Promoting Divergent Thinking

QUOTED: Sir Ken Robinson, chair of the UK Government's report on creativity, education and the economy, described research that showed that young people lost their ability to think in "divergent or non-linear ways", a key component of creativity.

Of 1,600 children aged three to five who were tested, 98% showed they could think in divergent ways.

By the time they were aged eight to 10, 32% could think divergently.

When the same test was applied to 13 to 15-year-olds, only 10% could think in this way.

And when the test was used with 200,000 25-year-olds, only 2% could think divergently. . . .

Education is driven by the idea of one answer and this idea of divergent thinking becomes stifled.'

He described creativity as the 'genetic code' of education and said it was essential for the new economic circumstances of the 21st century." signed: (TESS, 25 March 2005) You can see a wonderful TED animation of the entire speech about creativity HERE.  Our superintendant showed the animation at our annual back to school meetings in August.

Last week, I told you about how I am starting the year off with the 'Time Travel Theme'. When students arrived to the art room, the lighting was dim so that they could walk in and feel the magic of my own time machine sculpture. It has flashing lights, an electric lightening ball and moving parts. I asked my students, what do you think this is? What do you think it does? What do you think it is made from? I explain that it is a sculpture that I created out of things that I found. Once this sinks in, I explain that it is a time machine sculpture that symbolizes the theme for our year in art. We are going to travel back in time to study ancient art and artifacts, things that were made before paint and paper even existed!!

It has sparked some amazing discussions like: 'can people really time travel?' 'does your machine really work?' 'how did you build it?' 'If you could go anywhere in time, when/where would you go?' 'What will life be like in the future?'

I showed the video below as part of my introduction to the unit, just so students could start thinking about moving through time. I also showed a slide show of various ways that time travel has been represented in movies, cartoon, and in books.


The Scientist, the Cat and the Time Machine from matthew snyman on Vimeo.
DISCLAIMER: If you decide to show this video in your classroom, please note that I downloaded the video and made one small EDIT....if you watch the video, you can guess what I cut from it....It is a funny part, but not school appropriate and not relevant to my lesson. ;-)

As part of the slide show of images of time machines, I briefly explain that I read the book The Time Machine by H. G. Wells over the summer after I saw an artist re-create a cover for the classic novel. The design of the time machine on the cover is SO powerful....that tiny ladder, I just love it!

For the lesson, I challenged my students to create  their own time travel device. Their design doesn't have to be limited to a 'machine.' They drew a 'blueprint' on grid paper and then decide if they would rather travel to the future or the past. Students then re-drew their time travel device on a larger sheet of paper and created a scene showing their perspective of the future or the past.

The magnificent thing about this lesson is that it promotes divergent thinking....something that is so important in education. For students to be able to solve a problem creatively and from their own imagination. I've only had about half of my classes so far....I cannot wait to challenge the other half of my students!!

A Time Machine

My theme for this year is Art History: Prehistoric through Renaissance. I'm using a lot of visuals from my mentor teacher but I really wanted to put my own spin on things so I am starting the year off by doing a lesson about time travel. To prepare for this lesson, I read H. G. Wells The Time Machine, and I watched the movie The Time Machine...and I just thought about how to incorporate everything all summer long.

Around the 2nd week of summer I decided that in order to incorporate time travel with prehistoric art, it would be necessary to build a time machine sculpture...and challenge my students to design their own machine. Here it is in all its glory...with a LOT of help, and planning over the summer it finally came to life this week. It is really hard to photograph...because of the lighting, most of the special effects and the plasma ball 'flux capacitor' look better in dim lighting...but you can see the basic components....and appreciate something made out of all the junk that can be randomly found in my  basement...with a few lucky things from a friend's farm.

 Actually, this is the sort of thing that can probably only be fully appreciated in person....from a child's perspective....with a little bit of magic. But I thought it was worth sharing here because I've had a few people request to see it.

Next week I will be installing a cave in my classroom....and between now and Christmas, we will study Egyptian, Roman and Greek art.

Flux Capacitor in all its glory.

Shot taken in the dark so you can see the ground effects.

My lesson today went pretty well. I explained that we would be traveling back through time to study art....but I let students design any sort of time machine they could imagine and then place it in an environment either in the future or the past. There was no wrong way to create the fantasy world or the machine, it was up to them to be creative and use their imaginations.

I am really excited for this year!!

Today was a very good day.

Today was a very special day! I am truly honored with a special memory that I will treasure forever.

When I arrived at school, my classroom was decorated with paper chains hung from the ceiling, around my door way, and on my desk....

Each class in the school had created a chain, one link for each student, in my favorite colors: turquoise and purple. I was shocked, surprised and touched. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make sure today was special.

