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PsycholARTSical: Psyched about the arts/Assessing and Evaluating Creativity

Assessing and Evaluating Creativity

Introduction
Preamble

One of the key tasks for teachers of all subjects is to be able to assess and evaluate student performance. Various disciplines employ a range of assessment and evaluation techniques, which can be tailored to meet specific student needs and goals. Although it can sometimes be a challenging task for all teachers, it is especially so within disciplines where subjective/qualitative assessment is required – the arts.

Assessment and evaluation are uniquely elusive when it comes to subjects like Visual Art, Music and Drama. In addition to measuring knowledge and understanding, thinking, communication, application, effort and technical skill, teachers are given the difficult task of gauging a student’s creativity.

Creativity is understood to be a highly individualized quality – it can materialize in an infinite number of ways that rarely fit into a given set of criteria. In fact, the premise of creativity rests on the synthesis of new and unconventional ideas. Creativity is also something very personal – it often represents an emotional investment by the student and, therefore, requires sensitivity on the part of the teacher. These challenges raise an important question: how might teachers go about assessing and evaluating creativity in student work?

What does it mean to be creative?

According to dictionary.com, the adjective creative is defined as having the power or ability to create. This definition appears to focus on someone’s ability to produce rather than the quality of the work produced. This view of pluralism is sometimes criticized in artistic circles for perpetuating the trend to make things for the sake of making things. An example might be an artist who produces vast volumes of work, but spends little time contemplating the significance of each piece. This person is productive but is he or she creative? Later in this book, we will be looking more closely at the role of self-reflection and self-assessment in creative processes.

Creativity – the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination. (dictionary.com)

The initiative to transcend conventions and create meaningful new ideas engages the students’ higher order thinking skills that deal with Application and Synthesis as per Bloom’s Taxonomy. This indicates that creativity operates at a fairly high level of cognition. It also means that in order to function at that level, students must build upon the more fundamental cognitive skills such as Knowledge, Comprehension and, in turn, Analysis.

So, for example, a student of classical music will learn notation first (knowledge). He or she will then gain an understanding of musical theory (comprehension). Finally, the student will practice the ability to examine the qualities of existing pieces of music (analysis) before applying all of the above to compose an original piece (application and synthesis).

The way we assess or evaluate higher order thinking is important because there is a certain risk involved for students. In synthesizing new ideas, students open themselves up to peer criticism and possible embarrassment. For this reason alone, many learners choose to “play it safe” and conform to what the majority of their peers are producing. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the effectiveness of the different methods of measuring creativity.

Assessment vs. Evaluation

For the sake of further discussion, it is important to distinguish between assessment and evaluation. While the two functions are commonly paired, they differ considerably in purpose and approach.

Assessment is generally understood to be formative. In other words, assessment takes place while learning is happening. It is an ongoing process that is intended to improve learning by allowing the teacher to respond to student needs as they become apparent. This approach is associated with holistic/constructivist methodology because it provides a “safe to fail” environment that encourages self-expression and creative risk-taking.

Evaluation is summative – it is normally done after a unit of learning has been completed. Evaluation focuses on the formal grading of student work and, therefore, it is numerical and final. It is often associated with competition, performance and risk. While grades can be a powerful extrinsic motivator, they do little to encourage students to try new things because students want to minimize the above risk.

Are both assessment and evaluation appropriate methods for gauging creativity? Teachers, students and parents would agree that creativity should be rewarded. While assessment tends to offer more flexibility in working with subjective qualities, evaluation appears more readily applicable to the appraisal of technical skill and effort levels.

--Artursedov (talk) 20:41, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

Peer Assessment and Professional Arts Juries
This report uses the "Peer Assessment" model as prescribed by professional arts funding agencies such as The Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council to address the issue of how creativity may be evaluated in a contemporary high-school arts classroom. For the purpose of this address, my principal source is The Canada Council for the Arts. In brief, there are advantages and disadvantages to this model, however, its' effective use in the classroom makes specific demands on the evaluated which may, or may not, be compatible with the learning objectives of the teacher.

The following discussion on Arts Juries is broken into four parts:
 * 1) How They Work;
 * 2) When They Work Well;
 * 3) When They Don't Work;
 * 4) Peer Assessment in the Classroom.

1) How They Work

Juries are selected from creative practitioners within the discipline being judged, (dance, theatre, music, visual art), and are—within each discipline—specific to certain job descriptions like, performer, writer, director, producer, administrator. Juries must also be balanced in terms of gender, cultural background, and political/religious/aesthetic affiliation. Most juries need four to six people. Canada Council (CC) Jurors are paid well relative to a freelancer’s wage.

Juries are selected by an executive board, who also produces the event: handling communications; travel and lodging for out of town jurors, delivery of all print materials (a substantial amount of paper is used), and catering.

The executive also administers the adjudication, handling applications, to printing, to overseeing the 2 to 3 day process by providing structure to the meetings, and accelerating the process of elimination, which is what the whole thing is about. The criterion of adjudication is determined by the jury, based on vague administrative guidelines.

Essential parts of the application:
 * a clear and justifiable mission statement
 * an accessible track record: media documentation, press reviews, endorsements and testimonial
 * an application is judged by comparing the proposition with the company’s mission statement and track record

2) When They Work Well

In brief, when the process works well, you get the funding you asked for, then execute the responsibilities you’ve outlined in your grant application. Although it is hard to gauge what any one successful candidate may learn from the process, there are a number of qualities successful applicants seem to have in common. By looking at a few of these it is possible to infer a learning curve for the evaluated over time.

organizational: Good grant writing requires detailed record-keeping and the maintenance of healthy professional relationships. Because most grant applications require a press file—print reviews, features, interviews and transcripts from broadcast media—the artist has to have these at hand. Also, because most applications require a sponsor, or professional endorsement of some sort, successful artists must maintain relationships with respected, often senior, members of their artistic community. Having a friend is one thing. Having a friend who is a respected member of your artistic community who is willing to both, risk his or her artistic reputation before the CC, and, take the time necessary to review your application then write an endorsement which speaks to the details of your proposal, is quite another thing.

metacognative: Successful, grant-getting, artists must be rigorously self-aware of not only their body of work, but also, of their creative process because, for most artists funded by the Canada Council (CC), their initial successful grant application is the first substantial step in the creation of a new work. Also, because most grants are awarded to fund a specific phase of artistic development in the creation of new work, the artist is required to be detailed in imagining their artistic process, securing the personnel and means of production, budgeting for expenses, and determining the length of time necessary to fulfill their artistic obligations for the money awarded. The end result is that a successful artist knows who they are, what they have done, what they plan to do, how they work, how they have failed and succeeded in the past, exactly how they hope to achieve their next task, who they can call on for help, and how much time they will need to accomplish their proposed short-term goals.

responsibility: Accountability is the key to successful grant-getting. Artists have to make good on their previously funded promises, and continue to develop according to their own often-stated prescriptions for success.

