Take the time to explore all design elements in your programming. Consider these modes of multi-literacy text and enjoy discovering.
Visual:
Capturing still photos and visually enhancing creatively.
Video class dramatisation and reflect and enjoy - the children can then expand on ways to develop their skills as the video cameraman, photographer or actor participating in the footage. As educators we can expand their higher order thinking with prompts into the characters or setting - power/gender/colour/environment
Audio:
How does sound influence the effect of a visual presentation?
Using mp3 devices listen to stories, the children can then draw a picture of their interpretation. Discuss and compare the differences between the students. Has family cultures or environments influenced their view?
Explore the power of silence. How sharp do our visual senses become with silence?
Gestural:
This can be a fascinating design element where the children can express their cultural differences with their class. they can creatively express their emotions and cultural values. It's important to respect and appreciate different points of view and use these experiences to grow as a unified class.
This can be explored through cultural traditions and holidays. (e.g.Chinese New Year)
Spatial:
A classroom blog is an easy and effective way to discover the creativity available on the Internet and design layout of this site can be discussed by the class. Is it easy to follow? Is it visually pleasing?
the way we organise our classroom is also an important factor into the way children learn. they need to feel comfortable and safe. Give the multi modal areas a specific place in the classroom so as to make this an everyday area to experience and discover.
Linguistic:
The most important way of taking our literacy development and experiences into the 21st Century.
It's possible to personalise creativity for the classroom and home to share with sites to acquire and extend knowledge. Sites to develop creativity and creative content in the form of avatars, online drawing tools and photo editing. There are sites to enhance learning through games - virtual worlds, brain training and numeracy and literacy. We can explore sites that will encourage collaboration and communication such as class blogs, epals and collaborative whiteboards.
before moving on, I encourage you to investigate and enjoy the many sites available for the above mentioned areas through the online resources page. And for your own benefit a useful site explaining many creative sites are available through the following link.
http://www.personalisedcreativity.blogspot.com/
Creativity in the way we as educators teach - How do creativity and learning connect? Encourage the adoption of different perspectives by modelling a variety of ways in which information is discovered , explored and imported.
Creativity in our student’s way of learning - Encourage each child's capacity to take creative risks. Offer multiple pathways to learning through the examples in the 5 elements of design.
Evaluate progress with families and class environment - Acknowledging, respecting and building on the cultural knowledge that everyone brings to learning are fundamental to this process.
Is it more "tech" oriented?
Are we utilising our recourse's appropriately? And developing higher-order skills.
The following check list is an effective tool for programming this way:
- Encourage children to analyse information and make new meanings.
- Encourage children to problem solve by drawing on family knowledge, discovery, and trial and error.
- Encourage children to become creative wising known knowledge to develop new understandings
- Evaluate and critique ones ideas.
- And reach reasonable conclusions.
(Holmes and Gardner, 2006)
