Using Creative Learning approaches in Learning Programmes..…

…..to enhance the learning experience

Webquests..for interactive learning

Input – Transformation - Output• Inputs:references, articles,images, sounds,news reports, press

releases,experts,dynamic data sources,project / field reports

• Transformations:comparison / contrast,concept creation,Analysis,synthesis,evaluation,problem solving,decision making,policy formation

• Output:oral presentations,written reports, letters, etc.,creative writing, videoconferencing, audioconferencing,Web publishing

                                                                                                                                         

The idea machine:a pool of starting points

• What information/facts do you want to make sure your students learn?

• What more sophisticated thinking would you like students engaged in?

• What are the main skills students should master in your class?

• Is there a topic in your curriculum you want to enhance?

Pre-writing your web-quest

• The big ideas

• Links likely to be used

• Roles or Jobs for Developing Expertise

• "Go / No Go" Questions

Thinking thru linking• Instructional designers should think through how they use

Internet links – The Internet holds such a wealth of possibilities that it is important to

diagnostically choose the right kind of site to achieve the intended instructional goal.

• Thinking links should be developed in the minds of learners using the pages – Students should engage in thinking that connects to prior knowledge,

creates links to other content areas, extends their cognitive schema, and prompts the construction of new meaning.

The Web-quest design process

• Exploring the possibilities:Choose and chunk the topic,Identify learning gaps, Inventory resources,uncover the question

• Designing for success:Brainstorm transformations,identify real world feedback,sort links into roles,define the learning task

• Creating your webquest: write the web-page,engage learners,scaffold thinking,implement and evaluate

Web- and –flow interaction

• It is a fee-based web-site for this purpose• It's an interactive design site.

It's a just-in-time workshop. It's an interactive book. It's an expert system. It's an HTML editor. It's a Web host. It's a learning community

Filamentality• Filamentality is a fill-in-the-blank tool that guides you

through picking a topic, searching the Web, gathering good Internet links, and turning them into learning activities. It combines the "filament" of the Web with a learner's "mentality". Support is built-in through Mentality Tips that guide you along the way. In the end, you'll create a Web-based activity you can share with others even if you don't know anything about HTML, Web servers, or all that www-dot stuff.

Web-quest template

• Introduction• Question & Task • The Process and Resources • Background: Something for Everyone • Looking Deeper: Different Perspectives on the Topic • Debate and Discuss What You Learned • Conclusion

Web-quest designer’s checklist

• An Engaging Opening• The Question / Task• Background for Everyone• Roles / Expertise• Use of the Web• Transformative Thinking• Real World Feedback• Conclusion

Web-quest Rubrics 

LowProbably not a WebQuest

Engaging Opening No attempt made to appeal to learners.

The Question / Task Fuzzy Question or Task. Maybe what's asked for is lower level thinking.

Background for Everyone No attempt to access prior learning or build common background.

Roles / Expertise Roles are artificial or not requiring interdependent teamwork.

Use of the Web This activity could probably be done better without the Web.

Transformative Thinking No Transformative thinking. (This is not a WebQuest, but may be a good Treasure Hunt).

Real World Feedback No feedback loop included.

Conclusion Minimal conclusion. No mention of student thinking or symmetry to intro.

Web-quest Rubrics 

MediumA solid draft

Engaging Opening Honestly attempts to appeal to student interests.

The Question / Task The Question and Task target higher order thinking, but may not be totally clear.

Background for Everyone Some mention of addressing a common body of knowledge. (May not happen within the activity.)

Roles / Expertise Roles are clear. They may be limited in scope.

Use of the Web Some resources reflect features of the Web that make it particularly useful.

Transformative Thinking Higher level thinking is required, but the process for students may not be clear.

Real World FeedbackThe learning product could easily be used for authentic assessment although this may not be mentioned.

ConclusionSums up the experiences and learning that was undertaken. Probably returns to the intro ideas.

Web-quest Rubrics 

HighReady for Blue Web'n

Engaging Opening Has that something that compels attention.

The Question / TaskClear Question and Task. These naturally flow from the introduction and signal a direction for learning.

Background for Everyone

Clearly calls attention to the need for a common foundation of knowledge and provides needed (Web?) resources.

Roles / ExpertiseRoles match the issues and resources. The roles provide multiple perspectives from which to view the topic.

Use of the WebUses the Web to access at least some of the following: interactivity, multiple perspectives, current information, etc.

Transformative Thinking

Higher level thinking required to construct new meaning. Scaffolding is clearly provided to support student achievment.

Real World FeedbackSome feedback loop is included in the Web page. May include a rubric.

ConclusionClear tie-in to the intro. Makes the students' cognitive tasks overt and suggests how this learning could transfer to other domains/issues.

Human mind

• Humans are capable of Rational thinking while animals are instinctive.

• Thinking itself is a process of analysis of inputs to arrive at a logical (individual's logic) output where Our brain is the processor

• . Humans are the only species, where IQ is genetically transferred from parent to child. That is also the reason why children are smarter than the parent at that age.

• The term thoughts arise in my mind means.... the thoughts are brought forth from a sub-conscious state to a conscious state for the brain to focus

What is a Mind Map?

A mind map is a visual thinking tool which reflects the way the brain naturally thinks.

Mind Mapping

• Mind mapping is a term coined by Tony Buzan to describe a creative thinking process

• It is a brilliant method of putting your thoughts into a visual format that encourages and fosters the process of thinking creatively -- and it is a great study aid too.

