TOP TEN

TOP 10 CEP 882 IDEAS

10. Less imagination and more creation:  You can imagine a rich world but can you describe it in writing?  You can invent the next must have product but can you craft it into being?  To make something compelling we have to have the skills to bring an idea to life.  The degree to which one can compel another is linked to how skilled they are in the manipulation of from.

9. Compelling experiences cause time travel:  Just a fancy way of saying that compelling experiences cause unfold and trap more of our attention, we are engaged in the experience longer and time seems to speed up, give enough time for your experience to sink into the student.

8. Compelling and pleasing are separate things:  As I tell my students while teaching reading comprehension techniques, “you don’t have to be motivated to like what your reading, instead find motivation to learn from your reading.”  Compelling learning experiences do not always have to resemble entertainment.

7. Most everything has forms:  Most things can be made compelling through the manipulation of its forms no matter how basic those forms maybe.

6. Do not underestimate the five senses:  That weird smell in your classroom caused by cheap microwaveable frozen Chinese food impacts student learning.  The color on the walls impacts learning.  The temperature impacts learning.  The volume of your voice impacts learning.  Get all the senses on your side through a compelling experience and impact learning positively.

5. Heavy constraints can be a major catalyst to creative thinking:  We are often times asked to “think outside the box” but rarely are we given enough constraints to construct a situation that requires abstract thinking.  Sometimes limiting your students will invoke creative thinking. 

4. The details matter:  Why does a film editor take so much time to decide if an edit should be made at 1:23:24 or 1:23:26?  It is because the smallest details often make or break the experience.  Students can be distracted or spurred on by numerous small influences.  Acknowledge them and use them to your advantage.

3. Experiences should have focus: Many teachers take an arbitrary approach to the idea of creating experiences.  How many field trips have students taken to the zoo where the main goal of the experience is…to go to the zoo?  Creating something compelling is not enough by itself, nature and design need to push new learning.

2.  Teaching musically:  It was the breakdown of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” that helped me form the idea of teaching through musical form.  I witnessed how music is created in such a way that it becomes quickly familiar but constantly surprising.

1: Teaching artistically: the idea that art is not a product but instead a way of looking at the world.  With this in mind, the teacher of any subject can use an artful approach to create a compelling experience for the student by approaching information in new and exciting ways.

BE HONEST ABOUT THE HOODIE

A hot topic in the media lately has been the hoodie, an article of clothing that has gained some recognition after the death of Treyvon Martin, a teenage Florida residence.   Let me start by stating that I have an adverse reaction to the hoodie mostly due to the time I spend with teenage drug addicts.  By and large their must wear item of clothing is an oversized hooded sweatshirt.

 Let’s take a moment to break down the design of this article of clothing.  From the name sweatshirt we can infer that the original purpose of this item was to serve as warm athletic clothing, the loose fit allows for full range of motion and the ability to layer.  The hood allows for covering your noggin without having to carry a separate hat or an umbrella.  The front pouch is open on both sides to allow easy access to storage while on the move.  Logos and graphics on sweatshirts are primarily but not exclusively related to sports or athletics.

Now ask yourself what is your experience when you come across a group of teenage boys, let’s say at the movie theater, who are all sporting overly large hooded sweatshirts?  Do you think, “hey those guys must really like to play sports!”  A common sentiment is that they are hiding in their clothes and it can give one a suspicious and uneasy feeling. 

Are we narrow minded when look upon the fashion of others and derive negative assumptions from the way they present themselves? I personally think that fashion is an indicator of intention or practice and as an educator a lot of information can be gleaned from these indicators.  I’m not suggesting we judge a child by what they choose to wear.  However, it would be unwise to discount the information that we can gain from how an individual presents themselves to society, even if the information we receive is negative, as is often the case with hoodies.