Hi Geoff,

Just a quick note to say what a BRILLIANT posting -
apologies for the short response but I will come back
asap - it's 1.00 am and I'm tired but I have read what
you have written for us twice and I find it is SO
useful and stimulating. So - please don't apologise
for the length - it needed to be just as it is! I am
learning about who you and where you teach helps me 
to understand and identify with what yuu are saying -
I am very much looking forward to returning to your
message to write more about how I engage with your
ideas - I hope others will as well,

Warm regards,

Sarah


--- Geoff Day <[log in to unmask]> wrote:


---------------------------------
Note: having re-read my posting I apologize for the
length - I actuallyremoved a lot but felt it needed
sufficient background to hopefully makea little sense.

Hi,
Having looked at the last few days of comments I write
with some cautionsince I am clearly not "of your
world", although I have similarinterests from a very
different perspective. 

To explain: I do work part time for the Ontario
Institute for Studies inEducation (Univ of Toronto) -
OISEUT- but am involved with only one smallcourse of
the Initial Teacher Education (Design Thinking and
ProblemSolving in the Classroom) plus I am the
Principal of a series ofAdditional Qualification
courses for teachers in the areas of Computersin the
Classroom, Computer Science and Business Studies. 

I am as they say "long in the tooth" and most of my
thoughtsare based on my own experiences in both
classrooms and in a centralcoordinating role in the
area of computer use. What I have created as
my"belief" system would probably not pass any test by
academe,but it has worked well for me and I get to
share the ideas with newteachers, who seem to be able
to relate to many of the ideas. 

I have been labelled as an idea person and as a big
picture person but isjust the way I understand the
world and particularly learning; the coreof teaching
as I see it. I have given many presentations on
problemsolving and especially a method I devised many
years ago for ensuringthat I exposed children to
open-ended problem solving, since that is theone we
use most in life. In the process I created an overview
of allproblem solving methods. It is a loose model but
one I find useful sinceit shows how some things relate
to each other. The models I develop arefor very much
for practical purposes and have a minimum of"theory"
but are useful for ordinary teachers I think.

I have also spent many years developing and presenting
about the use ofPowerPoint - PPT (gulp - a sometimes
much berated tool) but not merely ona technical level
- more as a creative partnership with thepresenter.

Having set the stage I will try to add something that
may be of use butsince I have been using the online
world since the late 80s I am awarethat I may be
"barking up the wrong tree"!  Just tell meplease.

It's really good to see you onour list, Geoff.  I have
read your inspiring postings on theMirandanet 
list and I wonder if you would like to share some
insights into howteachers & teacher researchers 
might use ICT/multi media to help them develop their
own and theirstudents' learning in schools?
I need to set more detail of the stage at this point.
I found thefollowing quote in an obscure book by
Marshall McLuhan and feel hetouched on the essence of
a significant problem with academe andtechnology (I
will present it in two parts):


"The children of technological man respond with
untaughtdelight to the poetry of trains, ships,
planes, and to the beauty of machineproducts." As a
teacher I found this to be so true. The words
"untaughtdelight" led me to think that something must
drive this innateinterest and the conclusion I have
come to is that there are thingswithin us that are
driven by curiosity and creativity - there is a
subtlebalance between the two which seems to be missed
in the educationalsystems where I have worked, with
clear dominance being given to one sideonly  -
curiosity. I think that creativity has been given a
mostinappropriate place in education and that has
affected it's role inteaching styles.The next part
revealed the disturbing part that I could easily
relate tobased on my experience."In the school room
officialdom suppresses all their naturalexperience;
children are divorced from their culture. They are not
permitted to approach the traditional heritage of
mankind through the door of technological awareness;
this only possible door for them is slammed in their
faces." 
I was seconded for two years to OISEUT many years ago,
andwhile I was there I had the opportunity to spend
time looking at thewhole area of technology and it is
intriguing to see the difference intreatment one
receives in an academic institute when you describe
yourinterests lie in technology. BTW I am actually a
Math and Geog teacher bybackground but have taught Art
and gifted children.

Using technology is loaded with negative connotations
in the academicworld yet computer technology has two
strengths that can be tapped foreducation as I see it,
along with the observations of McLuhan. - it
candevelop efficiencies/productivity but it can be
used creatively. Asteachers I believe that we need to
use the latter more than the former.

Using PPT as an example we can use it as a glorified
chalkboard thatfocuses on efficiency (and the major
"cute" factor) or we canenhance learning with a
technology that "belongs to thisgeneration" and has so
much to offer. It like many pieces ofsoftware, can be
used to address the creative side of a child but to
dothat we must reveal our own creativity and take the
risks it involves. Ithink living what we preach is
critical.

If we are to develop both curiosity (very well covered
I believe, in mostcountries) AND creativity in it's
widest sense and not merely the Arts(noinsult intended
here at all), then we have to include creativity
assomething worth developing and encouraging in all
teachers. This is notan add-on, but a basic human need
so why should it not be fostered andencouraged in
teachers who are helping children reach their
potential?

It is time creativity came clearly out of the Arts
closet. I think inorder to do that we have to
understand and accept the full spectrum ofproblem
solving approaches.  I actually prefer
"solutionseeking activities" since it encompasses
opportunity developmentwhich I see as "positive"
problem solving. This involves theroles of logic,
curiosity and creativity in those methods. I feel
theycan be delineated in order to clarify their roles
but of course they arecompletely inter-related in the
real world.  This would then betterensure that we
cover the underlying skills that children will use,
but ina balance that such skills will be really needed
in their life. I know Iam touching on sensitive issues
here - no malice intended!

Time to climb of the "personal soapbox" since it is
better tofind what interests people - or not! Hope
this adds something useful tothe discussion Sarah.

Geoff 





Sarah Fletcher
http://www.TeacherResearch.net