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Welcome! to tonight's discussion on Innovative and Creative ideas to motivate students. Let's get started. As part of your introduction please tell us where you are from, what you teach, etc. #sschat
Kymberli Wregglesworth. Teach at Onaway HS in the tip of the Michigan Mitt. Civics, World Hist, Current Events, Women’s Studies #iCivicsEdNet member #sschat
Hi, y’all! I’m from Ponce Inlet, FL, and I teach MS ss at a Parochial school in New Smyrna Beach! I love what I do! This is my first year teaching 4 grade levels, so I’m looking for ways to engage and motivate my Ss! #sschat
A1- Innovation and creativity in schools means adults taking data- and evidenced-based risks in the classrooms. Our students' risk-taking should be even less handcuffed. If our students cannot try and fail in our schools, then where? #sschat
A1a: I think you need to be flexible. What works for one group won't for the next. Be a researcher and look up new methods, listen and learn from your colleagues, and always try new things - even if they don't go swimmingly! #sschat
A1 — Innovation is working something new into a lesson or topic and creativity is taking a good lesson a bit out of the box. But I think they can be interchangeable and both show signs of being a risk taker. #sschat
A1: I define Innovation and Creativity in education as having students creating their own learning experience that goes beyond a google slide or poster. Doing something that makes them think and add to the learning conversation #sschat
A1a. Innovation and creativity in education is defined by the ability of the teacher (or students) to take learning off the beaten path without losing learning objectives. In fact learning objectives are usually transformed #sschat
#sschat A1a) working in district that is seen as innovative and creative, we give teachers space to try stuff and not worry about failing. We tell teachers that on the first day of our New Teacher Academy
Its so important that teachers be given the space to try something new and not have to worry about failing. That is something my principal is really good about, and it has made me a much better teacher #sschat
A1-A: Innovation & creativity in ed means finding solutions to problems, trying to find different ways to do tasks, and being independent learners #sschat
A1 (a): To me, the key to being innovative & creative in education is first NOT starting from the conventional way of teaching whatever topic. We tend to start with teaching mostly how we were taught. There are tried & true things that don’t change, but the kids do. #sschat
A1 B By seeing new methods, tech integration and teachers willing to do more to bring added engagement, students are more apt buy in. The class feels different & new. Plus 'choice' adds more excitment to learning. #sschat
A1b: I firmly believe that when my students are doing something they are passionate about they are more invested in doing a great job, and I see this effort when the assignment encourages creativity and innovation. Why care if it can be googled? #sschat
A1a-innovation and creativity are all about tying new things and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone to produce something new. #sschat#biogiraffe
A1b: S’s & T’s are more motivated when they are given the opportunity to attempt to try something new & different. It makes the lesson more relevant #sschat
A1 - There must be a balance between innovating and treating our students as unwilling & unknowing guinea pigs. Our children are too important for us to fail due to experimentation. That's why such innovation must have some real data, research or past practice behind it. #sschat
A1b: Usually it helps motivation but sometimes you have to train the Ss that it's ok to try something different. Also, sometimes they just want the easy route too - everyone needs a push sometimes. #sschat
A1: and what students are creating should be for an authentic audience and at the same time facilitate rich formative assessment. So... not worksheets! #sschat
A1b: Students are masters at knowing when our passion is present. By being creative and finding these unique opportunities for Ss to shine, we create opportunities tailored to their strengths! Once they see they can do it, there's the motivation #sschat
If education is to be really innovative and creative, we'd scratch the grades, push feedback to iterate, and build student designers of their own learning. #sschat