3) When They Don’t Work

There are significant downsides to Peer Assessment as practiced by the CC. Here are a few.

emerging artists: Because so much of the grant application is dedicated to assessing an artists’ creative ‘track record’ it can be difficult for the new artist to state their future claim against their past record. This aspect of the process requires new artists to seek respected artistic mentors for ongoing support, and legitimate media outlets for recognition.

results are final: Lessons for unlucky applicants can only be achieved accumulatively over several failed attempts, and a synthesis of imperfect feedback. Usually a simple sentence of anything like criticism appears in the rejection letter. A follow up appeal might yield something along the lines of, “…the jury didn’t feel that the application was strong enough to justify a new direction in terms of your mandate.”

subjectivity: All judgments in any creative process, no matter how well structured, are subjective and fallible. At the extreme end of this paradigm is something called ‘low-balling’ whereby one low score from any juror on any round of evaluation can sink a proposal. This tactic is often the preserve of the grudge-bearing juror who has failed to disclose their bias to the rest of the jury. This is rare, although every unsuccessful candidate will undoubtedly claim to have ‘an enemy’ on the jury…and sometimes they are right. What works against the tendency toward spurious judgment is the peer process itself. The process is intense, and usually lasts two or three full days. Also, any one juror may well find his or herself in the company of four or five substantially qualified, and well-connected, artistic peers who are more than capable of arguing aesthetic principles, and justifying their choices in a thoroughly rational manner. There is nothing whimsical about this process. Those who treat their role as an adjudicator lightly (or strictly emotionally) will not be asked back, will embarrass themselves in front of influential members of their community, and, will jeopardize their standing with the country’s most powerful arts funding body.

4) Peer Assessment in the Classroom

The virtues engendered by successful grant-getting artists are compatible with the goals of arts education to a limited extent, namely, the virtues of self-awareness, metacognition, demonstrable discipline in terms of process, organization, and accountability. In the classroom however, it is difficult to establish a deep sense of accountability because the goals for success in the classroom are not as well defined for the students as they are in the professional arts where all candidates strive for just one goal: to get the money. If all students were driven to achieve but one goal—good marks for instance—then it might be easier for the teacher to police against favouritism, and harsh judgments, but this is not the case. Many students are all too willing to risk getting a good mark for the sake of peer-pressure, status-achieving behaviour, or short-term popularity.

The task then, for a teacher who wishes to implement this type of assessment structure, is to start early in the academic year, work closely with the jurors for the first few cycles, and then be willing to use the process as many times as is necessary for the students to see the repercussions of their actions as jurors and prospective candidates. The learning curve really takes off once students can weigh the cost of a previous harsh judgment when it is their turn to be judged.

If well-done, this type of assessment can foster academic skills for students in three significant areas: metacognative; critical/analytical; intra-personal accountability. It does need to be scaffolded though, and the likelihood of success is much greater with mature students in a studio/conservatory type of environment where students learn together in close-quarters over the course of more than one year.

Jameso'reilly (talk) 19:48, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

Self-Assessment & Evaluation
Definition: "The evaluation or judgement of ‘the worth’ of one’s performance and the identification of one’s strength and weaknesses with a view to improving one’s learning outcomes” (Klenowski, quoted in Ross 2).

Three Types of Self Assessment (Rose 4-6)

 * 1. Co-created rubrics for assignments:  Students and teacher discuss and list what the evaluative criteria or goals of an assignment should be as well as defining the levels of success for those criteria.
 * 2. Short answer questionnaire: Students are asked to respond to questions about their performance.  For example:
 * - What was good about your performance today? Name three things and explain why.
 * - What needs improvement? Give 3 ideas.
 * - Explain some exercises that would help you make those improvements.
 * 3. Students rate themselves in specific areas of their performance and conduct.  For example:
 * - On scale of 1-5, rate yourself on the following criteria:
 * i. I came to class having practiced all of my parts.
 * ii. I come to class on time and promptly assemble my instrument.
 * iii. I can hear when I am playing well.

Why Teacher’s Use Self-Assessment (Ross 2)

 * 1. It gives students the opportunity to contribute to the criteria on which their work will be evaluated increases their engagement with the work.
 * 2. It contributes to variety in assessment methods, which aids in maintaining student interest and attention.
 * 3. It provides information that might otherwise not be as easily determined:
 * - Students are given a forum to assess and comment on the degree of effort they put into an assignment.
 * - Students often bring unthought-of criterion to attention that a teacher might have otherwise overlooked.
 * 4. Some argue that students learn more when they share the responsibility for assessment and that increased attention and engagement lead to increased learning.

Is Self-Assessment Reliable? (Ross 3)

Research shows that self-assessment strategies have been largely consistent, especially with older students (i.e. Grades 7 and up) who might better understand the criteria and how to apply them. Self Assessment strategies have been more effective with shorter assessment periods. Longer assessment periods would suggest larger assignments with a greater number of criterion that are harder for students to remember and regulate.

Does Self-Assessment Provide Valid Evidence of Student Performance? (Ross 3)

There are some discrepancies in this area:
 * 1. Student ratings are often higher than teacher ratings when the assessments contribute to a grade, as the temptation to inflate their own grades seems to skew student judgement.
 * 2. There tends to be more consistency in student ratings when students are informed that their ratings will be compared to the teacher’s (i.e. using the same rubric) and that they will have to explain any large discrepancies between their ratings and those of the teacher.
 * 3. Students may confuse their ability to meet the criterion of an assignment with the effort that they put forth to meet that criterion.  In light of what students might regard as a great degree of effort that was put toward an assignment, they might be more inclined to inflate their ratings to reflect their efforts.
 * - As problematic as this might seem, it does give the teacher the opportunity to identify and act upon student difficulties that might otherwise go unidentified.

Strengths of Self-Assessment (Ross 7)

 * 1. Students have a better understanding of their goals through their active role in creating the dimensions of a rubric.  Thus, there is often a greater degree of success in attaining those goals.
 * 2. Students have commented that self-assessment was a fairer form of assessment because it allowed them to incorporate criterion that would not otherwise be included (such as student effort or extra-curricular time commitments).
 * 3. Students can communicate information to the teacher (i.e. goals and rationale) that they would otherwise not be able to.
 * - Self-assessment gives students information that they can use to improve their own performance on an assignment by encouraging students to focus on attaining specific criteria and tracking their own improvement in those areas.

Weaknesses of Self-Assesment (Ross 7-8)

 * 1. There is a concern that students will lower academic standards by inflating their ratings on their assessment of their own work.
 * 2. Some students might not want to participate in the process, feeling that it is not their responsibility to carry out what they regard as the “teacher’s” job.
 * 3. Such an attitude might decrease student motivation and commitment to their work.  Nonetheless, this does not apply as much to uses of self-assessment in the formative assessment of student work that would be taking place throughout the progress of a curriculum unit.  In conjunction, self-assessment and teacher feedback can be powerful tools in helping students succeed with their work.
 * 4. It takes a lot of class time construct rubrics with students.  It can often take up to three periods to work out the details of a student created rubric.  Revised drafts often need to be presented to and reworked with the class over the period of a few days.

