouble sitting still. Schools should find a way to engage those students who learn through movement.
 * 5) Point 5: For students to fully engage and express who they are creatively, they need to be able to take control of what they learn. This can be difficult for the teacher to facilitate, though it is the only way students will take responsibility and ownership of their learning.

I try to keep my instruction time to a minimum. My instructions are often written down and passed out or projected for my students, so they can independently complete the class work. When I am teaching a new concept, I will often create a scavenger hunt about it and ask my students to research this concept before I have even begun to introduce it (I have done this with authors, literary vocabulary, historical context, and grammatical parts of speech). HOW DOES THIS ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY?

I rarely give tests, and when I do, I try to incorporate study games that my students can create in groups (e.g. jeopardy, the price is right, etc.) in preparation. Usually, my assignments are project based and centered on hands on activities, where students can create something physical (we recently made bound books, complete with title pages, book covers, illustrations, and a publishing company). Or, I will make use of technology in my projects (students used Powerpoint and Audacity to create and record their own infomercials). I also will usually present a list of options for summative projects so students will feel interested in whichever one they choose. GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR KIDS TO BE CREATIVE AS THEY DESIGN PRODUCTS THAT ADDRESS YOUR ASSIGNMENTS. DO YOU THINK RUBRICS CAN INADVERTENTLY COMPROMISE CREATIVE RESPONSES?

3) Finally list three understandings or skills you would like to learn in this course on Creativity.

I HOPE YOUR QUESTIONS WERE ADDRESSED BY THE COURSE. I KNOW YOU DID LEARN LOTS OF STRATEGIES AND HOPEFULLY THE ACTIVITIES IN DIFFERENT CONTENT AREAS SHOWED HOW TO COMBINE ACADEMIC RIGOR AND CREATIVE RESPONSES. I AM SORRY WE DID NOT GET TO SYNECTICS. YOU WOULD HAVE LOVED THE IDEA OF USING METAPHORIC THINKING TO CREATE BOTH NOVEL UNDERSTANDINGS AND CREATIVE PRODUCTIVITY.
 * 1) I find that my ability for incorporation of creativity will slip the busier I get. Are there simple things I can do to bring creativity to my classroom, even when I’m running out of planning time?
 * 2) Sometimes I struggle to make my more creative projects truly academic. What are tips for combining the two?
 * 3) How do we help our students realize it’s ok to not do everything perfectly?