Teaching 21st Century Skills: Creative Problem Solving

As many of you know, I'm currently working toward my master's degree. This post is a "lesson trial" for my Creative Problem Solving/Inquiry course, applying the concepts we've learned to our work in the classroom. I wasn't sure whether my fourth graders would "get it" or think the activity was "lame" (always a concern!) but the lesson went so well, I wanted to share it here.

In this lesson, I worked to explain the benefits of creative thinking and creative problem solving to my fourth graders. In our “carpet discussion,” the kids sat on our classroom carpets and we talked casually about why creative thinking would be important in their lives, and why it had the potential to make them stand out in a world where innovation will be essential. They readily agreed that in a world where information is so accessible, it may well be their ability to problem solve and think creatively that will help them most to succeed.

We talked first about how to generate creative ideas and the brainstorming process. I explained that during this stage of problem solving, we needed to generate as many ideas as possible, without evaluating them at all. I stressed that they were free to suggest ANYTHING, no matter how outrageous or unrealistic. I began by asking if anyone in the class had a problem we could help to solve. James raised his hand immediately, and told us about how his pets wake him about an hour before he had to wake up for school, and how he then had difficulty going back to sleep. I explained that in order to think positively, we were going to rephrase the "problem" to a WIBNI (Wouldn't It Be Nice If) question and said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if James could sleep until six o’clock without being woken by his pets?” The kids asked James great questions about how the pets woke him, where they slept, etc. Then we started coming up with ideas. They loved posing crazy ideas, one of which was drugging either James or his animals!!

In the next step, we talked about how sometimes it was difficult to come up with so many ideas. I told them there were some tools to help exercise their brains, and asked them if they would be interested in trying one. I introduced SCAMPER, and we worked as a group to think about how we would change an everyday object using SCAMPER. We began with a standard #2 pencil. Students began thinking, and suggested substituting the eraser with a tip that would allow replacing the eraser when it ran out, since the eraser is always gone long before the pencil is. They wanted to combine the pencil with a flashlight so they could write in the dark! We added another point with a pen, and even rearranged the pencil so that the lead was in the middle and erasers were on each end for shading! They really enjoyed the activity.

I handed out a sheet with the SCAMPER instructions, and a piece of paper that was divided into each of the letters in SCAMPER.

Students could pick any common object, and were not required to use every letter. I was pleased with the results, and think my students will be very open to more of these activities. For them, the brain-play is fun!

Source: Treffinger, D. J. Isaksen, S. G., & Stead-Dorval, K. B. (2006). Creative Problem Solving: An Introduction. Waco, Texas: Prufrock Press Inc..

Tools, Not Toys - Becoming a Techy Teacher

This week I'm completing two online graduate courses at The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. I am part of their Teaching 2.0 program, entitled: Emerging Technology Meets Progressive Pedagogy. This program looks at the way education is changing, the way students learn, and the way technology can be used to help students collect information, collaborate with other students, and connect to a network that can further their learning.

One of the courses, "Learning in a Connected World" was particularly useful. Although I had begun to develop a personal learning network (PLN) before starting the course, this gave me the opportunity to look further into useful tools, ways to engage my students, and applications of these resources in my classroom.

At some point this term, I began to truly understand how to change my teaching. The big revelation, was that it's NOT about technology. It's about learning. If we are "integrating technology" just to bring computers (or interactive whiteboards, or cell phones) into the classroom, we've got it all wrong. Just using the equipment isn't enough.

We have to look at our overarching goals, and understand how technology is a necessary tool in helping students develop the skills they will need to be successful in the world they will enter. We have to look at how students like to learn on their own, so we can make learning more enjoyable and engaging in the classroom. We have to learn what presentation methods or styles of instruction are easy for students to retain, so we can present information in a way that students will hold on to. We have to look at what students will be expected to know and do, so we can prepare them for their future - not ours.

Once we have done this, technology ceases to become an end in and of itself. It becomes the means to an end, and can be used with purpose.

Wondering how to get there? Here are some tips, based on my experiences:

1. Learn - Part I. Take classes. Read posts or books by leaders in the field, or by educators who are having positive experiences in their classrooms. Do professional development workshops or conferences. Powerful Learning Practice was transformative for me.

2. Learn - Part II. Develop a personal learning network of individuals across the globe who have "been there done that" or want to learn with you. Use Twitter, blogs, or social networking to find educators posting ideas and resources.

3. Collaborate. Find a buddy to learn with, or a mentor to guide you. There are no stupid questions. Support and encourage each other.

4. Dive in. Start playing - exploring - trying. You won't break anything. Find out what is out there, and discover tools that will work with your students.

5. Reflect. Start a blog where you can talk about your experiences. Don't worry about an audience. In the beginning, a blog's best purpose is to help you realize what you believe and what is important to you.

6. Be transparent. As you begin to develop ideas and lessons, share them with your PLN. Give back to those who helped you grow, and to those who are just starting and will benefit from your experience.

7. Be patient. Change is never easy, but do you want to be that teacher that just "doesn't get it?" You will be less confident for a while, and that's ok. Things are always changing, which means you will always be learning and growing... much like your students. :)

Patti's Projects: Create - Connect - Collaborate

A presentation summary of my projects for next year...

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Using Tools to Collaborate

It has been an amazing summer of learning... Thanks to my grad classes through UWOSH (University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh), my Tweeps (Twitter friends), and the rest of my PLN, I've come up with 6 new projects for next year.