Four-Stages Involved in Making Self-Assessment More Effective (Ross 8-9)

 * 1. The teacher should not surrender control when creating rubrics.  The teacher should use the process as a means to develop students’ deeper understanding of expectations in a manner that will allow them to relate to those expectations in their own language.
 * 2. The teacher must explain how to apply the criteria of a rubric by providing exemplars as well as modelling the desired expectations for the class.
 * 3. The teacher should promptly provide comments and feedback for a student’s self-assessment in an effort to clarify the expectations and criteria within a rubric.  Comparisons between a student’s self-assessment and the teacher’s (or a peer’s) assessment of the same work using the same criteria may be use to resolve discrepancies and discourage inflated ratings.
 * 4. The teacher should assist their students in using self-assessment data/ratings in a manner that would improve their performance with future assignments.  Providing students with recording forms to track performance over time will help them establish links between their immediate goals and their long-term goals.

--Maurosavo (talk) 03:40, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

Case Study: A Model for Self-Assessment and Evaluation
In music class, students are expected to improve their technique and sound when it comes to playing an instrument. Many teachers still enforce the standard practice of a playing test, which is typically done in front of one’s peers on a specific day. But how can you truly assess someone of his or her growth when performance anxiety may play a huge role in the end result? Some teachers have found that this rigid process is very ineffective in terms of progress assessment; although it may only require one day to ‘get through everyone’, it often becomes an unfair judgment.

Technology today is far more innovative than when I was in high school, even though that was only five years ago. The following process is one that I plan to implement into my music classroom, and although I cannot take credit for the idea, I hope that other music teachers, like me will put this strategy into effect.

A student enters the classroom knowing that today is the day that he will be tested on his trumpet. He is a grade nine student who has only just begun playing and instrument for the first time in September. It is now late in October, and he has been practicing hard both at home and in the morning ensemble classes. He is not scared, because he knows that there is no pre-judgment, as he has never been tested before. Yesterday, the teacher assured the class that they would not have to play in front of one another, but rather only her, in one of the practice rooms as the rest of the class has the period to work in sectionals on the two pieces of repertoire that they have been learning. She then explains that she will be recording each of their playing tests as a way of assessing their progress throughout the year.

The teacher begins the class by leading a warm up so that everyone is in top-notch form. Students will then take turns taking their test in the practice room as per a sign up schedule that was posted in the class last week. Once the student enters the practice room, he or she is allowed to set up the music stand in which ever way is most comfortable for them, along with deciding whether they want to sit or stand. From there, the teacher records the playing test while making a few notes. Once the student has finished, her or she has the option to record again. This is important especially for the first test as many students suffer from performance anxiety.

A few days later, when all the playing tests are done, the teacher has each student listen to their playing test, assess what they have just heard, and only then does she explains to them their rubric markings. The teacher may need to play the playing test a second time in order to accurately explain her assessment, and this is a good idea as it allows the student to have both a visual and aural assessment. The teacher highlights the appropriate sections of a rubric in one distinct colour, gives a photocopy to the student and stores the original in a specific file for each student. When the next playing test comes around, the teacher will use this original rubric for each student, but will highlight the appropriate sections in a different colour. This process will allow students to visually see their own progress as well as areas in which they can improve.

This is a very strong way of assessing creativity as it includes both teacher and self-assessment. It also allows the students to build on their learning, and to see how far they have come since the beginning of the school year. Teachers should allow the students to compare their progress by listening to past recordings throughout the year, as this is also a great tool for motivating students to learn. It is especially important that students listen to their first playing test following the last test of the year. What a great way for students to see the actual result with documented proof.

--Winchell (talk) 00:20, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

A Unit Based on 'Creativity'
From Personal Experience...

During second practicum, I decided that I wanted to further explore various approaches to assessing creativity within the classroom setting after having done a lot of research and engaging in great conversations with my seminar group. With permission from my associate, I designed a ‘Self-Reflection’ unit for the grade nine vocal music classes that allowed them to explore their creative side while learning basic skills on how to analyze music. I tailored this unit towards the current interests of the grade nines as I used a variety of music samples from those artists who they listen to on a daily basis. I used weekly listening quizzes as a diagnostic assessment for what the students needed specific lessons geared towards and I fabricated my lessons to fill in the gaps in their learning.

The summative activity for this unit was the ‘Self-Reflection’ project (or presentation), for which I allowed the students the freedom to choose how they wanted to create the visual aspect, but at the same time, I guided them through the assignment with a clear outline of specific requirements that needed to be included in some manner. The various dates for this project were clearly outlined on a calendar in the classroom, so that the students would always know what to expect during each class. A total of one hour of class time was given for this project over a span of two weeks (excluding other accompanying activities), which allowed them to collaborate with one another in order to format their project. During this time I divided my time equitably between the class in order to give guidance or support in any possible means that I could.

Just as there always seems to be one student who has trouble staying on task, so was the case in both of the grade nine classes. In order to ensure success from all the students, I had the students write a ‘progress report’, which was their opportunity to tell me, in writing, what they were creating for their project, what they had done thus far, and most importantly what supports I could give them (if needed). This activity confirmed many of my initial observations, which highlighted that the vast majority of the students in both classes were making good progress; however a few students did not fit into this category and I quickly turned my attention towards them. A couple of the students had been off ill and needed some assistance as to how they might get started so late in the game, whereas other students were fundamentally unsure of their project. I addressed each matter individually and offered extra help before and after school, which was an offer that I had extended to all students. I myself created my own project to share with the students, which further excited some, or gave direction to those in need as the students became more self-directed.

The summative project was due the week following March Break as I did not want any of the students to feel pressure to do work over the break. I was thrilled with the projects that came in as they were all very individual and contained a great deal of creativity and imagination. I received projects ranging from abstract drawings to music videos, dance presentations to original piano compositions. I evaluated each project based on four rubrics, (*) which included assessment strategies both formal and informal:
 * 1) Theory
 * 2) Communication (the project/presentation itself)
 * 3) Creation* (the process)
 * 4) Thinking and Inquiry (written reflection)

Marking these projects was very difficult even after creating a rubric with the students however, I decided to mark based on the rubric for everyone first, and then assigned four separate grades based on the rubric and strands of assessment and then gave consistent equitable grades. I put a lot of thought and consideration into these grades and provided each student with detailed comments regarding their areas of strengths and personal connections to their project.

Reflection

The response that I received from this unit was overwhelmingly positive and not only did I receive praise from my associate (as this unit “encouraged students to explore other avenues of art”), but I received a phone call from one of the grade nine parents who was very thankful for my “allowing [of her] daughter to explore such creativity and share her gifts (for the first time) with an audience (the class)”. This particular student had written an original piano composition based on the song Winter by Tori Amos, and not only was it an outstanding piece, but she performed it with extreme grace, passion and confidence.