Just before my first class, I was called into the big auditorium....and I was greeted with a standing ovation. All 200+ kindergarteners were on their feet, clapping and cheering for ME!

I was presented with a very special book. Each student in the school had created a note+drawing for me. The cover reads: " Whoooo Knew we had the best teacher!', the title is surrounded by little owls holding up banners with 'you're great!' 'Art teacher of the Year!' and 'Congrats!'

My principal presented me with a GIANT cookie cake with 'World's Best Art Teacher' on it and a balloon bouquet for my desk.

Going back through all of the drawings and notes in the book, there are some really cute spellings for 'nice' 'beautiful' 'pretty' and 'artist'.

One of the most special moments of the day was during my second class. A challenging girl, probably one of my toughest students this year (because of her behavior), asked me why I was the best art teacher. I told her, 'I don't know....why do you think?'.....and she smiled up at me with the most unforgettable precious smile, 'Because you love us.'

 This was a day I won't soon forget.

(To find out what all of the hoopla is about, read here: http://nelliemaeii.blogspot.com/2011/12/missouri-art-educator-of-year.html)

Missouri Art Educator of the Year

Even thought I am on Christmas break....and the week before break is always a little crazy...

It is still a special time of year.

I haven't said it enough, but I am having a great year. I am really loving the fact that for the most part, my kindergarten classes are 'trained'...they have the procedures figured out, for the most part, which makes my job so much easier. We are over the CRYING phase...as far as I can tell....its been several weeks since anyone has been really frustrated to tears during art....


Also, the students this year seem to really love me. When I walk down the hall in the morning, I have to stop and hug at least 20-30 kids....and it is amazing. Seriously. I have some special kids this year. I will be sad to send them off to first grade at the end of the year.

Working at a kindergarten center is just tough!!

But it is also incredibly sweet.

I have a couple of classes of kids that leave art or arrive to art with someone saying "Mrs. Mitchell, I love you" along with a sweet hug. This is the first year that I have ever had kids show me so much love. I don't say that I love them back, I just hug them and say thank you. But I really do love them back. Even the clumsy ones...and the messy gluers, and the clueless ones, and the sweet quiet ones, and the wild ones, and the funny ones.

On Monday, a little kindergarten girl gave me this heart-melting little note. Granted, I am the only art teacher she has ever had, it means so much that she would use her new-found writing skills to tell me that she appreciates me.

I have another big announcement that is bringing some extra special happiness to the season.

A few weeks ago I got a phone call from the Missouri Art Education Association (my profession organization) and I was selected as the Missouri Art Educator of the Year.

For the whole state.

Not just elementary, but overall....I am still in shock and completely honored that they chose me for this prestigious award.

It means so much to be recognized with the highest honor at the state level.
In March, I will go to the state conference and receive my award. And I will give a speech. And I am already nervous. But I am so proud. When I go to the conferences, I always feel like I am surrounded by people who are just like me....more than anywhere else or anything else that I do...the conferences are are amazing. And I have made lots of friends around the state who are art teachers. We share the same profession and the same passion and now I am going to go formally express my gratitude for their recognition.

I debated announcing this award on Facebook...or here on the blog...because I didn't want to seem like I was bragging...but I am really proud of this accomplishment. And it has really motivated me to keep blogging about my happy art teacher experiences.

I am not a perfect art teacher. And I'll be the first to admit that I thought about quitting (in my first 3 years). But now I feel like I am really where I am supposed to be and what I do is incredibly important.

Anyway thanks for reading. I am looking forward to spending the next week with my friends and family, celebrating the holidays.


Merry Christmas!!

i'm blogging this and that is all.

Sometimes I post infrequently because I have nothing to say and no inspiration...but sometimes I don't have many posts because I just run out of time and can't fit blogging into my schedule (Gasp!).

I have so many blog posts brewing in my brain right now and tons of new photos to share.

Right now, I am jetting off to bus duty, then a meeting, then a dentist appointment for my Invisalign, then I'll rush home to change and hit the gym in time for abs at 5:00 and Zumba at 5:30....perhaps I will have time to write after I shower and eat dinner?

Check out this amazing little picture from last week. Something about it just makes me happy. I posted it on my Instagram with the tag: 'we we we so excited' #friday #rebeccablack

I'm thinking about incorporating some children's art into my own work...this one will be first...something using Miro's transfer technique.

Anyway, if you are an art teacher and you follow my blog, check out my lesson plan site, This Little Class of Mine and become a subscriber. I just started my 'Year in Kindergarten' blog posts with a script from the first two weeks of school. Click here to read it: This Little Class of Mine.