DATES FOR 2010 (YEAR 2)

Pre-Study Group: Tuesdays (3-5pm) May 11, May 18, May 25 June 1, June 8, June 15

Institute: July 6-9 from 8:00-3:30pm

Post-Study Group: Once a month in Oct, Nov Jan, Feb, Mar (Dates & times to be determined)

Location: MHS Library & Conference Rm

What does it mean to have a creative classroom?
How does having a creative classroom connect with and influence curriculum, classroom structure, expectations, and culture?
How does a culture of thinking fit into the creative?
How will students benefit in being a part of a creative classroom?

The Creative Classroom Institute is a professional development program for teachers and administrators that explores these questions as well as the pedagogy and the role of creative and innovative teaching. The understanding and use of Bloom’s Taxonomy (higher level thinking), Creative Thinking (coming up with original ideas), and Skillful Thinking (complex problem solving and meta-cognitive awareness) are areas that will be understood more fully through inquiry, modeling, and application to the classroom.

The Creative Classroom Institute is a 3-tier model that mirrors the content that it investigates. Its structure walks the talk. Teachers will become students of a creative classroom. They will form teams, be inquisitive, consider options (research), reflect, learn content, build a repertoire of ideas, consider application, put into action (create), reflect again, and go public. The institute will model the same expectations that teachers should have for their very classrooms.

FORMING A TEAM / INQUIRY-BASED:
The first tier is the pre-study group led by Beth Delforge, Arts Curriculum Director, at Marblehead Public Schools. Educators will focus on getting to know one another, establishing a collaborative culture, discuss what understanding people bring to the table around creativity, and begin looking at research.

LEARNING CONTENT / CONSIDERING APPLICATION IN THE CLASSROOM:
The second tier is the Institute itself, consisting of a 4-day workshop, led by Ron Ritchhart and Tina Blythe, researchers and experts from Project Zero at Harvard University and co-authors of the “Creativity in the Classroom Series.” The structure of the Institute includes a workshop each day, reflective writing and discussion, planning, and structured conversations about teaching and learning. The following topics are explored: Understanding Classroom Culture; The Rules of Engagement, Teachers a Provocateurs; Generative Topics, Understanding Goals & Powerful Learning Opportunities; and Using Thinking Routines to Scaffold Students’ Thinking.

PUTTING INTO PRACTICE / TEACHER EXHIBITION:
The third tier is the post study group time. Educators will come back together to discuss how the application of these ideas fit into classroom practice. Teachers will learn from each other, share their process of how building a creative classroom and the use of thinking routines are working in their classrooms, and document the story of their learning as an adult learner. Teachers’ storyboards will be shared with participants during the post study group and will be on display during the districts’ spring professional development day.

Sixty different educators are anticipated to participate in the program each year for the next three years.

REFERENCES