My experience with this unit was very rewarding, full of many unforgettable moments that I will always treasure. I believe that each person has a gift to share and this project allowed me to uncover many hidden talents within the various arts disciplines. It is projects like these that students will never forget as you take them ‘outside the box’ from the traditional ways of thinking. The students have learned a new appreciation for songs they relate to on a personal level and I learned the value of assessment and feedback as seeing the students read over my comments was a very rewarding experience. --Winchell (talk) 03:58, 26 April 2008 (UTC)


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User talk:Cysiro

 This is Cysiro's talk page. Please sign and date your entries by inserting four tildes ( ~ ) at the end. [ Start a new talk topic]''

Magical Creatures
Forgive me for poking my nose in here, but I see that withinFocus hasn't answered your question yet, so I thought that as another relatively major contributor I should try to answer.

Features in a magical creature? Well, that's very much up to you. What normally I would suggest there would be either a quick description of the physical or magical characteristics of a creature, with emphasis on the specific characteristics that are involved in the story. For instance, the Murtlap, characteristics could mention basic shape (rat-like with sea-anemone-shaped growth) and definitely should mention story related features (tentacles have healing qualities). Creatures like the Ashwinder, of course, that have no real story role, should only get a physical description. We have to limit the amount of description, that box being meant for a quick once-over only.

Hope that helps. Chazz (talk) 16:46, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

 * It did help. Seeing as some creatures have quite a few features, I was wondering which go in that box. Thanks --Cysiro ( page ) ( talk ) 17:11, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

 * Just have to pick the most important... important being what, if anything, plays a part in the story. In the case of Acromantulae, it's hard to tell... spiders, venom, large size, sentience, and ability to talk are all important. Chazz (talk) 18:30, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

 * For editing questions Chazz is your best bet as he's the most active lately. Thanks for your contributions. -within focus 21:04, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Info boxes at the top of the article
I note that in the info area for the spell Wingardium Leviosa, you have added a link back to Magic#Spells. Generally, we haven't been doing that; normally, we would just leave it as "Spell (Charm)". While I understand the reasoning, there are about a hundred magical items that would have to be altered at this point if we were to make that consistent, and probably two hundred characters... and characters would be a real bugbear, as (for instance) Draco is in the Slytherin House group, in the Death Eaters group, in the Malfoy Family group, and in the Inquisitorial Squad (if we have as yet created a group for them), and which of those would you link back to? I suspect it's probably best to just allow backtracking by means of the "breadcrumbs". Chazz (talk) 16:20, 11 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I did see your response here, and felt I couldn't add anything to it... why I said nothing.
 * I'm still not convinced of the value in having a back link to the magic page, but I have no objection to it. It is slightly redundant because of the breadcrumbs (top left of page, any Magic page will have links to Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter > Magic on it) but because it goes back to the section rather than just to the Magic page, it still has some small value. I won't quibble, and won't revert, if you want to put those in. Chazz (talk) 17:16, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

Clabbert
I'm away from my sources and can't check that at the moment, but that page is scheduled for a visit soon anyway. If you wish, you can move the page, which would correct the spelling; or I can do that later -- someone's going to have to revisit that page anyway.

By the way, signing your comments with four tildes ~ is always appreciated, as that way we know immediately who made the comment. Chazz (talk) 19:05, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

 * I moved the Clabert to Clabbert, and changed it on the Magic page. I'm not sure how to delete the old one. ~Cysiro ( page ) ( talk ) 07:14, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

 * Taken care of. -within focus 22:58, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

One other thing...
So long as you are going through the various magical items, there is one other thing that you might look at. We changed the standard framework some time back, so as to allow some magic description before the spoiler, and that change has not yet replicated throughout the Magic area. If you could, it would be useful to make that change as you go by...

The old framework looked, in part, like this:

Analysis
Updated, the same part looks like this:

Analysis
If you could, inserting that Extended Description, and perhaps breaking the text into what belongs before the spoiler warning, and what belongs after, would be extremely useful. Chazz (talk) 18:39, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

First sentences
I have no real issue with it either way... but it has been bold italic since I started working here a couple years back, so I have continued in the same vein. If there is guidance in a Wikibooks style guide, I would accept that over Wikipedia's style guide.

One thing to be aware of: I suspect there are at least 300 pages that are done consistently in the bold italic style. It would be a tedious job to make the change to simple bold, and we stand a very good chance of losing consistency. I personally feel that there is no point in making a change that involved for purely cosmetic reasons. Chazz (talk) 18:30, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

 * Actually, the Wikibooks Manual of Style states: "It is suggested that: ...the first use of the title words or words that are akin in sentiment to the title words are marked in bold... when a new term is introduced, the term is italicised." I suppose that the idea of bold and italics was that this is not only the title, but the first use of the term. And of course, it is only suggested, which tends to lighten the weight of the recommendation.

 * That said... I have no objection if you want to change the standard, but I don't see any significant difference in appearance, and don't think it's worth the effort of doing it manually. If I felt a need for it, I would talk to Whiteknight, and see if he could do it with a bot. If you do want to it manually, I would drop a note on Whiteknight's, mike.lifeguard's, AdRiley's, and withinfocus' Talk pages, so they don't revert you thinking you're vandalizing.

 * And I will quietly point out that you were, at one point, going to go through the magic pages classifying spell types, and lost interest after doing 9 of the hundred or so. If you are going to change formatting like this, you really should plan to set aside enough time to do the whole project, rather than leaving us with two different standards. Chazz (talk) 21:37, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm not really interested in that so please don't continue. We've been doing it this way since the book's inception and I don't really care what any style guides external to our book are saying (despite that they don't disagree with what we're doing anyway). We have our own procedure and two of us (me, the person who created the entire system in the first place, and Chazz who does almost all the editing nowadays) aren't that interested, so I'll say this is a no-go. Please revert what you've done or tell me what you've done and I will take care of it. I like that you want to do work here, but I don't feel this is a supported change and there is better work to be done elsewhere. -within focus 21:36, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

 * Thanks for changing it back. In the end I feel we could definitely use your talents on something else and don't think such a change is necessary. If you were to see our book in LaTeX or PDF format you would notice that it's more pleasing to the eye as well. I certainly don't want to scare you away from the Guide. Good luck with all the other tasks our book needs. -within focus 22:12, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

Magic item...
Hate to trouble you with this. I note that you made a change so that Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was a footnoted reference... but somehow, that also made all of the Unforgivable Curses become footnoted with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Did you want to straighten that out? Or should I? Chazz (talk) 18:32, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

 * A bit of a fight to find information on reference groups, but it is now dealt with. And it's not ideal, but it is, I think, the best we can do for now. Chazz (talk) 21:09, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

In re Rolanda Hooch
I am somewhat unsure of whether Rolanda is actually given as a name for Madam Hooch in the books or not. I seem to have a faint memory of McGonagall using the name in warning at some point, but I don't know exactly where and I can't put my finger on it now.

On the other hand: According to the FAQs on Rowling's site, there were in fact two sets of cards, the trading cards game and the Chocolate Frog cards. While Rowling has stated that she was the author of the descriptions on the cards, she didn't say which set, though of course it could be both. As such we could consider the cards canon as well, though we tend to deprecate them. The reason we don't have Quirrell's full name on the article title is that one set of cards gave his name as Quirinus, the other as Slatero, leaving us with no valid authority. Apparently, both sets of cards give Madam Hooch's first name as Rolanda.