Awesome teachers spend more time creating engaging lessons that interest students and less time trying to make students engage in lessons that aren’t interesting. #sschat
A1b-motivation is all about the internal want to do something even when no one else is doing it.this connects I creativity because Ts that allow Ss to be innovate and creative are helping them develop internal motivation. #sschat#biogiraffe
A1b) Using innovation and creativity to bring a lesson to life can lead directly to student motivation. Get 'em excited and interested and you have them for life. #sschat
San Diego teachers are awesome! Great discussion on role plays & simulations as academic discussion.Excited for teachers to try strategy w/students. Special thanks to Teacher Leader Liz Ramos @historytechie for leading the PD! Get the free lessons here: https://t.co/e2g3hS6Bc6
A1b. - we have to make a classroom Ss want to be in. They will never ask for a worksheet or an assessment. When they are engaged with the curriculum and empowered with their passion, motivation is sure to be there. #sschat
A1 (b): I’ve always felt that by and large, students reciprocate the energy, passion, and investment in them they see from the teacher. Believe it or not, when you’re always pushing the envelope to make your teaching the very best it can be, they typically respond. #sschat
Ken from Western Oregon University & Center for Geography Education in Oregon just arriving. Multi-tasking this afternoon so may be in and out. #sschat
A1: Innovation is being open to constant change and new ideas, for both teachers and students. Innovative teaching will naturally be creative as the ideas themselves are unique. #sschat
Great way of defining it. Our team at Biogiraffe create free teacher resources that they can use to teach SS through people’s stories. We believe in the power of story and pushing students to make connections with the world around them. #sschat#biogiraffe
A1 When I think of this in education, I think of it as authentic student learning opportunities tied to the objectives but in a manner that offers relevance & excitement to the student #sschat
A1-B Being innovative & creative can be difficult at first if Ss don't know parameters, are too scared to fail, etc. But if Ss know that it is okay to practice & test over and over their internal motivation to create, rather than just get a grade, increases #sschat
A1B- Motivation is the essential element to education. Innovation (or even mere compliance for that matter) can't happen unless students are driven to and by the content, skills, topics or teachers. #sschat
I like how you mention it is the responsibility of both T and S! We encourage Ts to try our free biographical resources that help students build connections with the people around them! Check us out at https://t.co/VgNP0NxrHJ. #sschat#biogiraffe
A2) No they are not. Technology is an easy go to but innovation and creativity can be just as easily paper, scissors, and glue stick. It's all in what the goal is. #sschat
A2: absolutely not! Some@of my best lessons are old school pencil/paper, or things where students have to get up, explore, try out, take risks, etc #sschat
A2: They don't have to be synonymous but I believe tech offers one of the best conduits to innovation. More sources, methods to create & ways to find authentic audiences. Still, it shouldn't be the only method. #sschat
A2: No, I have seen some amazing student work without technology, and some not innovate/creative work with technology. Technology is just a tool to help but is not necessary for innovative or creative thought. People were creative/innovative without tech #sschat
A2: innovation and creativity don’t necessarily need to be synonymous w/tech; giving students the chance to draw or write creative responses-cartoons, poems, paintings, songs-can yield fantastic results #sschat
A2- Innovation is not synonymous with technology. Educators developed innovative reading strategies with printed materials and innovative uses of chalkboards. Innovation is about building off of successful practices, regardless of new technology. #sschat
#sschat A2 Yes. In 2013, gave me the idea to make my 1980s class engaging by asking Mark Goodman & Alan Hunter of MTV to speak with my Ss about MTV’s importance over the decade. Allowed Ss to engage in learning by asking questions of the history makers.
