Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning
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Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning
Ideas for teachers to question, motivate and grow a 'culture of inquiry'
Curated by Maree Whiteley
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It’s the Process, Not the Product- Inquiry learning...

It’s the Process, Not the Product- Inquiry learning... | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
Facilitating a project rather than merely dispensing knowledge help students approach new ideas, information, and problems.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
"Completing successful projects with students follows several basic steps, many of which you probably already use. Implementing each of these steps with students helps to ensure successful student technology projects. You can use these guidelines to help you and your students through the process..."
Brenda Robinson's curator insight, March 21, 2014 9:48 AM

Very true! Prevents students from getting bored and skipping class. Make them want to be there as it engages them and their brains.

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Game on!

Game on! | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
Teachers have been using game-based learning for generations, for example through physical education. Laurens Derks...
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Fabulous illustration of practice...thanks for sharing Lauren!
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10 amazing book visualizations

10 amazing book visualizations | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
A list of the most creative book visualizations and book-related images.

Via GoogleLitTrips Reading List
GoogleLitTrips Reading List's curator insight, August 3, 2013 9:29 AM

I've seen a few of these before and find them all fascinating. The first of ten (above) is beautiful, but be sure to double click on it to enlarge.  An intriguing visualization of the tracking of multiple plot lines within each of the books on the left lead to several of the most universal elements of plot. 

 

The larger the color area on the right, the more frequently that plot element is found in the books.

 

If you were to replace the books on the left with just the titles you teach in a single course, what might be color distribution on the right look like.

 

Better yet, (perhaps) if your students were given this as an optional learning experience for the books they read in a personal reading program, what would the collor distribution on the right look like.

 

The potential for adapting this kind of concept to an engaging way for students to contemplate the structures, plots, themes, and genres they explore are limitless.

 

And best of all, this particular visualization is only the first of 10 to follow in this article!

 

 ~ http://www.GoogleLitTrips.com ~

Jenna Krambeck's curator insight, August 3, 2013 11:25 PM

Interesting infographics to showcase literary ideas. 

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Great Teachers Don't Teach

Great Teachers Don't Teach | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
In a conversation on LinkedIn, one person asked, "What are the characteristics of an effective teacher?" I read quite a few excellent remarks that describe what such a teacher does to be effective....
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Great article about inspiring students to 'experience' their learning...
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Use PicMonkey to Make Digital Posters

Use PicMonkey to Make Digital Posters | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it

Gone are the days when PowerPoint was your only option for presenting material. Today, there are lots of web 2.0 tools out there to make presentations fun and engaging. Popular tools like Glogster allow manipulation of images, animations, and other graphics to make digital "posters," and I feel like there's a new web-based image editing tool popping up every day. Surely one of these image editors could be harnessed to create a digital poster for free, right?

Jane Sowter-Maranion's curator insight, May 27, 2013 7:33 PM

 I think this is a great Web 2.0 tool. Students will have a wonderful time making their visual presentations more interesting. 

Kim C's curator insight, June 3, 2013 8:52 AM

I love this idea. Easy to follow too!

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National Poetry Month: Useful Resources for Teachers and Students

National Poetry Month: Useful Resources for Teachers and Students | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
'Tis National Poetry Month! In April, classrooms around the country will dive into the expressive art of poetry. Shakespeare, Frost, Yeats, the list goes on and on.
Maree Whiteley's insight:

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge" Albert Einstein

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The Arts Matter

The Arts Matter | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
Help to discover the creativity in every child.
Maree Whiteley's insight:

Some nice images here on this Pinterest site to inspire the creativity within...students and teachers!

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Great Teachers Are Great Learners - AITSL

This animation was produced on behalf of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, and aims at encouraging education leaders to develop a framework…
Maree Whiteley's insight:

Life-long learning...that's what it should be all about!

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Photos of Children From Around the World With Their Most Prized Possessions

Photos of Children From Around the World With Their Most Prized Possessions | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
Chiwa - Mchinji, Malawi Shot over a period of 18 months, Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti's project Toy Stories compiles photos of children from around the world with their prized possesions—their toys.
Maree Whiteley's insight:

Great lesson opportunities here- critical thinking, intercultural understanding, consumerism and so much more...