On the gripping hand: I am currently working my way through the characters, trying to complete at least the "role in the books" sections. Several supporting characters appear many more times in the books than they do in the summaries: Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan being classic examples, along with Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, and Angelina Johnson. I'm keeping notes of these characters as I find them, and will do a full re-read of the series with them in mind once I've finished the easy ones. Madam Hooch is already listed among them; if it turns out that her first name is not given in the books on careful re-read, I will change the article name. Chazz (talk) 03:19, 1 October 2008 (UTC)

See Also...
I would suggest that the person to ask there would be Withinfocus. I'm really more of a writer; he's more on the policy side. Chazz (talk) 03:31, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

Umm... a small suggestion?
Instead of going over and over and over stuff that is already present, like one particular chapter of the Muggles' Guide, perhaps I could suggest that there are still a lot of empty areas, notably in analysis both of the books and of the characters, that could use new content? I'm not saying that what we have is perfect, but I think that at the moment we are still far more in need of new stuff, rather than polishing what we already have. Chazz (talk) 21:40, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Where else? Oh, there are so many... let me see. At this point, we have summaries for all of the chapters of the books, but the Analysis and Greater Picture sections on all of them are sorely lacking, except in a few places like PS1, which has, I think, rather been worked to death at this point. We're sort of breaking questions in the chapters into Review for the ones that are answered in the summary, and Further Study for those that aren't. In Characters, I'm dealing with the role in the books sections, but the Analysis still needs work in a lot of places. Many bits of Magic still need Analysis and Greater Picture. Many of the magical creatures mentioned in FBaWTFT need actual write-ups; they are just placeholders now, but as it was ChazzJr who wanted them in there, if he doesn't write them up I guess it will fall to me. Major Events are languishing, and we're likely to have missed several, particularly ones that occur in DH. I guess, pretty much across the board, we need work on analysis. If you don't feel that your strength lies in analysis, we still need Overview and General Description work done on a lot of items in Magic and Major Events. Chazz (talk) 17:00, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

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Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5/2. Ke2

2. Ke2? · King David's Opening
Ke2 is considered to be a very dubious move. This is the Sicilian variation of the Bongcloud Attack. The problems with 2. Ke2? are that the King move prevents castling to protect the King, endangers the King, ignores development and the center, and blocks the Queen and Bishop, which are the two pieces that are free after 1. e4. All that being said, it can be used as a surprise to unseat Black, as many novices may be unable to cope with the unfamiliar board positions of the Bongcloud Attack. However, if it has been encountered before, it usually results in a defeat for White.


text:
PsycholARTSical: Psyched about the arts/Creativity and Mindfulness

Creativity and Mindfulness – (James C, Lisa, Eli, Jonathan, Christopher)

Thesis

Creativity and mindfulness are two psychological elements highly conducive to effective learning. By facilitating creative approaches to educational tasks, students are better able to actively participate in the learning process in a potentially open, engaging and stimulating manner. A creative mindset forces a teacher to think outside the box, abandoning more traditional approaches to education such as lecturing, excessive overheads, learning strictly by rote, or a “chalk and talk” methodology. Creative thought (or divergent thought) is defined as “a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts” (Wikipedia). In context of education, creativity encourages an educator to attentively assess the various types of learners within the classroom, and to actively employ original and appropriate approaches to learning to reach all levels and skill sets. Attention is one of the most powerful tools to be exploited by an educator in terms of student engagement. The question is: how does a teacher achieve and sustain high levels of attention within the classroom? We would argue that innovative and creative approaches to lesson plans and classroom instruction are one of the most effective means of achieving this state. Let us now explore some strategies involved in creating such approaches.

As explored by Woodfolk et al., educators can implement a variety of creative teaching techniques in the classroom including: spontaneous and surprising physical action, the use of bright colour on the board and with notes, the use of scripted and spoken word with academic subjects, posing intriguing questions, variance in tasks and instruction, changing physical environment (lighting, décor), and variance in vocal tone and volume level during instruction. In order to gain student’s attention, avoid flicking lights or clapping hands as in a traditional approach. Instead, try to incorporate the sound of a bell, a wind chime, or even a Tibetan singing bowl (as recently done in a class workshop). The intention is to emphasize “variety, curiosity, and surprise” (Woodfolk et al.) within students.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness, practiced both by teachers and students alike, is yet another positive means of maintaining focus, building classroom community, and optimizing learning potential. Mindfulness can be approached from two major aspects: cognitive, psychological mindfulness (general awareness and attention), or an Eastern, Buddhist approach to mindfulness including the practice of meditation, consciousness and the application of current moment perception (the power of the “Now”). From the Western standpoint, mindfulness is defined as an active attentiveness to task and detail. This is a quality that all educators and parents alike strive to nurture within a student in terms of their daily focus regarding academic tasks. From the Eastern standpoint, mindfulness is defined as “a technique in which a person becomes intentionally aware of their thoughts and actions in the present moment, non-judgmentally” (Wikipedia). It should be mentioned that mindfulness is a skill that needs to be both practiced and developed. Ideally, an educator could provide a student with the tools to enhance this skill. Further, in order to facilitate an environment conducive to mindfulness, considerations around disciplinary measures needs to be taken into account. Educators need to move away from a dictatorship approach to discipline to create an open, safe space for students and teachers alike to explore “the self”.

Let us explore the benefits of mindfulness in an educational setting and some of the tools used for its development. Meditation is among the strongest act of pursuing mindfulness and there are several forms to partake of including: breath, mantra, visualization, and contemplation. The intention of meditation is not necessarily to achieve a mindset completely devoid of thought, but rather a state of acknowledging thought and allowing it to pass through the consciousness without preoccupation. Several studies have been conducted to display how mindfulness and meditative practices actively reduce distraction and help to avoid stress. This is of particular use in the classroom to assist students with focus, and coping skills around stressful situations such as testing and examinations.

Current moment perception also assists a student with actively receiving a speaker by removing a preoccupation with either the past (regret) or the future (anticipation). With this type of self-focused exploration, students and educators develop the ability to “show up” in the classroom and in their daily lives. They are better able to engage in active listening, be analytical with subject matter, and integrate their learning into their life experience. Other benefits include the development of openness, self-awareness and insight, enhanced speaking and listening skills, and a consciousness of the diversity around them. From a place of self-understanding comes an ability to appreciate the richness of another individual’s life experience.

Contemplative Education

A specific philosophy of higher education that actively implements the above-explored techniques is known as Contemplative Education. Founded in the United State in 1974 by educator and practitioner Chögyam Trungpa, this mindful practice was incorporated into the Liberal Arts studies at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Contemplative education “ infuses learning with the experience of awareness, insight and compassion for oneself and others through the practice of meditation and contemplative disciplines. It seeks to integrate the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others” (Wikipedia). The act of learning is not solely a thinking mind activity, but rather an opportunity for a student to also examine their inner beings as a means of completely integrating what they have been taught. The engagement in mindfulness awareness allows a student to reside in the present moment and to potentially deepen their academic study. This philosophy was further applied to higher arts education with the Bachelor of fine Arts in Jazz and Contemplative Studies curriculum at The University of Michigan School of Music. Within this program, meditation practice was combined with related studies in jazz and overall musical training.