Mind mapping ..it's origins in history.

• Leonardo da Vinci used visual mapping thinking techniques • the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson invented a creative thinking process called Nuclear

Shorthand which was a forerunner to mind mapping.

Benefits of Mind Maps

• Brainstorm creative ideas quickly and easily • Make better decisions • Take fast effective notes in meetings • Make concise notes from books, documents, reports

and other printed material • Prepare and present documents etc. • Study better and remember more • Think through problems and find the best solution

How to do Mind Mapping For Creative Insights

The free flowing approach to mind mappingYou start with your • central idea on the mind map and you see what comes to mind next and you • add that to the map with a branch line from the central idea to the new idea with a circle around the new idea. • If that idea sparks other thoughts, you add lines and circles

from the new idea to note down the other thoughts too.• If you reach a dead end, you may go back to the central idea

or to any other sub-idea that has occurred to you. This is easier to practice than to describe!

Mind Map …Global warming Impacts

The systematic approach to mind mapping

• involves creating branches out from your central idea, labelled with sub-ideas that relate to the central idea. So if you were mindmapping on the subject of, say, videoblogs... your central circle would say Impact of Global warming , then you would create branches off with sub-ideas such as economics, GW worse than, predictions…, mass extinction

• This systematic approach can often end up being simply a way of creating a map of your knowledge of a subject -- but just seeing it in this format frees your mind to think creatively, laterally, dynamically on the subject.

How to Read a Mind Map

• The best way to start learning how to construct your own Mind Maps is to study ones that other people have created.

• On Mind Maps, ideas and thoughts are shown as coloured

images and key words branching out from a central theme. One of the key benefits of Mind Maps is that they help you to see how ideas link to each other as well as how they relate to the central theme.

Start reading the Mind Map by…

• Start in the centre - the image represents the theme/topic of the Mind Map.

• 2. Select one of the main branches (thick curved line connected to the central image). This has a key word printed on it and represents an idea/thought that is linked to the main theme.

• 3. Read out from the centre along the branch. These are second and third levels of thought with words and images that are associated with the main branch

• 4. Continue reading around the Mind Map until you have read and understand the whole map.

What to use Mind Maps for

• Mind Maps can be used for a wide variety of activities that involve

• thinking, learning and communication in business, in school and at home.

Edward De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

• It’s many-sided. Fact-finding, for first instance, is when you (are in a meeting, all the others) concentrate on the facts, analyse the information you have, and identify what more you need to know. Here you wear the White Hat.

• The Red Hat function couldn’t be further removed. Here you let your intuition take command. Never ignore a ‘hunch’ or ‘gut feelings’. They result from the same intellectual processes as controlled thinking. You may not be conscious of those processes, but you can benefit hugely from the result of their silent work.

• There are also positive results from thinking negatively. That may sound weird, but it’s important to think through all the negatives - all the reasons why a plan may not work. People who only wear this Black Hat are a pain. But you must make sure that the black, cautionary warnings have all been thoroughly examined

• The Yellow Hat is the opposite, again. This is positive thinking, where you concentrate on the benefits and show the sunny, optimistic side of your thinking.

• Yellow goes hand-in-hand with green - creativity. The Green Hat is worn for developing creative ideas. While logic and organisation are required to develop creative excellence, this depends on free thought - in which lateral thinking (the most famous de Bono inspiration) covers a highly valuable body of techniques.

• Finally, there’s the Blue Hat. With this hat on, you think about controlling the process, about organising discussion, planning and execution to achieve the best possible result. This is where you ask the key question:

Summary of Six thinking Hats

A 6 step model for information processing skills

• 1. Task Definition1.1 Define the information problem 1.2 Identify information needed

• 2. Information Seeking Strategies 2.1 Determine all possible sources 2.2 Select the best sources

• 3. Location and Access3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically) 3.2 Find information within sources

• 4. Use of Information4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch) 4.2 Extract relevant information

• 5. Synthesis5.1 Organize from multiple sources 5.2 Present the information

• 6. Evaluation6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness) 6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)

How will it get done?

• The academic strand through traditional high quality teacher training Institutes,

• The other strand through creative teaching using web 2.0 and allied technologies, facebook, wikis, blogs, podcasting, twitter, second life and accessed through mobile hand-held devices

Drawing from the double helix model:• One strand is the initial

professional pre-service training e.g. B.Ed, NTT etc.

• The other strand is continuous development of generic skills of ICT, assessment, enhancing learner motivation

• There are links at several levels between the two strands

Creative Learning Activities:• Research activities• Games• Case studies• Discussion • Debates• Simulations• Investigations• Assignments• Projects • Group work• Other Practical activities

Resources for creative Learning activities

• Research materials and networks• External contacts• Opportunities outside of the classroom• Support Networks• Games• Case Studies• Simulations• Practical activities• Assignments• Projects

Facilitation Skills

• Induction• One on one and group discussions and review• Formal and informal feedback• Written and oral feedback• Contacts, access, availability• Communications, briefing• Monitoring of progress• Timely Interventions

Environment:

• Relationships• Involvement of others• Support of colleagues, technicians and other

staff• Suitable Physical environment• Two-way interaction: regular and varied• Trust• Open Climate

Implement activities:

• Independent research activities• Team and collaborative working• External speakers and visits• Work placement • Projects • Presentations• Simulations

Activities for a specific programme:

• Identify programme outcomes• Matching activities to desired outcomes• Applying above approach to activities listed

earlier to specific programmes

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