A2: Absolutely not. Can have an innovative/creative lesson w/o tech. Or can use tech but lesson isn’t innovative/creative. The key is in how it’s used. And it should be totally automatic for how we teach certain things now...electoral politics/voting patterns, for e.g. #sschat
A2: For me, online coursework can be a great example of stale and completely uninspired teaching with technology -- especially in the beginning when it almost exclusively sought to replicate traditional pedagogies in online spaces #sschat
A2 While technology provides possibilities for that, so do meaning other types of methods, so I don't think it's synonymous. In education innovation & creativity can come thru simulations, art, music, fantasy games, literature, etc. #sschat
A2-absolutely not! Tech is great but only if It succeeds in supporting students understanding as they move through the learning process.just like worksheets can be utilize in both a stereotypical or creative way. It’s all about how it’s implemented. #sschat#biogiraffe
A2. I could just say no, but I think you want me to explain. Innovation is new things, new ways of doing things. Ss are attracted to novelty. Creativity happens in many different ways. My favorite is pencil to paper. #SSchat
A2: technology can be a great tool to enhance teaching and learning, but does not immediately make you creative or innovative. Instructional design does take time, but you must not get stuck with substituting laminated lesson plans or give up after failure. #sschat
A2: Technology is a tool and whether it’s use is innovative or creative depends on how it’s used. We can completely transform projects & do things we couldn’t have done before using technology, or we could use it simply as really expensive poster board. #sschat#edtech
A2: I'm a cyber school teacher, so this is a tough question to answer! I think we need to be extremely purposeful with the tech we implement. Tech for tech's sake is ineffective. Tech with a purpose will get you places. Innovation does not always equal tech. #sschat
A2 Innovation & creativity are found in anything that transform traditional classroom setting where Ss are passive listeners into engaging setting where Ss are ACTIVE part of the lesson - creating, thinking, doing (with or w/out tech) #sschat
Q1b: When I think of student engagement, I think of kids who are fully present in the challenge or task at hand. This connects to innovation/creativity because if they are engaged in a lesson, the learning will be deeper and continue far outside of the classroom walls. #sschat
Very true. And by being excited to be in the classroom and teaching those Ss can help them see that learning is fun for both then and the Ts. #biogiraffe#sschat
A2: technology can be a great tool to enhance teaching and learning, but does not immediately make you creative or innovative. Instructional design does take time, but you must not get stuck with substituting laminated lesson plans or give up after failure. #sschat
A2. I think it is synonymous now only because technology is an innovation from the previous method of learning. But tech is not required for innovation.
#sschat
https://t.co/VgNP0NxrHJ believe in this too. And we try to collaborate with teachers and allow them to give input in our products so we can make the best biographical resources we can. This is much more motivating for Ts and Ss. #sschat#biogiraffe
I’m not sure as Ts we realize that creativity and innovation requires just as much scaffolding, differentiation and support as content teaching does. #sschat#biogiraffe
A. Most of my Ss are most engaged when they connect the history we are learning to their lives. A fav is my Discrimination Then & Now unit where they research some form of discrimination and trace its history to see what has(n't) changed #sschat
A3. I always insist on projects that are public - for example, students worked on Reparations project by publishing to Wikipedia 18th-cent slave traders that had no presence on the wiki site. My students published! #SSchat
A3 We saved world history last week by solving clues and keeping an evil scientist from destroying the Renaissance! Engaging, fun, and educational! #sschat
7th period time travelers working against the clock to keep the evil Dr. Whineworthy from destroying the Renaissance! Will they solve the clues before the doctor can repair his time machine? #growMaury#PBL#7thgrade
A3: I find giving students choices 4 completing creative tasks yield the most meaningful results, especially when the creative path they choose lines up with their personal interests-it allows Ss to shine #sschat
A3: It looks like interaction, engagement, and questioning. Learning it's okay to give feedback and working to solve problems in the world. I've loved using things like Nearpod to get my kids on Virtual Field Trips! #sschat
#sschat When studying the year of 1980, we look at the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team & its importance in the Cold War rivalry. I show the movie Miracle and then we have had Mike Eruzione speak to our Ss. His words/story help the Ss understand that time period
https://t.co/9jMOLVu7SN
A3: For me it's about offering students choice, a reason to something and an product that they aren't used to creating. Used this to look at leadership in history:
https://t.co/RYlvtmVBZC#sschat
A3: Having students apply their learning to a relevant event in history. My students explored alliances through making a rating tool for countries involved in human rights violations then had to determine countries they could use this tool against w/out hurting themselves #sschat
A2: Just because you throw technology into a lesson doesn’t make it innovative or creative. Planning ahead and being intentional with both instruction and student outcomes is key. #sschat
A3: Hmmm...To me, the unifying characteristics of lessons I’ve done that were motivating found the right balance of focus on acquisition and/or application of concrete info, coupled with a healthy dose of student agency. All 1 or the other tends to be problematic. #sschat
Oh, absolutely. If anything I feel like creating lessons that encourage innovation & creativity requirest more scaffolding and front-loading of my lessons! #SSchat
A3B Can take advantage of many Ss enjoying fantasy sports to do games like Fantasy Congress to learn about the legislative process. Here's a link to article that discusses (article begins on page 46) https://t.co/AmUYQcjrsu#sschat
#sschat A3. Also this year, our HS CE class was able to participate in a debate over current issues with a class in Monterrey, Mexico. Questions were exchanged/answers were given. Our Ss learned to agree to disagree on issues. They loved the interaction with others!