“The value of contemplative education is measured in students’ ability to put their wisdom and insight into practice through creative, helpful and effective action” (Wikipedia).

An Exploration of Community

Creativity and mindfulness are elements actively supported in present-day communities including private, public and independent educational institutions throughout the globe. We will further examine the application of these elements through community and educational philosophy models that demonstrate how creativity and mindfulness are actively nurtured, and positively implemented to produce abundant learning outcomes. Such pedagogical models and communities include the One World Program at George Vanier Secondary here with the Toronto District School Board, an intimate spiritual university in New Brunswick called St. Stephen’s University, and the international Waldorf system. With the exploration of these models and communities, we hope to abundantly express to our readers the importance of creativity and mindfulness in combination, and the potential abundant learning outcomes from their application within the classroom. These models will be explored in terms of our text's theories, and used further to make recommendations to us - the new teachers entering the profession. We will also be exploring and suggesting techniques to both promote and develop mindfulness more deeply.

Resources

Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Full Catastrophe Living. New York: Dell Publishing, 1990.

Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Wherever You Go, There You Are. New York: Hyperion,

Miller. John. The Holistic Curriculum. Toronto: OISE Press, 1996.

Tolle, Eckhart. The Power of Now. Vancouver, BC: Namaste 1997.

--chuckstopher (talk) 18:10, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

Creativity

Introduction

What is creativity? Is it something that can be learned in a classroom? Certainly creativity means many things to many people and is often dependent on context for its definition. The creative process involves many complex layers of cognition and though it is questionable whether or not we will ever fully comprehend all of the exact science behind creative thought, we can offer four characteristics often associated with creativity. First, creativity always involves thinking or behaving imaginatively. Second, overall this imaginative activity is purposeful: that is, it is directed to achieving an objective. Third, these processes must generate something original. Fourth, the outcome must be of value in relation to the objective.

Theory

The definition of creativity is often assumed to imply a purely artistic setting, but is creativity not also a large component of science, mathematics, engineering, and business? Without a quick definition for creativity that will suit all people at all times, we can examine some of the thought processes behind creative thought so that we might better understand how to foster creativity in our classrooms. Leslie Owen Wilson, a professor of philosophy and education at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, highlights two types of thinking that are involved in creative thinking - convergence and divergence.

Divergent thinking is most usually associated with the ability to elaborate, to fluently think of varied and original ideas. Brainstorming is one example of this type of thinking.

Convergent thinking is defined as “the ability to use logical and evaluative thinking to critique and marrow ideas to ones best suited for given situations, or set criteria.” This type of thinking is used to make well-formed decisions after consulting and evaluating an array of ideas and information (Wilson, 1997).

The creative process involves a combination of these two types of thinking, forcing the practitioner to constantly transition from the scattering of ideas (brainstorming) to the refining of thoughts and concepts most applicable to the given situation (convergence). This process can involve a lot of trial-and-error type of experimenting, but, as Wilson points out, the most successful “creative thinkers” are the those who were/are persistent with their efforts.

Though the definitions for creativity may be infinite one thing that seems to be a consensus among cognitive theorists is that a “eureka!!” moment, or moment of creative inspiration cannot come of its own volition. In order to achieve such a breakthrough, the practitioner must first have studied and attained a workable knowledge of requisite techniques and/or subject matter. Without such knowledge, creative thought becomes aimless (devoid of purpose) and lacks any concrete objective on which to substantiate value or relevance.

Application

At Georges Vanier secondary school in Toronto, Ontario there is a program called the One World Youth Arts Program (OWYAP). This program is offered to students as part of the music curriculum and provides an open forum where students can share ideas and develop their creativity. It is an open-enrollment program, meaning there are no prerequisite courses or formal music training required for admission. Along with being a music course, the OWYAP offers students a chance to explore and embrace the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Through their music, students are encouraged to promote positivity, a strong spirit of community, and the idea that change starts from within.

The delivery model for OWYAP is more that of an art or music recording studio than a traditional instrumental-music classroom. Using Cubase software, students work individually at computer stations composing original scores, learning basic piano skills and elements of harmony. They also have opportunity to collaborate with classmates on recording projects and/or live performances.

The OWYAP stays true to our statements regarding creativity in that the more knowledge and ability students gain in terms of music theory, piano skills (the main interface with the Cubase software is a piano keyboard), and the recording equipment, the better able they will be to create coherent, imaginative and original compositions. The core components of the OWYAP curriculum are student-derived, which allows the course to be tailored to individual wants and abilities. This strong personal element provides students with the time and confidence to experiment with their work, allowing them to explore both divergent and convergent methodologies. The main task for the instructor in such a setting is making sure the students stay on task, encouraging them to realize how their final product shows true value and connection to the original objective. Having several chances to create original works throughout the semester allows students to see (hear) the improvement in their work and realize that knowledge is necessary for progress.

Through promoting acquisition of a stronger skill set and knowledge base in a practical setting, as well as providing opportunity to immediately implement such newly acquired skills in a supportive environment, the OWYAP exemplifies an ideal classroom model for the development of creativity.

A Challenge to all Classroom Instructors

The One World Youth Arts Project at Georges Vanier is a unique setting indeed and we can’t all be expected to provide such a highly individualized atmosphere for our students. However, what we can do is try to realize specific elements within the OWYAP that promote creative thinking, supportive community and engaging curriculum, and work towards incorporating those elements into our own lessons. The push towards standardization over the past century has become infectious even to our own personalities. As classroom instructors we should not strive to get everyone on the same page, but challenge our students to find their own page, bringing original thoughts and personality into our classrooms.

Resources

Dewey, John. Art As Experience. 1934. New York: Penguin Books Ltd., 2005

Eisner, Elliot W. The Arts and the Creation of Mind  London: Yale University      Press, 2002

http://www.uwsp.edu/Education/lwilson/CREATIV/define.htm

http://www.uwsp.edu/Education/lwilson/CREATIV/levels.htm

http://www.ncaction.org.uk/creativity/whatis.htm

--Elewis (talk) 22:17, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

The Role of Community

Introduction

While creativity has long been held as a formative aspect of any learning community, its converse is said to be just as true. The community in which an artist is raised and develops her craft has incredible significance in terms of her effectiveness and growth. Specifically, learning communities that value genuine relationships and caring are better facilitators of creativity.

Another factor that is directly related to the quality of one’s learning community is one’s capacity for self contemplation, or mindfulness. Logically, communities that intentionally create space for mindfulness, or put another way (ironically), are mindful of its members’ mental wellbeing, tend to demonstrate a greater overall level of mental health and stability. Throughout this section, the validity of these claims will be demonstrated both theoretically and by referring to a specific example of such a community, currently functioning on our planet Earth.

