Creativity

A few days ago I read the slide show that Paula had put together after the Skype sessions last week. One of the first points was about Creativity and who inspires you creatively. I wanted to link this to my current topic of inquiry so of course the first person who came to mind in the educational field was Ken Robinson. I've always enjoyed watching his Ted Talks and this weekend I revisited his work. An interesting video I found questioned whether Creativity can be taught. Here is the link:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vlBpDggX3iE

I also watched another one if his talks regarding creativity in schools. Here is the link: 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

My inquiry is questioning whether Dramatherapy techniques and strategies could be useful for drama teachers. I guess this is also questioning the creativity of my own lessons and this is something I have been looking into this week. My main purpose for choosing the inquiry topic that I have is that I felt children were being lost in the system. There are many children who I teach that are struggling with social, emotional  and behavioural issues but they over looked when it comes to referrals in schools due to their case not being extreme enough or lack of funding. This then means that it's down to the parent to voluntarily access a psychologist and relies on the parent to be knowledgable in drama therapy to take it one step further and research into drama therapy services. I felt that my colleagues and I could learn more about Dramatherapy and incorporate techniques into our drama lessons to aid those children. The more I research into drama therapy the more I am beginning to understand and engage with what it offers. I'm also understanding how valuable it is to children struggling with social, emotional or behavioural issues. I have actually taken it one step further this week and have contacted quite a few service providers in the UK in the hope of gaining knowledge of their expertise in the field. I have been reading lots of literature the past few weeks but now understand the importance of having up to date, current information as week. Reading a book published in 1977 will give me a certain level of information but that date of publication needs to be in the back of my mind too. How relevant is it to today. 

In the Skype session review I also really liked the Stunk and White (1959, p19) example of wordiness. This is definitely something I need to keep in mind when writing as I have the tendency to waffle on! 

Another quote I loved from the slide show was:

"The task of teaching is to promote cognitive, behavioural and affective results from students. How to motivate learners to achieve the desired ends or discourage them from undesirable outcomes is a central problem for a teacher in any field." 

Lazaroff, Elizabeth M (2001) 'Performance and Motivation in dance education, Arts Education policy review, 103, 2; pp. 23-26

I'm also starting to recognise the importance of routine. My work schedule is unbelievably busy at the moment and I'm often working late and on my days off. This has meant that I have had to be incredibly organised when it comes to uni work. And for me the key has been routine. If part of my daily routine is to read a piece of literature before bed or comment on 3 blogs on my train journey home then I do it. I am too busy from now until Christmas to leave it until the last minute. Organisation is key! 

I highly recommend that even if you miss a Skype session, take the time to look over the notes made on that session. It has been a massive help to me this week.