school district no. 8 (kootenay lake) jun 2 - creativity...school district no. 8 (kootenay lake)...

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School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) Office of the Superintendent of Schools/CEO

Academic Success ◊ Creativity and Imagination ◊ Citizenship ◊ Resiliency

Report to the Board of Education

Date: June 2, 2015 Meeting Type: Regular Meeting, Public Agenda From: Jeff Jones, Superintendent/CEO Originator: Lorri Fehr, Director of Innovative Learning Re: SE-2: Creativity and Imagination Monitoring Report Purpose: Information Governance Reference: Student Expectation SE:2

1. PURPOSE

The Superintendent of Schools is required to provide an annual monitoring report for the Board of Education with respect to Student Expectation 2: Creativity and Imagination. The purpose of this report is to provide evidence of incremental progress towards achievement of this expectation.

2. REASONABLE INTERPRETATION

The Board of Education approved the Superintendent’s reasonable interpretation of SE-2: Creativity and Imagination on January October 9, 2012. For the Board’s continued consideration, the reasonable interpretation is included in this document as Appendix I.

3. RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that: The June 2, 2015 SE:2 Creativity and Imagination Monitoring Report, BE RECEIVED.

AND

The Board of Education is satisfied that incremental progress towards the achievement of SE:2: Creativity and Imagination, is being made.

School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) June 2, 2015 Regular Board of Education Meeting re: SE-2: Creativity and Imagination Monitoring Report

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4. ANALYSIS

Each child comes into life with wonder, curiosity, awe, spontaneity, vitality, flexibility, and many other characteristics of a joyous being…It is imperative that we, as educators and parents, help preserve these genius characteristics of children as they mature into adulthood, so those capacities can be made available to the broader culture at a time of incredible change. (Thomas Armstrong)

-referenced in the Board reasonable interpretation of Creativity and Imagination

It is our interpretation of this student expectation that the Board seeks to understand:

that conditions which promote creativity and imagination can be found in each of our learning environments throughout the District so that, over time K-12, each student will be able to understand themselves as learners and contributors, that each student will recognize his or her own talents and gifts, is laudable and sets a high standard for our school district.

As stated in the reasonable interpretation of SE:2 Creativity and Imagination,

Learning environments throughout the District will:

o Allow learning with relaxed alertness and enjoyment;

o Foster play and exploration;

o Build confidence and trust;

o Reflect multiple forms of representation;

o Value failure as a condition for learning;

o Support perseverance in the pursuit of new understandings;

o Be rigorous and challenging;

The purpose of this report is to provide examples of conditions within our

classrooms and schools that promote the development of creativity and

imagination in our learners. The examples given will demonstrate learning

conditions that support creativity and imagination through:

o An artistic lens, where students are given opportunities to learn about themselves as artistic beings who are able to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of means,

o A scientific lens, where students are given opportunities to seek multiple solutions to varied challenges and can co-construct understandings of real-world, relevant problems,

o A business lens, where students learn to address challenges from multiple perspectives, generate novel solutions and persevere through failure,


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o And an intuitive lens, where we have multiple perspectives on what makes a person or idea ‘creative and imaginative’.

Evidence of development in the domain of creativity and imagination is becoming

increasingly visible on school websites and newsletters, as staffs celebrate and

share the importance of this important student expectation with their school

communities. The conversations at the school and District level regarding student

ownership and voice add increasing focus to this domain, as culturally we view our

students as contributors who bring their talents and gifts to shape the future of our

communities.

School Culture Evidence of creativity can be found in many of our school cultures, as school staffs work hard to support students in their individual and social development. The four lenses of creativity are interwoven into daily classroom life through curricular projects, schoolwide productions and celebrations of student ingenuity. Visual art on the classroom walls and hallway posters depicting student voice on a variety of real-world challenges can be viewed in all schools across the District, demonstrating the artistic, scientific, business and intuitive development of our students in the domain of creativity and imagination. From as early as Kindergarten, students are given tools of self-regulation and mindfulness to develop early awareness of themselves as learners. As classroom contributors, they learn that they have a voice in their learning environment, and are provided with time and space to explore their own interests as well as to interact with and learn from others. In our elementary and middle schools, our students can be seen leading assemblies, planting gardens, creating exciting activities for their peers, participating in leadership development and supporting younger buddies in classrooms and on the playground. Students are given many opportunities to work in flexible groupings, with students of similar and different ages, interests and ability levels. Creating a culture of diversity helps children to recognize and celebrate their own strengths as well as those of others, and also gives our students a chance to find others with similar interests, both to challenge and to support them.