Theory

In order to proceed, it is necessary to both identify what constitutes a genuine relationship, and define the term caring. Woolfolk et al. refer to an author named Nel Noddings, who for over ten years has written extensively on the value and importance of caring within educational systems. A core argument under-girding Noddings’ views, is that caring is an intrinsic necessity of human life - all people want and need to be cared for. She claims that it is a “longing for goodness that arises out of the experience or memory of being cared for…” (Flinders 2001, p. 211). An encounter with a student is definitive of caring when it exhibits the following characteristics: the ‘carer’ is reflectively oriented toward the ‘cared-for’ in a way that is receptively attentive, the carer demonstrates an active helpful interest that assumes action, and all of this is recognized by the ‘cared-for’ as an act of caring - that is, a measure of perception is required to authenticate the experience. Relationships between teachers and students that consistently involve this kind of caring might be called genuine relationships.

Hence, having defined these terms, it is the learning communities that deliberately incorporate the primacy of genuine caring relationships into their vision that are the focus of this section. These structures tend to exclude those educators who are concerned solely with the financial aspects of their occupations to the exclusion of all else - those who are “putting in time” and do not care about their students.

Creativity can be described as the spontaneous human response that results from provoked emotional dispositions. While such response might occur in an atmosphere of oppression or constraint, it absolutely flourishes when expressed from within an atmosphere of security, affirmation, and constructive inquiry. Hence, schools that foster these characteristics are excellent facilitators of creativity.

Finally, while there are many individuals who have undertaken self-contemplative tasks, the degree to which a community encourages such behaviour directly affects the success of it. While this might seem obvious, it is imperative to recognize the simple reality underlying this idea: in our day and age, if you don’t make time for it, it will not happen. Also, it is important to note that, while certainly having roots in Eastern mythical religions, self-contemplation is a mental health activity that transcends boundaries of all kinds, being found in all major religions and people-groups throughout the world. For that reason, it is completely viable as a solution for stress, and may be effectively used in some capacity within any educational institution to promote mental health and wellbeing.

St. Stephen’s University

One such institution (though be it post-secondary) is a small trans-denominational Christian liberal arts school in the tiny town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick. This school has begun to draw world-wide attention for its uplifting community dynamics, which among many other things, foster both creativity and self-contemplation. The school is situated on a hill near the St. Croix river - a scenic property that supports a number of individual rustic multipurpose buildings, all of which have both bedrooms and classrooms. From simple maintenance to cleaning, students living within these buildings are responsible for their cleanliness on a scheduled weekly basis. Excellent cooking is also done by the students, who eat in a large family-like room with lots of small tables to facilitate interpersonal relationships: professors and students alike eat together and informally discuss issues both academic and personal.

Mindfulness, or contemplative space more generally, is fostered in many ways at St. Stephen’s University. First, there are three weekly chapel meetings that happen after lunch, where various members of the community and student body are invited to share an inspirational message. Second, time for prayer is allocated before the beginning of any meal. Specifically, those who are waiting in line for food form a rough circle, join hands, and rather than only offering words of thanks for their food, pray for those in need in their community, or even pressing issues facing the world. Third, contemplative space is considered especially important in class settings, where significant issues are often discussed in terms of their personal relevance and meaning. Lastly, physical space is abundant on the property, which is full of unique nooks and crannies that can be used for reflective purposes.

Genuine relationships and caring are of supreme importance for this school. Many of the professors at the university have moved to this small town of 3000, in order to be more closely involved with the school and deepen its sense of community. While professional boundaries are always upheld, many of them even invite students into their houses for meals or other events. Living in residence is mandatory at SSU, as they believe that the experience of living in close proximity to others is a valuable life tool.

Within this context of genuine relationships and consequently acceptance, creativity flourishes. The school brims with artists of all kinds: musicians, sculptures, painters, poets, and more. Each year the school hosts a fantastic arts night featuring student compositions and works. Furthermore, students are specifically invited to use their creativity within the community for purposes of social justice and healing. In general however, the focus of the school is to promote academic excellence combined with competence in life. Overall, this produces highly motivated students unlike many other Canadian universities, whose students often report the contrary.

A Translation into Our World

Within the public school setting (at both elementary and secondary levels), deliberate considerations need to be made about the quality of the community the students and teachers are both involved in. While this is certainly related to external factors, perhaps the greatest factor is internal: the vision that unifies a school’s staff, and the degree to which its teachers adhere to it. Even if we as teachers, find ourselves in schools that do not overtly mandate their governing members to the necessity of genuine relationships or to the use of mindfulness, we ourselves can make choices to orient ourselves in such ways, and perhaps thereby provide the help and encouragement that students need to survive in such hostile places.

Resources

Flinders, D. J. (2001) 'Nel Noddings' in Joy A. Palmer (ed.) Fifty Modern Thinkers on Education. From Piaget to the present, London: Routledge.

--JonathanisFTMFW (talk) 20:45, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

Waldorf Education

History

Waldorf education has its roots in the spiritual-scientific research of the Austrian scientist and thinker Rudolf Steiner. In April of 1919, Rudolf Steiner visited the Waldorf Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart, Germany. Germany, defeated in war, was on the brink of economic, social, and political chaos. Steiner spoke to the workers about the need for social renewal, for a new way of organizing society and its political and cultural life. Emil Molt, the owner of the factory, asked Steiner if he would establish and lead a school for the children of the employees of the company. Steiner agreed but set four conditions: 1) that the school be open to all children; 2) that it be coeducational; 3) that it be a unified twelve-year school; 4) that the teachers, those individuals actually in contact with the children, have primary control of the school, with minimum interference from the state or from economic sources. Steiner's conditions were radical for the day, but Molt gladly agreed to them. On September 7, 1919, the independent Waldorf School opened its doors. There are now more that 900 Waldorf schools in 83 countries around the world, Waldorf education is the fastest growing independent education movement in the world.

Developmental Structure

The structure of the education follows Steiner's pedagogical model of child development, which views childhood as divided overall into seven-year developmental stages, each having its own learning requirements; the stages are similar to those described by Piaget.

Early Childhood

Waldorf schools approach learning in early childhood through imitation and example. Extensive time is given for guided free play in a classroom environment that is homelike, includes natural materials and provides examples of productive work in which children can take part; such an environment is considered by Waldorf pedagogues to be supportive of the physical, emotional and intellectual growth of the child through assimilative learning.

Elementary School Years

Waldorf schools regard learning at this stage as artistic and imaginative. The elementary school centers around a multi-disciplinary arts-based curriculum that includes visual arts, drama, artistic movement (eurythmy), vocal and instrumental music, and crafts.

Adolescence

To meet the developing capacity for abstract thought and conceptual judgment Waldorf schools place the emphasis on learning through intellectual understanding and ethical thinking, including taking social responsibility. Although education now focuses much more strongly on academic subjects, students normally continue to take courses in art, music, and crafts. Pupils are encouraged to develop their own independent and creative thinking processes.

