Marble slab in front of my fireplace:
And just for fun... my rock of many faces:
Monday, September 27, 2010
CEP 818: Zoom In - Module 3
Patterning:
Marble slab in front of my fireplace:
And just for fun... my rock of many faces:
Marble slab in front of my fireplace:
And just for fun... my rock of many faces:
Saturday, September 25, 2010
CEP 818: What's the Big Idea? Module 2
Observing/Imaging
1. "All knowledge begins in observation."(30) I think there is a lot of truth to that statement. Using our senses (and beyond) to observe an environment or a particular situation creates the framework for which we add on to our existing knowledge. According to Sparks, "Most people equate observing with visual perception..." (30) however, there is much more to it. To observe means to go beyond simply recognizing. I think this concept is very familiar. Many people say, "Don't forget to stop and smell the roses," but how many of us actually go beyond that without conscious effort? Observing is an added awareness that requires effort and focus.
1. Imaging to me is taking the act of observation another step forward. While observing appears to be more of an acquired skill, I believe that imaging is slightly more innate because of it's complexity. To observe something, one can utilize their senses to gather information. To image, one must be able to create or gather information solely from within their own mind (instead of from a tangible item let's say.) As I read Sparks and attempted to close my eyes and imagine things and ideas solely in my mind, this required great focus and external distractions were hard to block out. While attempting to observe my surroundings, these "distractions" were actually part of my observations so that was very different.
2. Reading about observing and imaging makes me think about my own creative endeavors with sewing as well as the activities I conduct with my students. When I create a garment I utilize both of these skills - typically imaging first when I form an idea of what I'd like the finished product to be, and then observing throughout the process and especially at the end when I zoom in to add the small details (buttons, needlework, etc.) to make the garment special and unique. I find that these tiny details really speak to certain customers who are "observers" themselves while intently shopping through each item with a fine tooth comb.
As for my classroom, these readings have helped me to look at certain activities I do with my students from a different light. This past week I began teaching my Interior Design class about the basic design elements. As we studied the element of line, I wanted them to understand line not only on paper but to connect the emotions and moods that line can create or convey. Based on the readings I decided to do an imaging exercise of sorts and I asked them to turn their minds into an Etch-a-Sketch. They closed their eyes and I described a certain mood or emotion (anger, calmness, anxiety, chaos, joy, etc.) I told them to simply draw what they felt in their "Etch-a-sketch" minds and then hold the mental image as long as they could. After each emotion, we discussed what types of lines they drew. For calming emotions they drew many curvy or wavy lines and for loud or unsettling emotions (anger, anxiety, etc.) they drew many dark, zig-zag looking lines. We all learned a lot from our discussions and although it was difficult for some students to tune out distractions at first, they seemed to really enjoy the activity after a few tries.
3. Thinking about observing and imaging impacts my abilities to teach creativity because it inspires more engaging and focused methods of learning. I have been struggling this year to come up with more engaging and creative ways to teach my Consumer Education class. (It's always much easier to teach creative concepts in my Sewing and Interior Design classes.) By visualizing the topics that we are learning in Consumer Education I've been envisioning how my students could reach the same learning objectives through more artistic means. I recently developed a lesson where the students began designing comic books to tell a story that utilizes the decision making process. The first couple days of this was pretty rough because I could sense many of them felt overwhelmed by the challenge to incorporate each step in a comic. As the week progressed, I sat individually with many students and walked them through a mental brainstorm. I wouldn't let them write anything down at first and this bothered them because they were so concerned with simply getting it done. As they sat and brainstormed, new ideas emerged that may not have surfaced had they been so concerned with writing right away. I stressed to them to remember this so that in the future when they feel overwhelmed, just stop and think first. Imagine first, then gather thoughts, then write. This assignment really opened up my eyes to the different abilities that my students have to simply visualize and brainstorm. I will keep this in mind as I attempt to develop similar lessons which require these skills.
1. "All knowledge begins in observation."(30) I think there is a lot of truth to that statement. Using our senses (and beyond) to observe an environment or a particular situation creates the framework for which we add on to our existing knowledge. According to Sparks, "Most people equate observing with visual perception..." (30) however, there is much more to it. To observe means to go beyond simply recognizing. I think this concept is very familiar. Many people say, "Don't forget to stop and smell the roses," but how many of us actually go beyond that without conscious effort? Observing is an added awareness that requires effort and focus.