These include tools such as Skype, VoiceThread, Edmodo, Wordle, and Google Maps. I have already set up my class Edmodo page, and since I am looping with my class, I sent them the code. More than half of them have joined the group and are enjoying being able to chat over the summer! Since they had the opportunity to choose their own books for their summer reading assignment, I recently added a small group within the class group for the kids to post book reviews. I'm going to maintain this, so that when a student doesn't know what to read, they can look at the reviews of their classmates, and when they have read the book, they can comment on the reviews!

I'm looking at one more project now - to get my students blogging. I'll be teaching 4th grade next year, looping up with the kids I had last year. I remember the time we spent last year sharing journals. Many of the kids were hungry for an audience, and after journaling (spell check doesn't like this "word"), wanted to know if we could share. While I enjoyed having them read their blogs aloud for the class and answering any questions or comments, with 22 students, this can be a time consuming event!! With 1:1 netbooks in my classroom this year (finally!!), students can grab a netbook and respond to a journal prompt when they have free time. Students will be able to read and comment on each other's responses. Using this format, I could even post a YouTube video and ask students to post their reactions.

I'm currently working on my technology letter which will address the tools and procedures we will be using this year. Thanks to our PLP experience, we are adopting the CyberSmart curriculum for digital citizenship and are rewriting our RESPONSIBLE Use Policy (RUP). It's going to be an exciting year!!

My Big Tacky Presentation Project (as opposed to My Big Fat Greek Wedding!)

In an effort to complete the project objectives AND show off a new tool, I managed to create an incredibly tacky presentation... If I used this for PD with colleagues, I might have to "class it up" a bit... :) The presentation is done with Kizoa, a slide show generator. Lots of choices for music, transitions, backgrounds, effects, animations, text, and more!

A New Culture of Learning - slide show

Ways to Create, Connect, & Collaborate!

Looking for ways to connect yourself and your students to exciting learning opportunities? Here are just a handful of ways you can get connected, and connect your students to others!

How Being a Lifelong Learner Will Benefit My Students Next Year

Photo courtesy of Sean MacEntee

So I'm feeling pretty good about the way I've spent my summer... It's definitely NOT been a vacation! Thanks to my grad classes and the need to come up with some fresh material (since I've got the same kids this year), I've really been "out there" on Twitter, our class Edmodo, and have been reading blogs to find new tools and come up with some fun projects/activities for next year. My main goals are to get my kids connected, and to provide them with a wider audience for their work.

With only a few weeks worth of effort, I've come up with the following...

1. Mystery Skype for SS States & Regions Study - I posted a link on the Skype in the Classroom site with my project and have gotten several replies. The big turn around happened in a Twitter chat though, when I mentioned the project. Another teacher, Caren MacConnell, was also assembling a list of educators who wanted to participate, and suggested we combine forces. Both of us have been promoting the project, and as of today, have 59 classes who want to particpate! Never underestimate the power of a PLN...

2. My Maps - Thanks to the intro piece to my Learning in a Connected World class by my professor Eric Brunsell, I found out about the "My Maps" function of Google Maps. Instead of a standard report, I'm going to have my kids pick a state to learn about, and use the My Maps function to identify the capital, major points of interest, landforms, industry, and natural resources. They'll be able to write about each of these at a placemarker, as opposed to just typing a report. This will also enable them to share their project/learning with other students as they present their map in class.

3. "About Me" Wordle (or Tagxedo) and Blog Project - Thanks to Paula Naugle, I've found a fun project for the beginning of the year. Since we will have 1:1 netbooks this year, this is a great way for the kids to jump in right away. They'll create the word cloud and write a post in Kidblog.org about themselves to share with the class.

4. Poetry Unit with VoiceThread - In looking through examples on the VoiceThread site, I found a great project. Students wrote themed poetry, and illustrated their poems. The picture of the poem was uploaded to VoiceThread, and the student read the poem aloud. Feedback and comments were solicited from other teachers. It is a great way for students to "publish" their work, and practice reading with inflection and fluency.

5. Edmodo - Since I am looping with my class, after using Edmodo for my graduate class, I decided to create a group for my classroom. I've invited my students, and shared a "My Maps" of my summer travel spots, an example of my "WeeMee" avatar (thanks Allison Fitzwater!), a Glog of my vacation pictures,  messages using fodey.com and pageplugins.com (one telling them to check our Diigo page for new links), a link to wonderopolis.com, and a poll about the books we read aloud last year. I want them to see these and hope they will explore them over the summer. We'll continue to use Edmodo throughout the year to share.

6. Global Read Aloud - Organized by Pernille Ripp. There are currently 200 classes signed up for a Global Read Aloud of either Tuck Everlasting or Flat Stanley. https://spreadsheets1.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?hl=en_US&key=tXuBxoFw0ftLWB3SEW13SGw&hl=en_US#gid=0 I joined the Google Group for the planning of the Tuck read aloud http://groups.google.com/group/gra11-tuck-planning/topics and also the Edmodo group for the kids to discuss (code qd93ty). It starts on Sept. 14 and I am quite excited! They are still brainstorming for other ways to connect via Skype, blogs, VT, etc.

Photo courtesy of John LeMasney

So much to look forward to... thanks to my experience with Powerful Learning Practice - Which led to my graduate study at UWOSH, and the formation of my precious PLN! So I'm "paying it forward" and posting these for others to see as well. What fun projects have you discovered using technology or web 2.0 tools? How will you be connecting this year? Will your students have an audience for their work? Are you infusing creativity and exploration into your projects? Please share in the comments!!