Designing Projects That Encourage Creativity

This fun, interactive, practical hands-on session will give participants the chance to practice designing project-based learning activities that encourage creativity by students. No more boring "reports" that avoid plagiarism by paraphrasing! Use digital tools to enable scenario discussion, adaptive reading, and collaborative building of assignments using digital tools.

Powerpoint slides in Dropbox

Chapter Five: A Job Not Worth Doing is Not Worth Doing Well: What are the attributes of projects that help instill creativity? from Teaching Outside the Lines

Video used in workshop::

• Google Self Driving car
• Scene from Toy Story
• BrainyFlix "Semaphore"
• Apple Think Different ad
• When there is a correct answer: Exercise in creative thinking

This session directly addresses ISTE Student Standard 1. Creativity and innovation.

Outline:

I. Introduction - start with the "why" of creativity GoSoapBox preassessment and discussion forum

II. Scenario readings and discussion. Sharing example from personal experience

III. Attributes of assignments that matter, of activities that involve, of assessments that help, and of how attitude is everything. Hands on development of creating assignments based on project-design rubric

Scenarios

Project One: Learning about Shapes

Ms Hanson’s math curriculum requires students be able to recognize standard geometric shapes: squares, rectangles, circles, ovals, and triangles. While worksheets and computer games have helped her students do this in the past, she decided that for too many students this knowledge is simply an abstract concept that has little relationship to the real world.

Since she now has a cart of tablet computers available to her, she decides to use the cameras in them to help students relate their math studies to their lives. Over the course of a week, Ms Hanson sends these devices home with her students asking each of them to find and photograph ten shapes they find in nature, in buildings, and in objects in their homes.

Once the photographs have been taken, students import them into a drawing program in which they use the tools to outline the shapes they’ve found with bold colorful lines. The tech integration specialist was in the lab helping on the days this was done. Students use a short checklist to make sure they have completed all parts of the project. One of the criteria is to find an unusual shape and give it its own name.

When complete, Ms Hanson has a short conference with each student about the assignment - what they learned, where they had problems, and how this information might be useful to them. The short checklist of requirements was used as part of the interview. When students failed to complete any of the requirements, she made arrangements for them to get extra help or practice.

Prints of both the original photograph and modified photographs were displayed in the classroom and online for parents and other students to review.

On reflection, Ms Hanson saw an unusually high level of motivation to complete the project, that higher percentage of students mastered the math concepts, and that both she and her students had fun. She’s writing a grant for her own set of five classroom tablets for next year and decides to start looking for a better graphics program for use with the project.

Project Two - Oral Histories of the Civil Rights Movement

Mr. Chaves has a state standard that requires students demonstrate an understanding of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. When he has taught it in the past using a textbook and films, he finds that his students are uninterested in this piece of “ancient history,” often do poorly on the unit exam, and cannot recall any significant events or lessons only a few weeks after the unit has ended.

So with the help of his librarian, he decides to change the unit up, asking students demonstrate their learning by creating oral histories of local people who remember the 1960s.

Assigning students to groups he believes have a variety of skills, he gives them these guidelines and a rubric on which the project will be assessed:

You and your team must find a relative, friend, or neighbor who remembers life in the 1960s and is willing to share his or her remembrances of that time. While there are no specific questions you need to ask, your goal is to see if they can tell you about how minority groups may have been treated differently during that time compared to today. You may choose to record their recollections as a sound recording, on video, or in writing.

You will also need to select one other secondary source of information about the era - a textbook chapter, a book, or a documentary, and compare and contrast it with the oral history of the person you interviewed. Try to answer the question: Did the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s have a lasting impact? If you feel you have a more significant question about the era, that’s great - but talk to me about it first.

You may choose how to present your findings. You may give an oral report accompanied by a computer slideshow, create a video, or write a paper. Exemplary presentations will be original and creative. All reports will be shared online with the school and the interviewees. A short written personal reflection on what you learned is also required. This will not be shared.

Mr. Chavez spent time in class helping students establish group norms, determine job responsibilities, and develop a timeline to organize task completion deadlines. He also encouraged groups to develop their own quality criteria for the completed work - and to think creatively about their conclusion and presentation.

At the end of the unit, Mr. Chavez reviewed each project and his own effort. He observed that students were more engaged, demonstrated high-order thinking, and some students showed creativity both in their conclusions or how they communicated their findings. He determined the rubric needed to be clearer and some students needed extra help from the librarian in creating good videos and finding secondary sources. A short student survey of the project revealed that while students found the project challenging, they liked the personal relationships they formed with interviewees and were proud of their finished product.

A Rubric to determine the chance your assignment will result in creativity

Level

Attributes

Primary example

Secondary example

One

The project is about a broad topic. Students can complete the assignment by using a general reference source such as an encyclopedia or Wikipedia. Students cannot make a connection between the project and their daily lives. Creativity is not asked for or encouraged.

My project is about a disease.

My project is about a career.

Two

The project answers a question that helps the student narrow the focus of his information gathering. This question will require various sources of information in order to get a reliable answer. To complete the project, the student will need to clearly state a supported answer to the question. While a creative answer may be possible, the project focuses in factual information.

What are the most common symptoms of the disease?

Is the career I am studying one that is more likely to add or lose jobs in the future?

Three

The project requires students to answer questions or solve problems of personal relevance. To answer this questions, students will need to use primary sources of information (original surveys, interviews, source documents) as well as secondary sources (magazines, newspapers, books, or the Internet). Higher level thinking skills, including creativity, will need to be demonstrated to successfully complete these projects.

What disease might I be likely to contract based on my family's medical history?

Based on my personal interests and academic strengths, what are the top three careers I should consider pursuing?

Four

he project requires students to answer questions or solve problems of a personal relevance but also contains information that can be used by decision-makers as they make policy or distribute funds. The result of the project is a well-supported argument that includes an innovative call for action on the part of an organization or government body along with a plan to share or distribute this information.

How can my family and I reduce the chances of contracting my disease through lifestyle changes?

How can my school change its course offerings and opportunities to help me and other students pursuing my career?