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Why Scoopit Is Becoming An Indispensable Learning Tool

Why Scoopit Is Becoming An Indispensable Learning Tool | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it

Why Scoopit Is Becoming An Indispensable Learning Tool....

Curation is a valuable skill for today’s learner. In a culture of content overload, members that provide great content to their audience will be recognized leaders in network communities. Optimally, we equip students to differentiate good content from bad in preparation for their further education and careers. Curating an online topic (and allowing comments) also increases self-awareness and provides additional insight from others. The nuances of sharing content and writing to an audience become much better understood through interactivity between the curator and participating audience.

Maree Whiteley's insight:

Students as curators...using critical thinking skills to collect, evaluate and analyze content; they may identify trends from discourse; they develop writing skills in original expression; and they interact, communicate and publish to a global audience. But perhaps more importantly, students practice digital citizenship and personal responsibility to lifelong learning...love it!

Maree Whiteley's curator insight, March 9, 2013 3:07 AM

Students use critical thinking skills to collect, evaluate and analyze content; they may identify trends from discourse; they develop writing skills in original expression; and they interact, communicate and publish to a global audience. But perhaps more importantly, students practice digital citizenship and personal responsibility to lifelong learning...love it!

Catherine Smyth's curator insight, March 11, 2013 7:07 PM

I think the scope for Scoop it is sensational. It's a great way to organise, filter, select and highlight online digital resources around a topic, theme or idea.

Ying Yu Wei's comment, March 14, 2013 9:59 PM
I love the way you mention digital citizenship =D
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Yes, You Can Teach and Assess Creativity!

Yes, You Can Teach and Assess Creativity! | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
A recent blog by Grant Wiggins affirmed what I have long believed about creativity: it is a 21st-century skill we can teach and assess. Creativity fosters deeper learning, builds confidence and creat (Yes, You Can Teach and Assess Creativity!
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World Read Aloud Day...March 6

World Read Aloud Day...March 6 | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it

Take Action for Global Literacy, Celebrate the Power of Words, Change the World Worldwide at least 793 million people remain illiterate. Imagine a world where everyone can read... World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world. It’s time to join the Global Literacy Movement.

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Australia Day Reflections | Kids Speak

Australia Day Reflections | Kids Speak | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
3/4GB have been learning about Australia Day. We watched a video of people reflecting on what Australia Day means to them. You can watch the video
Maree Whiteley's insight:

What does Australia Day mean to you? Responses from the great resources on the Together for Humanity website.

Maree Whiteley's curator insight, February 15, 2013 3:43 AM

More great responses from primary students after watching the Together for Humanity teacher resource videos.

Catherine Smyth's curator insight, April 1, 2013 8:41 PM

Primary students reflect on what Australia Day means to them.

Catherine Smyth's curator insight, April 1, 2013 8:42 PM

What is Australia Day?

Reflection is a powerful factor in learning.

 

Don't underestimate the importance of historical language in developing historical understanding. Provide opportunities for students to expand their historical vocaulary and to use language for a variety of purposes.

Young students need explicit instructions for when and how to use conventions of language.

 

Husbands (1996) identifies different types of historical language including:

1. The language of the past (e.g. British colonisation, original inhabitants, convict, First Fleet, monarchy, revolution, Terra Nullius)

2. The language of historical time (century, period, modern, decade)

3. The language of historical processes (cause, chronology, similarity, difference, perspective)

4. The language of historical description and analysis (revolution, monarchy, democracy)

 

Use 'Word Walls' or word charts to help students keep track of information and terminology that is used in a Unit of Work and keep adding new words.

 

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Drama Resource - Creative Ideas for Teaching Drama

Drama Resource - Creative Ideas for Teaching Drama | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
Creative resources for teaching drama
Maree Whiteley's insight:

Lots of co-curricular ideas for using drama and role-play in a variety of Learning Areas...