“The expectation that each student will be able to understand themselves as learners and contributors, that each students will recognize his or her own talents and gifts, is laudable and sets a high standard for our school district.”


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As students reach the secondary years, the focus increases on course selection and choice, as timetables and schedules are increasingly responsive to student need and interest. Students have increasing opportunities for leadership within areas of their own interest, and our schools recognize and celebrate the contributions our students make both inside and outside of school. We also draw attention to the importance of our community in supporting and celebrating our students. Involving our student in leadership and community activities, participating as adult mentors in schools, and bringing media attention to student voice and accomplishments are important ways our community supports the development of creativity and imagination.

In our school websites and newsletters, we find many examples of the commitment of our schools to support the development of creativity and imagination.

I. The language on the Adam Robertson Elementary website demonstrates

the involvement of students in developing and owning the Spirit Days, reflecting student choice, a diversity of offerings, and the opportunity for students to play, have fun and explore their creativity and imagination.

Most of our schools K-12 offer spirit days chosen by students, with high participation rates from both students and staff, as individuals share their own creativity and imagination and enjoy that of others. Everyone in the school community has an opportunity to participate, and parents are often a big part of the fun, either through helping with costuming or supporting the activities that often are held during spirit days.

II. At Blewett Elementary, the website provides a vision and actions which

support creativity. We see a school that is “proud of a staff that goes an extra mile for our kids”, supporting them in a welcoming, nurturing environment.


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By making a school vision visible to the community at large, we create personal accountability and also invite contribution of all staff, parents and the larger community to contribute to the goal. Blewett School provides us with a solid example of a school who brings together its staff and community to support all students, wrapping around each child, observing individual needs and responding with appropriate challenges and opportunities for creative growth.

III. In the Salmo Family of Schools, the staff has engaged students and community in their goal, which demonstrates a commitment to providing students with opportunities to explore their own passions and interests, while at the same time supporting personal reflection, perseverance and flexibility. The Wednesday afternoon exploration time at Salmo Secondary, as well as the elementary – secondary project time, are structures created with intentionality to engage and support students in areas of personal interest, while providing challenge and rigor for all.

The Salmo Family of Schools has high participation from their community and staff as they work to create a K-12 learning environment that develops creativity and imagination in their students.


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Outdoor Learning

“Nature is a place where our mind can rest, relax and let down those threat responses. Therefore, we have resources left over — to be creative, to be imaginative, to problem solve — that allow us to be better, happier people who engage in a more productive way with others.”

R Atchley, University of Kansas

The opportunity to get outside of the classroom and the school, into the natural learning environment of the outdoors, provides students with a natural link to their creativity and imagination. When our teachers integrate curricular content with the natural environment, many of our students thrive. I. At JV Humphries we see a sample of creativity in their integration of

academic content into an outdoor learning environment, combining physical activity, fun, and aboriginal content as the structure for learning. This theme-based, multi-disciplinary approach offers a variety of means for students to express their learning and to connect with their own creativity. In this winter survival unit, students were challenged to co-construct a quinzee, facing multiple failures and persevering through to a creative final product.


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II. Redfish Elementary reports out on the creative use of their outdoors to explore many topics related to curriculum, while at the same time engaging the minds and hearts of their students in environmental stewardship. By getting outside to learn, our students have the opportunity to engage in ‘real world’ challenges, and to discover for themselves an important personal connection to their natural environment.

III. The importance of our natural world in the development of creativity and imagination cannot be understated. Some of our schools create consistent opportunities for children to get outside and others offer outdoor programs. W.E. Graham provides us with an example of an outdoor program designed to support the critical and creative thinking of students as they take on natural challenges and learn to work together to find multiple solutions to problems, persevere and learn from failure. In this example, W.E. Graham staff have found a way to offer a junior outdoors program and then follow up with a senior program for students if they so choose.


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Cross-Curricular Connections I. At Erickson Elementary, it is worth a visit to the classroom blogs to see the

creative cross-curricular work being done by students in developing their own country. The teacher reflection and comfort level with ‘messiness’ is a key component in the development of creative learning environments and demonstrates deep professional commitment to this important expectation. By adding in a public demonstration of learning at the completion of the project, students have the opportunity to articulate their thinking and express their ideas through a variety of means. This blog post provides a well-articulated reflection of one of the many inquiry projects we find in our schools, connecting curricular content to deeper thinking skills and hands-on learning.