A3: I threw 64 of the most important achievements in ancient history onto a bracket and kids must research, debate and defend which achievement they think is more important. (Want to vote on round 1? https://t.co/8JCgdFcuhH) #sschat
A3: I threw 64 of the most important achievements in ancient history onto a bracket and kids must research, debate and defend which achievement they think is more important. (Want to vote on round 1? https://t.co/8JCgdFcuhH) #sschat
A3 My 6th grade WH class before lunch had debate where one group pretended to be Spartans, the other Athenians. I later found out that they had continued the debate into lunch, getting very heated w each other. They were sooooo passionate about the topic! #sschat
A3: I threw 64 of the most important achievements in ancient history onto a bracket and kids must research, debate and defend which achievement they think is more important. (Want to vote on round 1? https://t.co/8JCgdFcuhH) #sschat
A4. The digital divide is a huge challenge... There are still many kids who do not have computers at home. How can they complete online homework assignments? #EdEquity#sschat
A4: teachers must be confident and knowledgeable of their curriculum & how people learn in order to best serve their students. Also, relevance will always change so methods need to constantly be updated but the results are worth it. #sschat
A4: I'd say the challenges of an innovative and creative teacher/classroom are nothing compared to those of a stale and uninspired teacher/classroom. #sschat
A3: Inquiry based lessons that challenge students to take action. I can’t get enough of the C3 lessons from @NCSSNetwork and RLH lessons @SHEG_Stanford#sschat
A4: It's a lot of front loading and sometimes you have to think on your feet quickly which can be stressful if you are a perfectionist. Sometimes things don't go as planned or technology decides not to work but the show must go on. #sschat
A4: I don’t make it my practice to criticize, and let me be clear: these are not problems in my school, but...Admin and/or parents who don’t recognize effective, outside the box innovation/creativity could be quickly stifling. #sschat
A4 — Time is a big hinderance. If you are working on making a lesson new and innovative plus differentiating can seem very overwhelming. FEAR is another! #sschat
A4 To honor creativity and promote innovation, you have to battle against our obsessive need to predict and measure instruction. The most meaningful learning is beyond metrics #sschat
A4: TIME! Between all the things we do on a daily basis, setting aside the time to create purposeful, creative, innovation-driven lessons can be so difficult! I have to remind myself Rome wasn't built in a day and move little by little. #sschat
A4: one of the bigger challenges is that students can have very different levels of background knowledge, sometimes getting started is the toughest part #sschat
#sschat A4 One of the challenges is getting Ts to believe that can be creative with technology. Some of our older staff are just beginning to embrace the use of Chromebooks and what all @Google can do to assist with learning.
A3. I want some great examples of what a good SS and STEAM activity would look like. I've seen some good examples lately, but would love to know what other teachers are doing to not get STEAMrolled. #sschat
A4 challenges tend to be finding the time to get the resources &/or collaborators. Also, having to navigate the time that needs to be spent on other items (i.e. grading, focusing on federal, state, local mandates, etc.). #sschat
Sometimes I have ideas for different ways to engage but time and not having a team to bounce ideas off of and share the workload limit me.
