Module 2 Discussion 1
Post your Kaltura, narrated PowerPoint, or Adobe Spark presentation that brings to life the following points:
- What play and creativity mean to you personally and/or as someone who works with young children
- The role of play and creativity in children’s lives—how play and creativity look and feel as experiences
- Ways adults can support play and creativity in young children
- Why play and creativity are fundamental to healthy development and learning
Enhance your presentation using quotes, personal/professional experiences, Microsoft or Adobe Spark free photos, drawings, etc., to convey the essence, energy, and messages that respond to the bullet points above.
DIscussion 2: Creativity Scavenger Hunt
Did you ever wonder who first thought to put cheese on a hamburger? Or what genius figured out that by putting a paper clip on an open bag of chips, she could keep them from getting stale? And who was the first preschool teacher, frustrated with the mess at the end of every morning, who decided to make up the song: “Clean up! Clean up! Everybody, everywhere! Clean up! Clean up! Everybody do your share!”
Artists, musicians, writers, architects, and actors aren’t the only people who are creative! Creativity can happen anywhere, at any time, when ideas abound, problems are solved, brainstorming flourishes, and minds are “allowed to be” curious and alive.
This week’s Discussion invites you to take time to notice some of the many ways adults and children exhibit creativity. Take time to look for less obvious examples of creativity and creative behaviors around you. Then, create a poster that describes at least five to seven examples of creativity in which you have engaged and/or observed other adults and/or children engaging. After you have identified these examples, explain how each involves various combinations of these dimensions or creative behaviors:
- Divergent Thinking:
- Fluency in thinking (generating many different possibilities)
- Flexibility in thinking (making new and unique connections)
- Originality in thinking (unique and unusual ideas)
- Convergent Thinking:
- Honing ideas to come up with ones that will “work” for a particular problem or situation
- Elaborating on the ideas of others, adding details, or filling in gaps