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Community Connections As we work to develop learning environments that develop creativity, the inclusion of mentors and community connections is critical. Within our communities we find


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many people who are willing to share their expertise, offer time to mentor our students, and provide deep learning conversations to engage and stretch our students. By involving our students in the community, we can provide authentic challenges and learning opportunities, as well as modelling in each of the areas identified in this domain. Across our district, our school staffs build strong relationships with parents and community members to enhance the domain of creativity and imagination. I. The Rosemont Elementary website provides one example of the

contribution our communities make to learning. The following photos demonstrate the enriched learning provided by strong community connections.


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II. The staff at Trafalgar Middle School has set up a weekly Lifelong Explorations Block to allow and encourage students to explore topics of interest in key competency areas. Intentionally multi-aged and scheduled as longer periods of time, these blocks encourage students to interact with others of similar interests, and get out into the community to learn, connecting the key competencies with personal interests and real world challenges.

III. Crawford Bay Elementary Secondary School provides another example of a school that has developed a strong culture of community support for its students. Through the concept of ‘base camp’, where the classroom is viewed as a space to gather, reflect and make plans for learning outside of the school, the staff and students have built strong relationships with community mentors and ‘experts’ who provide strong support for the individual interests and passions of the students. Crawford Bay provides us with an amazing model of how deeply school and community can intersect to provide students with learning environments that foster development in the domain of creativity and imagination.


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IV. At the District level, the Student Innovators project provides us with an example of student led inquiry focusing on the development of creativity and imagination.

Through our Evergreen initiative, we have offered grants to small groups of students wishing to explore their creativity and imagination through technology. This year we had teams from:

o WE Graham (3D printing and object design) o Salmo Secondary (3D printing and object design) o Crawford Bay (Atmospheric Balloon) o Wildflower (Underwater R.O.V. robot)

These teams worked at the school level with the support of a teacher or principal, and connected via Skype with each other as the year progressed. As a final celebration, the teams met at Selkirk College to demonstrate their work, to learn about the Maker Space at the college, and to consult with community experts. In the following photo, observe our intermediate/secondary teams as they learn how a 3D scanner works, and how to build one for themselves using ‘found’ parts!


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K-9 Curriculum As we implement an updated Ministry of Education curriculum K-9 and move into a new graduation program the main focus will be on developing three competencies:

o Thinking Competency (encompasses the knowledge, skills and processes we

associate with intellectual development. It is through their competency as thinkers that

students take subject-specific concepts and content and transform them into a new

understanding. Thinking competence includes specific thinking skills as well as habits

of mind, and metacognitive awareness)

o Personal and Social Competency (encompasses the abilities students need to

thrive as individuals, to understand and care about themselves and others, and to find

and achieve their purposes in the world.)

o Communication Competency (encompasses the set of abilities that students use

to impart and exchange information, experiences and ideas, to explore the world

around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital media)

This shift towards competency-based curriculum, with a focus on big ideas and deeper learning of key concepts, opens up more space for the domain of creativity and imagination. Indeed, the Ministry of Education recognizes creativity as a key component of the thinking competency, encouraging our schools to deepen the work in this critical domain. We are well placed to extend the work on creativity and imagination as we move into the renewed K-9 curriculum and the Grade 10-12 graduation program in the 2015-16 school year.

5. CONCLUSION

“A close examination of the policy articulated by the Board of Education has led to the interpretation that it isn’t the Board’s intent for the District to measure the presence of creativity and imagination in each of our students. Rather it is our interpretation that it is the Board’s intent that the conditions which promote creativity and imagination should exist in each of our learning environments throughout the District”

- Reasonable Interpretation: SE-2: Creativity and Imagination

The ‘Reasonable Interpretation’ of the Board looks at creativity and imagination through:

o An artistic lens, where students are given opportunities to learn about

themselves as artistic beings who are able to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of means,

o A scientific lens, where students are given opportunities to seek multiple solutions to varied challenges and can co-construct understandings of real-world, relevant problems,


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o A business lens, where students learn to address challenges from multiple perspectives, generate novel solutions and persevere through failure,

o And an intuitive lens, where we have multiple perspectives on what makes a person or idea ‘creative and imaginative’.

Examples in this report and the Board presentation demonstrate that, through cultural commitment at the school and community level, flexibility and choice in learning environments, student voice, cross-curricular connections, our students are provided with opportunities within each of the lenses of creativity and imagination. To quote our International Program Vice Principal,

This is one of the big reasons why International students want to study in B.C., it is because they come from sage on the stage delivery and memorization recipient models of learning to option courses that give them choice and free reign of expression in pottery design, sewing designs, culinary arts, sketches, etc. They feel our system is freer and more balanced – and it is!

