EDUC 5313: Week 3

If creativity is something that is desired for education, then providing a learning environment conducive to it is very important. As knowledge of the best practices for teaching grows, the memorization and recitation of facts and information that has been a feature for education for so long is being replaced by more effective strategies that develop skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity. It states in the Gura text that “students need to have some time allocated for investigation, experimentation, seeking and reflecting on feedback, revisions, and imagining” (Gura, 2016, p.64). For this to be possible for students, teachers need to provide a creative learning environment; “one that fosters the development of creativity and innovation” (Gura, 2016, p.55). Also, part of this new knowledge about education is the realization that there is no one right way to learn. In the book How People Learn II (2018) memory and its’ functions in learning are discussed. Research has found that the retrieval cues that people use are very important in their ability to recall information. One study discussed how changing retrieval conditions allowed the subjects to recall information they had not been able to previously (2018, p.77). Because of this the authors emphasized that “undue weight should not be placed on any single assessment of a learner’s knowledge and skills” (How People Learn II, 2018). Self- regulation and executive function are also an important part of education. Just like memory retrieval, they play an integral part in the success of a student in life. They cannot develop properly unless a student has opportunities to manage themselves and have control over their decisions. If the creative environment Gura suggests is provided, then students will have the room to explore knowledge, make connections and achieve education goals. ISTE Standard 4d (Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems) also addresses the importance for soft skills in education (ISTE, 2016). There is no one set way for learning to occur, and by providing a creative learning environment teachers are setting their students up for success once they graduate and start their life beyond school. 

 References: 

Gura, M. (2016). Make, Learn, Succeed: Building a Culture of Creativity in Your School. International Society for Technology in Education. 

 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018). How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24783. 

 International Society for Technology in Education. https://www.iste.org/

Comments

  1. Ashley HoffmeierSeptember 11, 2020 at 5:24 PM

    Nice work on the infographic ! The quotes you included from Gura are spot on and make really good points. I also appreciate what you wrote about learning, that there is no right or wrong way to learn.

    ReplyDelete

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