Reteaching Expectations
It’s the last day of school… and I was up early formatting a slip that will help to have conversations at the beginning of next…
A focus for the whole year
The more I think about the creator’s expo, the more it can grow into a defining feature of the class. It gives us a purpose…
First ‘Creators Expo’
Whew. What a day. I was nervous that this first Expo was going to be somewhat dull – what just cardboard and paper… What I…
The option of doing less?
In a class that is all about creativity and autonomy, can students choose to do nothing? Obviously that isn’t the goal, I have worked very…
Daily phone calls to parents
Since I am calling parents often aways, it would be better to call them with a positive than to wait until a negative (I know…
Rethinking this site
It has been a journey, having this website. There are some resources and articles that get noticed, but it mostly has been a big experiment…
Archetypes to make tools
This quarter brought some really clever approaches and strategies that I need to remember. These solved some of the sticky problems that have been nagging…
Freedom in a classroom
The freedom that comes with a class full of opportunity and options is … different. Long story short, I have to get better at teaching…
Accountability 101
“What happens if they don’t do the work?” was asked to me today… and it has me thinking. I wish I was giving my students…
Tricks to snag a win
I need more techniques and curveballs that will interrupt some of the common patterns that come up. In a class that has much more freedom…
How to end a quarter full of projects?
It gets difficult as the projects get finished. Many students are eager to start a new project and many of these students are able to…
Why would I want to help an edtech company?
This was part of an application I filled out tonight – it’ll work as a blog post too. I have a natural curiosity about edtech…
What is Innovative Arts
Innovative Arts is taking two things and aiming them directly at each-other: maker education and the teaching of mindsets. The intended outcome is to have…
Popsicle stick Exploding Flower
This project is very advanced.
https://www.puzzleshiftcreate.com/popsicle-stick-activities/
Here are the projects that are less advanced. Have fun!
A plate of broccoli and candy
I’ve been thinking about this analogy and I think that it fits – Innovative Arts (as it stands right now) is like a plate full…
Full circle – Narrative comes first
I have been reading and taking notes on books like a madman lately. Meanwhile, I am also collecting all the dispersed ideas from the past…
Reflecting with a deep breath
As another year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on the journey I have taken as a teacher. I look back at what…
Core values in Innovative Arts
It’s past time for me to start teaching the values that make for a successful Innovative Arts student. Here are my draft values: 1) Careful,…
Utopia in my mind
Each time I implement what I read in a new book or put together another piece of the puzzle in Innovative Arts, I think that…
How many changes can I make at one time?
I have so many ideas to implement, between the books I am reading, the things I have realized this quarter, and applying the resources that…