- Sandy Prentice, 2015 As we continue to highlight this Board Student Expectation at the school and District level, we anticipate increased opportunities across our schools.

We must continue to encourage a culture of curiosity throughout the District. We need to be good observers of our learners, good questioners – of our learners and of ourselves, and be flexible in our ability to shift learning opportunities to meet the changing needs of our learners.

- SE-2 Reasonable Interpretation

The Board of Education has made an important commitment, on behalf of the community, that this school district will continue to improve in our efforts to support students in this area of their development.


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This monitoring report for SE-2: Creativity and Imagination is representative of that commitment and provides evidence of progress in this domain. It also represents a shift in thinking for our schools and district as we are becoming able to demonstrate incremental progress as a district in this domain. It provides evidence of substantial efforts made by the system to attend to this important area of student development.

Jeff Jones Superintendent of Schools/CEO SCHOOL DISTRICT NO 8 (KOOTENAY LAKE)


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Appendix I: SE-2: Creativity and Imagination Reasonable Interpretation

SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 8 (KOOTENAY LAKE)

REPORT TO THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

PUBLIC AGENDA

October 9, 2012

To: BOARD OF EDUCATION

From: Jeff Jones, Superintendent of Schools/CEO

Re: Reasonable Interpretation: SE-2: Creativity and Imagination

Purpose: Approval

I. RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that: The Board of Education approve the reasonable interpretation for SE-2: Creativity and Imagination.

The Board of Education approve the recommended measures to demonstrate incremental progress for SE-2: Creativity and Imagination.

II. REASONABLE INTERPRETATION

A ‘reasonable interpretation’ provides the Board of Education with an understanding of how its policy is being interpreted by the District, and how the District will demonstrate that incremental progress is being made toward the achievement of the expectation of the Board. SE-2: Creativity and Imagination states that:

Each student will identify and actively develop individual gifts, talents and interests in order to be actively and meaningfully engaged in learning.

The terms creativity and imagination in the context of 21st century learning competencies, and articulated as desired skills in the world of work and further learning, evoke considerable thought, conversation and debate in many circles, not the least of which is School District 8. Ultimately, there is no single, authoritative definition and there appears to be very few standard of measurements with respect to imagination and creativity, and one might question exactly what those that do purport to provide metrics in this domain are actually measuring.


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A close examination of the policy articulated by the Board of Education has led to the interpretation that it isn’t the Board’s intent for the District to measure the presence of creativity and imagination in each of our students. Rather, it is our interpretation that it is the Board’s intent that the conditions which promote creativity and imagination should exist in each of our learning environments throughout the District. To this end, the Board has specified that each student will identify and actively develop individual gifts, talents and interests in order to be actively and meaningfully engaged in learning. The expectation that each student will be able to understand themselves as learners and contributors, that each student will recognize his or her own talents and gifts, is laudable and sets a high standard for our school district.

Each child comes into life with wonder, curiosity, awe, spontaneity, vitality, flexibility, and many other characteristics of a joyous being…It is imperative that we, as educators and parents, help preserve these genius characteristics of children as they mature into adulthood, so those capacities can be made available to the broader culture at a time of incredible change. (Thomas Armstrong)

In order to understand the conditions that must exist to foster these skills we do need to establish a collective understanding of what we mean when we are talking about them. One understanding of creativity and imagination is seen through an Artistic lens, and relies on a view of creation and expression through the Arts. It is our interpretation that the Board’s intent extends beyond the Arts to a deep engagement in learning and creating across all curricular areas. Notwithstanding this understanding, we also believe it is the Board’s intent that students be given opportunities to learn about themselves as artistic beings who are able to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of means. Through a scientific lens, creativity is seen as a product of imagination that ultimately leads to products of creative thought. Arguably, then, creativity is only represented by action – through which originality and alternative solutions are conceived; the act of making something new. Through the scientific lens, imagination and creativity erase barriers to new opportunities. We would assert that the Board intends for each student to have opportunity to seek multiple solutions to varied challenges and questions with which they are faced and that, in fact, students co-construct understandings of real-world, relevant problems to solve. Through a business lens, we learn that creativity and imagination are desired skills in today’s workforce. Employers seek individuals who can find multiple solutions to challenges. Lateral thinking, or thinking creatively (outside of the box), asks employees to watch challenges from multiple perspectives and to generate solutions never before contemplated. This means that a creative individual accesses their