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Design 101 for Educators: Choose Your Fonts Carefully

Design 101 for Educators: Choose Your Fonts Carefully | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
Before we dig in, let's start with a quick multiple-choice quiz: Font : Text :: A. Hat : Head B. Coffee : Tea C. Voice : Speech The answer is C. The font you choose to display text is every bit a
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The Challenges and Realities of Inquiry-Based Learning

The Challenges and Realities of Inquiry-Based Learning | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
As education continues the march toward a student-driven, project-oriented approach that values intelligent solutions to open-ended problems, it won’t be sufficient to focus on the wonderful discoveries and authentic work that result from an...
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NoTosh - The Design Thinking School

NoTosh - The Design Thinking School | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
You want learning to be creative and student-led. This shows you how.
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14 Bloom's Taxonomy Posters For Teachers

14 Bloom's Taxonomy Posters For Teachers | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful tool for assessment design, but using it only for that function is like using a race car to go to the grocery–a huge waste of potential.

In an upcoming post we’re going to look at better use of Bloom’s taxonomy in the classroom, but during research for that post it became interesting how many variations there are of the original work. While a handful of the charts below only show aesthetic changes compared to others, most are concept maps of sorts–with graphic design that signifies extended function (power verbs), detail (clear explanations), or features of some sort (Bloom’s Taxonomy tasks by level).

Maree Whiteley's insight:

Some great ideas here for task-setting for every learner and every level of thinking...love it!

Maree Whiteley's curator insight, April 8, 2013 6:53 AM

Some creative ideas for planning your history tasks...for every learner, for every level of thinking...love these posters!

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Philosophy for schools | Questioning

Philosophy for schools | Questioning | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it

Questions are at the heart of learning, so good questioning has a great deal to do with good teaching. Following a precedent set by the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates, over 2000 years ago, successful questioning is best achieved by the use of dialectic, which is to say a two-way, collaborative dialogue between the teacher and the students.

Maree Whiteley's insight:

Here's a thought "... Liberation from the guess-what’s-in-my-head school of teaching. Many teachers feel a certain security in having an answer that the children are seeking, but this is one of the greatest enemies of true learning"

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Five-Minute Film Festival: Tips and Tools for PBL Planning

Five-Minute Film Festival: Tips and Tools for PBL Planning | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
Teaching with project-based learning can be challenging. VideoAmy offers a playlist of videos to help plan and carry out great projects in any subject.
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How Emotional Connections Can Trigger Creativity and Learning | MindShift

How Emotional Connections Can Trigger Creativity and Learning | MindShift | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it

Scientists are always uncovering new ways into how people learn best, and some of the most recent neuroscience research has shown connections between basic survival functions, social and emotional reactions to the world, and creative impulses.

Maree Whiteley's insight:

Students’ social and emotional reactions to learning are imperative to feeling motivated to learn and to their ability to creatively solve problems, according to Mary Helen Immordino-Yang,

Brenda Robinson's curator insight, March 21, 2014 9:46 AM

That is one great thing about FACEBOOK AND TWITTER, it forms connections and inspires people to "DO" and "ACT".

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Creating Classrooms We Need: 8 Ways Into Inquiry Learning | MindShift

Creating Classrooms We Need: 8 Ways Into Inquiry Learning | MindShift | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
If kids can access information from sources other than school, and if school is no longer the only place where information lives, what, then happens to the
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We Are Teachers- Making time for creativity

We Are Teachers- Making time for creativity | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it
Find education news, teaching strategies, lesson plans, activity ideas and more on the WeAreTeachers blog. Featuring posts by guest bloggers and teachers as well as WeAreTeachers editors.
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Getting Ready to Write: Citing Textual Evidence

Getting Ready to Write: Citing Textual Evidence | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it

Learn how to teach students to cite textual evidence, engage in collaborative discussions and draw evidence from literary text in preparation for writing.

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How Free Play Can Define Kids’ Success | MindShift

How Free Play Can Define Kids’ Success | MindShift | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it

Free, unstructured playtime gives kids a chance to discover their interests and tap into their creativity. It’s a crucial element for building resilience in children, an attribute they’ll need in order to become happy, productive adults. That’s Kenneth Ginsburg’s thesis and the core of his book Building Resilience in Children and Teens.

Maree Whiteley's insight:

“Play is integral to being able to build resilience. So many of the things that we care about are completely learned through the creative process, When kids are allowed free time to play, they learn how to work in groups, negotiate, share, self-advocate, and make decisions" Ginsburg.

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