Student-Designed Activities: Promoting Creativity in Learning

Just like many things in life, we often know what we should be doing, but have a hard time following through.  As a former classroom teacher and product of the traditional school system, I have to constantly remind myself that genuine learning can take many forms.  If we want to change the world, we need to change our approach to teaching and our methods of assessment.  Inspired by Sir Ken Robinson's views on education, I have recommitted myself to our homeschooling by striving to create an atmosphere of learning that encourages critical thinking and rewards creativity.  If you have not seen his video, Changing Education Paradigms, I encourage you "take five" and be prepared to be blown away!

Back to our homeschooling, some of our best activities have been designed by our children.  For example, when asked to write a biography on William the Conquer, our daughter asked if she could use Scratch to create an interactive report.  Last December, they wanted to study Christmas traditions around the world and to create digital posters of their research.  In both cases, I had to be willing to let go and let them take the lead.  As someone who is completely "in charge of" their children's learning, that is a scary prospect!  As a result, I find myself, at times, taking comfort in our workbooks and textbooks.  I guess, in a way, it makes me feel they are learning what they should be learning.  It is easier to measure their level of understanding.  I can say we "mastered" that material and then confidently move on.

The reality, however, is they are more engaged in the learning process when they are interested in what they are learning and when they have ownership of the ideas and projects being discussed.  I was jarred back into reality earlier this week when I found myself at odds with our third grader over a math lesson.  As I reflected on the issue, I realized two things.  First, he was bored to tears and completely uninterested.  Second, I had been doing all of the talking.  As an experienced teacher, I should know better!  I was forcing a highly creative and inventive child to be a drone.  If I am hearing the Twitterverse community correctly, this is one of the main problems with our public education system.

Trying to regroup and end the week on a positive note, I took a leap of faith and went back to what I know I should be doing.  I gave our children freedom to explore, learn and grow!  Our 8yo son has been bugging me to make a stop-animation movie and our 10yo daughter is currently obsessing over Gimp, an image manipulation program.  I told them to choose something they had been studying and/or reading recently and to incorporate their favorite new "techie tools" to create a project of their choice.  They would be evaluated on creativity and originality, as well as, an explanation including what they learned and if they thought this was a meaningful experience.  After deciding on their projects, they both left and worked diligently until after lunch.  Amazing!

They both have completed the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief series as well as The Lost Hero.  Our 10 yo chose to use Gimp to draw the three main characters in Rick Riordan's new book, The Lost Hero.  She then plans to import her creations into Scratch and create an interactive, character guide.  Our 8yo chose to summarize favorite moments from the Percy Jackson books through creating short films using Sam Animation.  He used Lego building blocks to create scenery and characters.  Again, I was amazed at their creativity!  The projects are still "under construction," but enthusiasm levels are running high.  On the way to gym, I asked them to explain what they think they have learned so far in these projects.  Our oldest told me, besides learning a new software program and improving her computer animation skills, she was able to think about the main characters strengths and weaknesses and how they changed throughout the book.  Our son told me he was dong a book report through film.  This is where I said, "Wow!"  I really don't think I could have planned a lesson that would have accomplished these things with such a positive response.  I probably would have found some way to suck the fun out of it.

If you are still wondering, there is a point to my post.  It is in our nature to be curious.  It is in our nature to explore.  It is in our nature to be creative.  Education should embrace these qualities not contain them.  To face the demands of today's society and the future, our children need to be innovative and adaptable.  They need to possess the ability to come up with creative solutions.  Our current education model is based on an archaic design meant to produce "factory-made products", not critical thinkers.  To this end, I have to remind myself of why we began homeschooling.  It is our goal to create an atmosphere that fosters creativity, encourages curiosity and critical thinking, and allows our children to develop their individual strengths.  Like I said in the beginning, sometimes we know what we should be doing, but have a hard time following through.  I am slowly learning, though, to take those leaps of faith.  When I do, I am often rewarded with big smiles and amazing learning experiences.

P.S. Stay tuned... I hope to have their projects up soon.  The kids are excited and want to share them with everyone.

P.S.S. After our 10 yo watched Sir Ken Robinson's talk, she replied, "I feel like 17th Century Spain."  I asked her why?  She answered, "Well, they were reluctant to change and slow to accept new ways of thinking.  It led to their downfall and a war of succession."  Ah, the mind of a child is amazing!  (Note: We did just finish a chapter on this topic.)