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imagination – but also possesses the inner strength to face the possibility of failure if their idea is unsuccessful. The notion that failure is acceptable is foreign to many. However,

“…avoiding experimentation or risk – especially out of fear of what others may think – is something that will gnaw at your gut more than any ephemeral failure.” (University of Kent website)

Another understanding of creativity and imagination is frequently reached through an intuitive lens. In this view, a complex phenomenon is simplified and identified through observed behaviors and outcomes. Most people would say they can identify the presence of creativity and imagination within a product or a person. As an example it isn’t uncommon to hear a variety of phrases that indicate a person, an idea, a product or an outcome is creative, or a person is highly imaginative. Through this lens, a challenge still exists in actually defining what characteristics of a product or person are representative of creativity and imagination. Ultimately, it is our interpretation of the Board’s intent that learning environments throughout the District will:

Allow learning with relaxed alertness and enjoyment;

Foster play and exploration;

Build confidence and trust;

Reflect multiple forms of representation;

Value failure as a condition for learning;

Support perseverance in the pursuit of new understandings;

Be rigorous and challenging;

Fostering imagination and creating conditions that allow creativity to flow and be represented are central to the teaching and learning relationship.

“engaging the imagination is not something to be attended to after the hard work of learning is completed, but rather is…seen as one of the great workhorses of learning, and a central workhorse at that, not a peripheral frill.” (Kieran Egan).

III. MEASURES

The contemplation of a metric or metrics to determine whether our students are becoming more imaginative, or more creative, has led to consternation, much debate and in-depth conversations for many in School District 8. In the end, we are not convinced that this is the intent of the Board of Education. Again, it is our interpretation that the Board is seeking evidence that learning environments exist in


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which each student can identify and develop individual gifts, talents and interests, and in which all students are meaningfully engaged in learning. For the purposes of monitoring, it is proposed that the District provide the Board both qualitative and quantitative data that demonstrate the existence of learning conditions which recognize the natural tendencies of learners in relation to creativity and imagination, and which promote the development of creativity and imagination in our students. The data set below is a beginning. We anticipate that as we become more acquainted with this conversation, the data we access – or seek – will shift. The Artistic Lens

Percentage of students who participate in performance and visual arts

classes;

Percentage of students who participate in school productions;

Perception data – number of students who can identify that they have had

opportunities to express their thoughts, ideas, feelings and knowledge

through a variety of means;

Qualitative Data – slides, videos, student voice demonstrating expression of

thoughts, ideals, feelings and knowledge through a variety of means.

The Scientific Lens

Perception Data – number of students who can identify that they feel as

though they have had opportunity to engage in creative problem-solving;

number of teachers who feel that they are providing opportunities for

students with regard to creative problem solving with relevant, real-world

challenges;

Qualitative Data – images, videos, student voice demonstrating creative

solutions to real-world challenges; demonstrations of students’ original

thought and solutions to real-world challenges; teacher voice and parent

voice should also be included – testaments of learning environments that

support conditions for student growth in this area.

The Business Lens

Perception Data – student’s perceptions of their ability to learn from failure,

student perception of the ability to find multiple solutions to challenges;

Qualitative Data – images, videos, student voice demonstrating the process

of seeking solutions to real-world challenges.

The Intuitive Lens

Perception Data – Teacher observations and Parent observations – are

students being given opportunity to demonstrate imagination and creativity;


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Qualitative Data – images, videos, student, teacher and parent voice

demonstrating students’ understanding of their own gifts, talents and interests

and observations of teachers and parents;

IV. CONCLUSION

It is important that as we consider the existence of conditions that foster student creativity and imagination, we not stifle our ability to challenge our own understandings through the creation of standards; this is one of the challenges of measurement. In order for us to foster learning conditions that support students in developing their individual gifts, talents and interests and to be actively engaged in learning, we must continue to encourage a culture of curiosity throughout the District. We need to be good observers of our learners, good questioners – of our learners and of ourselves, and be flexible in our ability to shift learning opportunities to meet the changing needs of our students. Few would argue that most teachers believe they facilitate learning conditions which allow students to understand themselves and develop in their individual ways. The Board’s expectation around Imagination and Creativity has given authenticity and credibility to conversations in which educators have been engaged for centuries. We thank the Board for focusing our efforts in this domain and look forward to ongoing work in this area.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” (Einstein)

Jeff Jones Superintendent of Schools/CEO SCHOOL DISTRICT NO 8 (KOOTENAY LAKE)

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