1. Imaging to me is taking the act of observation another step forward. While observing appears to be more of an acquired skill, I believe that imaging is slightly more innate because of it's complexity. To observe something, one can utilize their senses to gather information. To image, one must be able to create or gather information solely from within their own mind (instead of from a tangible item let's say.) As I read Sparks and attempted to close my eyes and imagine things and ideas solely in my mind, this required great focus and external distractions were hard to block out. While attempting to observe my surroundings, these "distractions" were actually part of my observations so that was very different.
2. Reading about observing and imaging makes me think about my own creative endeavors with sewing as well as the activities I conduct with my students. When I create a garment I utilize both of these skills - typically imaging first when I form an idea of what I'd like the finished product to be, and then observing throughout the process and especially at the end when I zoom in to add the small details (buttons, needlework, etc.) to make the garment special and unique. I find that these tiny details really speak to certain customers who are "observers" themselves while intently shopping through each item with a fine tooth comb.
As for my classroom, these readings have helped me to look at certain activities I do with my students from a different light. This past week I began teaching my Interior Design class about the basic design elements. As we studied the element of line, I wanted them to understand line not only on paper but to connect the emotions and moods that line can create or convey. Based on the readings I decided to do an imaging exercise of sorts and I asked them to turn their minds into an Etch-a-Sketch. They closed their eyes and I described a certain mood or emotion (anger, calmness, anxiety, chaos, joy, etc.) I told them to simply draw what they felt in their "Etch-a-sketch" minds and then hold the mental image as long as they could. After each emotion, we discussed what types of lines they drew. For calming emotions they drew many curvy or wavy lines and for loud or unsettling emotions (anger, anxiety, etc.) they drew many dark, zig-zag looking lines. We all learned a lot from our discussions and although it was difficult for some students to tune out distractions at first, they seemed to really enjoy the activity after a few tries.
3. Thinking about observing and imaging impacts my abilities to teach creativity because it inspires more engaging and focused methods of learning. I have been struggling this year to come up with more engaging and creative ways to teach my Consumer Education class. (It's always much easier to teach creative concepts in my Sewing and Interior Design classes.) By visualizing the topics that we are learning in Consumer Education I've been envisioning how my students could reach the same learning objectives through more artistic means. I recently developed a lesson where the students began designing comic books to tell a story that utilizes the decision making process. The first couple days of this was pretty rough because I could sense many of them felt overwhelmed by the challenge to incorporate each step in a comic. As the week progressed, I sat individually with many students and walked them through a mental brainstorm. I wouldn't let them write anything down at first and this bothered them because they were so concerned with simply getting it done. As they sat and brainstormed, new ideas emerged that may not have surfaced had they been so concerned with writing right away. I stressed to them to remember this so that in the future when they feel overwhelmed, just stop and think first. Imagine first, then gather thoughts, then write. This assignment really opened up my eyes to the different abilities that my students have to simply visualize and brainstorm. I will keep this in mind as I attempt to develop similar lessons which require these skills.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
CEP 818: What's the Big Idea? Week 1
Chapters 1, 2 and 16: “Sparks of Genius”
I found the introductory chapters of this book to be very interesting. I like the connections that are made between art and science – two seemingly very different fields where most people assume respective left and right brain functions are solely utilized. I’ve been known to tell my students, “Don’t approach this class from a mathematical standpoint… 1+1 may equal 2, but in this class I don’t want you to think so “black and white.” There are many ways to obtain a certain outcome and I want you to think outside the box to get there.” I feel that some of my students get this because they are used to being restricted in many of their classes, but I also feel that this leaves them confused because they haven’t been taught HOW to think outside the box.
Many of my students come up to me and ask, “Ms. Milczynski would it be okay if I tried it this way?…” and I can just sense their uncertainty and insecurity in their voices. I remember how I felt in school years ago when asking teachers similar questions and being told, “No, I’d like it done this way,” over and over again. While I understand that limits and requirements are important, I feel that in education we have to learn to loosen up a little bit to allow our students to feel comfortable thinking outside the box and to simply encourage those types of thought processes. For me, if a student suggests an alternative approach to the assignment – even if I’m not really sure if it will work 100% effectively or not – I’ll tell them to give it a go 9 out of 10 times just because I feel it’s important for them to learn to take risks and explore. In the end if it’s a success oftentimes I’m learning a great deal from them as well! One of my favorite quotes from author/educator Randy Pausch (http://www.thelastlecture.com/) is, “It's better to fail spectacularly then to pass along and do something which is mediocre.”
