Melissa Goodwin and Cate Sommervold are presenting their book, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Communication for the AdvancEd conference in Chamberlain, SD.
AS we go through the presentation- what did you like, what would you like to know more about, how would you like us to contact you...?
Apple story- a la cate
Some teachers have always known how to make applesauce out of their apples. They either grew up on a farm, or they had a recipe book, or they watched their moms make things like apple pies and they learned from them. They naturally do these things well without even thinking about it. They use the resources they have, and always end up with a good product, almost effortlessly. And then there are the rest of us. Those that see apples falling and we have heart palpitations. Because we didn ’ t grow up on a farm – we have no idea what tools to use and we couldn ’ t bake a pie if our lives depended on it. So for those in this group – the majority – we decided to make some buckets – to make these lists more efficient. We cross examined the lists, mapped them to core skills, and made these core skills managable – using resources that we all have. Made the process efficient The buckets> right now I am working in digital>app story What is the problem and how can we solve it Mapping it out How can we use the resources we have to achieve the end product that we want (link to Cate ’ s apple story)
Why these three- when we mapped them out- Universal applicability- NOT IN PLACE of content knowledge. Employing these skills in the classroom will facilitate deeper understanding of content being covered. Learning is an organic, not a mechanical process. The 3 C ’ s help to facilitate learning at a more organic level.
“ … businesses are realizing that the only way to differentiate their goods and services in today ’ s overstocked marketplace is to make their offerings physically beautiful and emotionally compelling. Thus the high-concept abilities of an artist are often more valuable than the easily replicated L-Directed skills of an entry-level business graduate. ” …..Dan Pink, A Whole New Mind That said, there are maybe fourteen people on the planet who are going to make a living as poets. But, again, there are maybe a million who can use their talents as poets in work as teachers, copywriters, bloggers, journalists, and other professions and business centered on creation.
May 2010 IBMs Institute for Business Value surveyed 1500 CEOs to identify chief leadership competency. The answer? Creativity. WHY? Creativity is the seed of innovation. Drives economies and cultures. Creativity has a high market demand – IT IS our export as a country. America has always thrived on being innovators and entreprenuers.
Shows up on nearly every “ 21 st Century Skills List ” Assumed that curriculum being used in schools magically addresses critical thinking Teachers receive little or no professional development on this topic Critical thinking has become synonymous with “ hard ” “ extra credit ” or “ tricky ”
Being a good communicator can make or break pivotal decisions, yet few have a good handle on where communicatino breakdown occurs or how to prevent it. Communication involves translation. Communication in many ways…IS…translation. It is measured at the receiving end. Nobody can declare him/herself a good communicator, but the receiver can say “ I got that. I think I understand. ” Although technology has radically transformed the means by which we communicate, the basic rules for HOW to communicate and do it effectively, are the same.
Creativity Index (California, Massachusetts, Oklahoma) , IDEO, Edutopia Communication – Explanation Specialist with Common Craft Critical Thinking - Edutopia
Take the mystery out of what these things are. Provide a definition, provide framework Provide training to our teachers. Made it simple, provided templates
Recipe book for how to integrate these skills into the classroom Don ’ t let the apples rot. You WILL have to use them.