I dream of working with a team. #sschat
A3 Here is a blog post I did centered around how the Marines motivate recruits. Their lesson? Break Rules! totally can be applied to our Ss
https://t.co/8HyrOGfe65#sschat
A4: I’ve been super fortunate to have really supportive administration, which is key for stepping outside of convention, innovating and trying to take learning to that next level. Not all innovations will succeed. #sschat
BreakoutEDU (& digital breakouts) are one of my faves. Gets Ss thinking out of the box and can be tailored for your particular curriculum and students. @breakoutEDU#sschat
A5 Many innovative teaching ideas in the volumes of Oregon Journal of the Social Studies archives that can be accessed here free. https://t.co/qlYgWbgPkE#sschat
#sschat A5 Love using @Skype, @Google Hangouts and @Apple FaceTime to take our students beyond the walls of the classroom. We have been to Russia, Canada, France, Sweden, Israel & Denmark this year. Builds geography skills and learning culture first hand instead of a book.
A5: @coachschutte and I have been incorporating a lot more Google Sites and Podcasting into our classes. Here is a little of both looking at functions of government.
https://t.co/XQ5CpZHEaH#sschat
A5 - It's March. Time to make March-Madness of the most notable women in history. Have students research & make speeches/presentations on why their woman should advance in the brackets. Another teacher did this whole thing on teaching with tournaments. #sschat
A5 Many innovative teaching ideas in the volumes of Oregon Journal of the Social Studies archives that can be accessed here free. https://t.co/qlYgWbgPkE#sschat
A5: Just recently found out that the Smithsonian has a virtual tour! Had my Ss navigate an Africa exhibit to see and understand what artifacts are. Many of my Ss had never seen a museum before! #sschat
A5 - It's March. Time to make March-Madness of the most notable women in history. Have students research & make speeches/presentations on why their woman should advance in the brackets. Another teacher did this whole thing on teaching with tournaments. #sschat
A5: This year I’ve incorporated google sites, Ss really love learning how to create a website and it’s so user friendly; also working with @SutoriApp in next unit, will get to see how creative students can be with their digital stories #sschat
#sschat A5 One of the best moments I have had visiting with another class. Our students shared the Pledge with their new friends from Israel, they sang their national anthem.
A5: Our kids can be our best resource. If we'll ask them and then listen. My best work often comes as a springboard to their questions, ideas, reactions. #sschat
For those of you who teach WWI, the @NCmuseumhistory is going to have a virtual tour of their WWI exhibit this week. I think it's tomorrow, but I'd need to verify that. If anyone's interested let me know and I'll run that down.#sschat
A5: I really want to try digital breakouts. One of my colleagues did this via a google site and she said her students loved it. I like @thinglink and I have had students make PSAs connecting the past to modern day. #sschat
A5 - Also have Ss do mannequin challenges using scenes from various points in history or civics. Take a photo, create a digital or physical gallery of all the freeze-frame photos, then the whole class can try to guess what the scene is supposed to depict. #sschat
A5: I find that anything that lets students talk & collaborate is engaging. Also, choosing texts that are engaging motivates students to read & lastly using technology & PBL lessons keep students motivated. #sschat
A5 I create or use others' hyperdocs--https://t.co/jGJyXdGnMp I do use Newsela to assign articles & primary source documents. I also get a lot of ideas listening to @TED_ED Talks. #SSchat
#TOMORROW, we're bringing the Museum to your screens! 😎
Join us from 10:15-11:15 am for a #livestream tour of our record-setting exhibit, "North Carolina and World War I!" https://t.co/5KSAtnhnW5
A6 — Take away…Not alone in the quest for innovative and creative lessons and always trying to get kids motivated in school!! If you ask someone will answer #sschat