Another idea that really hit home in this book was the idea of students truly grasping content and being able to apply it to real life situations. Reading through this made me think of my own personal goals that I set to provide a real life application for my students whenever possible. In my Independent Living course (taught to Senior students only), I can talk all day to my students about the importance of time management, organization and goal setting. In the end though, unless they are given an opportunity to apply the knowledge I provide them with, it’s really useless. One assignment I tested last year was to have my students create an actual “mock” college course schedule. I called a local community college and had them give me a list of typical classes that incoming Freshman take. I went to the college and grabbed a class set of course scheduling books. I had my students create a mock schedule where they had to not only pick their classes but also map out times for sleep, recreation, food, etc. The next day, we reviewed these schedules as a class and I threw some curveballs at them. I canceled a few classes, told them that their boss changed their work schedule and required them to alter their classes to work around this, informed them that a certain professor was more shall we say “enlightening” then another and encouraged them to switch their Monday 11am class with the earlier 8am course because of the academic benefits, etc. This stirred up great conversations and many questions as well. The students were frustrated at times with the assignment but in the end, I could tell they really learned a lot. I’ve since had students come back and tell me how beneficial the assignment was for them when they attended orientation at their college and were faced with making a real college schedule for the first time. All of the tips on organization and time management came back to them and because they had practiced these skills before, they felt much better prepared. Some students even shared that they were helping their peers who where overwhelmed because they had never done this before.
I found the introductory chapters of this book to be very interesting. I like the connections that are made between art and science – two seemingly very different fields where most people assume respective left and right brain functions are solely utilized. I’ve been known to tell my students, “Don’t approach this class from a mathematical standpoint… 1+1 may equal 2, but in this class I don’t want you to think so “black and white.” There are many ways to obtain a certain outcome and I want you to think outside the box to get there.” I feel that some of my students get this because they are used to being restricted in many of their classes, but I also feel that this leaves them confused because they haven’t been taught HOW to think outside the box.
Many of my students come up to me and ask, “Ms. Milczynski would it be okay if I tried it this way?…” and I can just sense their uncertainty and insecurity in their voices. I remember how I felt in school years ago when asking teachers similar questions and being told, “No, I’d like it done this way,” over and over again. While I understand that limits and requirements are important, I feel that in education we have to learn to loosen up a little bit to allow our students to feel comfortable thinking outside the box and to simply encourage those types of thought processes. For me, if a student suggests an alternative approach to the assignment – even if I’m not really sure if it will work 100% effectively or not – I’ll tell them to give it a go 9 out of 10 times just because I feel it’s important for them to learn to take risks and explore. In the end if it’s a success oftentimes I’m learning a great deal from them as well! One of my favorite quotes from author/educator Randy Pausch (http://www.thelastlecture.com/) is, “It's better to fail spectacularly then to pass along and do something which is mediocre.”
Another idea that really hit home in this book was the idea of students truly grasping content and being able to apply it to real life situations. Reading through this made me think of my own personal goals that I set to provide a real life application for my students whenever possible. In my Independent Living course (taught to Senior students only), I can talk all day to my students about the importance of time management, organization and goal setting. In the end though, unless they are given an opportunity to apply the knowledge I provide them with, it’s really useless. One assignment I tested last year was to have my students create an actual “mock” college course schedule. I called a local community college and had them give me a list of typical classes that incoming Freshman take. I went to the college and grabbed a class set of course scheduling books. I had my students create a mock schedule where they had to not only pick their classes but also map out times for sleep, recreation, food, etc. The next day, we reviewed these schedules as a class and I threw some curveballs at them. I canceled a few classes, told them that their boss changed their work schedule and required them to alter their classes to work around this, informed them that a certain professor was more shall we say “enlightening” then another and encouraged them to switch their Monday 11am class with the earlier 8am course because of the academic benefits, etc. This stirred up great conversations and many questions as well. The students were frustrated at times with the assignment but in the end, I could tell they really learned a lot. I’ve since had students come back and tell me how beneficial the assignment was for them when they attended orientation at their college and were faced with making a real college schedule for the first time. All of the tips on organization and time management came back to them and because they had practiced these skills before, they felt much better prepared. Some students even shared that they were helping their peers who where overwhelmed because they had never done this before.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