Mind, Body, Spirit

The specific goals of Waldorf education are: 1.  Creative thinking including: imagination, flexibility, and focus 2.  Emotional intelligence, empathy, and self-esteem 3.  Physical vitality, stamina, and perseverance 4.  Spiritual depth gained through an appreciation and responsibility for nature, work, and for their fellow human beings Waldorf education addresses these goals through interdisciplinary, integrative practical, artistic, and intellectual elements, and coordination with the natural rhythms of everyday life. The Waldorf approach emphasizes the role of the imagination in learning, developing thinking that includes a creative as well as an analytic component.

“For us being human is to be artistic and to express yourself through the arts. So for us it's not a tacked-on added extra, we try, certainly in the younger years to make every lesson artistic. We start with music, we have verse, we draw in books, we express visually, all of these things give the child security, and it also fosters in them a feeling for other people, and a feeling for beauty, which for us is very central to living. ” Andrew Hill,
Waldorf Class Teacher

Waldorf education is designed to simultaneously foster creativity and mindfulness or emotional intelligence. Waldorf students acquire the ability to express themselves through painting, drama, music, crafts, movement, and writing. All lessons are reinforced through the learning community that is established around each class where one teacher, one group of children, and their parents remain together for eight or more years. Waldorf education fosters self-esteem by recognizing that each child brings gifts above and beyond the ones that can be measured on an exam. The book, Habits of Mind, published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, relates a series of attributes that describe what intelligent people do when they are confronted with problems that are seemingly unsolvable. These attributes, such as: Persisting, Managing Impulsivity, Listening with Understanding and Empathy, Thinking Flexibly, Gathering Data Through All Senses, and Responding with Wonderment and Awe, are woven into the Waldorf approach to education.

Recommendations for Mainstream Education

The holistic, spiritual, creative and mindful basis of Waldorf education is considered to be a healing education that would benefit all students regardless of ability or need, an education that is universally designed. Mainstream educators have recommended the integration of the arts into traditional content, a pedagogy that embodies the American psychologist Howard Gardner’s “Theory of Multiple Intelligences” and the current trend in education of Differentiating Instruction, as an effective stimulator of spiritual-aesthetic, intellectual and physical development as seen in Waldorf education.

Reference:

Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the inside out by Jack Petrash, Gryphon House Inc. What is Waldorf Education? 3 Lectures by Rudolf Steiner
Steiner Books A day in the life of the Rudolf Steiner School by Jennifer O. Prescott, Instructor, Nov-Dec 1999 The Steiner Way. A Compass Sunday nights program on Australian ABC TV, 28 April, 2002.

Waldorf.ca Waldorf Education in Canada

Wikipedia --Lisa chupa (talk) 03:15, 24 April 2008 (UTC)


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PsycholARTSical: Psyched about the arts/Arts and Special Needs Students

Thesis
Art education is essential for a well-rounded academic program that contributes to higher order thinking skills across all disciplines. Art education provides children with a fully integrated appreciation of culture and community. Art is a powerful means of expression that enables the child to develop a wide range of skills such as: leadership, teamwork, communication, self-discipline, self-expression & creativity. Art education has many benefits and students with special needs should not be excluded, however, often teachers are ill informed of the variety of ways to integrate a child with special needs in the arts classroom. This paper will discuss: the importance of learning visual art, understanding visual impairments, how to foster an inclusive atmosphere, motivation as well as provide an array of teaching strategies in the visual arts classroom for the blind and visually impaired student.

The Importance of Learning Visual Art
In the 1980’s arts education for the blind was thought to be unimportant or impossible, there was a clear need to be met- busy teachers needed not to reinvent the wheel but the blind and visual impaired students needed not to be excluded. Some may inquire, “Why teach art to people who are blind?” People with sight loss/impairment are as likely to have a need to make and appreciate art as those with sight, their mental visual activity continues even after loss of sight and engagement in the visual arts is possible regardless of the degree of their visual activity. Despite a students abilities, arts education will help all students develop critical thinking skills, language skills, cooperative learning, self-awareness, self-confidence, sensory development (there is multi-sensory art experiences in the creation of art) and manual dexterity (working with a variety of tools and materials).

Understanding Visual Impairments
Studies indicate that 10-20% percent of people considered legally blind are totally without sight, and 20% of school-age children are visually handicapped have no useable vision. However, 80% of visually impaired individuals have some residual vision that can be used in daily activities (Besr & Corn, 1983). This information aids art educators in understanding why the majority of people who are blind are able to respond to some visual stimuli, and why their visual memories act to enhance the creation process. There are three main categories of vision loss: Loss of central vision caused by disease, loss of peripheral vision and or overall blurring or haze. However, we must be mindful that not all visual impairments are the same, for example, in a classroom with all visually impaired students, each student will have individual characteristics to their sight loss or impairment. Student’s functional needs will also vary, some students may use vision for aspects in learning whereas others will not, it is of importance for all educators to familiarize themselves with a students IEP so that they may accommodate their individual needs.

Fostering an Inclusive Atmosphere
In order to implement inclusiveness in the classroom it is important to be aware of any form of stereotyping, for example, blind and visually impaired people relate to the visual arts in a variety of ways, just as sighted people. Some students may enjoy tactile contact with art while others may demonstrate very little interest in touch as a means of artistic or aesthetic experience, regardless of the characteristics or degree of their visual handicapped. Some students learning and appreciation of the arts involve creative process and imagination, rather than merely touch as a means of art education. These student would benefit most by stimulating their visual memory, you can achieve this by describing an event, place or object, which may trigger their memory and personal experiences. Personally, I may evoke this in the students to trigger various levels of emotion, which may allow them to produce astonishing works of art that are highly emotive and self-expressive. According to Rogow (2000) people with visual impairments rely on their environment as a crucial role in providing a means to explore the world around them; when vision is absent language serves as a means to establish and maintain contact with other people. Educators must avoid phrasing instruction with: “This or that, here or there” to avoid confusion, you must be able to communicate with specific verbal instruction, doing this will allow the visually impaired student to feel confident & included in the classroom. Dokecki (1966) states that it is important for teacher to use verbal communication naturally, and not hesitate or avoid using words such as “see” or “look” because visual terms are necessary for all student to have complete competence in language so that they may participate as functional members in society.

Theory: Motivation
Once you establish a friendly and trusting relationship with the student an approach to help motivate them is to build their self-esteem and confidence by sharing with them famous artists that had visual impairments, including but definitely not limited to artists such as: Monet, Van Gogh, Degas and Rembrandt etc.. There are also many contemporary artists with visual impairments that you may wish to invite as guest speakers or to conduct a workshop, perhaps you may even wish to take you class on a field trip to view an exhibition by these artists.

Specific Strategies for the Visual Arts Classroom
Initially, it is essential to integrate the student with impaired vision into the classroom by describing the configurations of room, if you must change the position of furniture in your classroom remember to describe the new configurations to the student. Teacher should also inform students that use optical devices that they may move closer to diagrams or demonstrations. Educators must also accommodate students by eliminating clutter, placing materials within reach of the student and being mindful of the size, colour and contrast of print on handouts. Lighting is also of importance for students with impaired vision, some may find window glare and light reflecting off shiny surfaces unbearable, to accommodate them you can position demonstrations in other places in the classroom, adjust shades and allow students to move seats if so desired. It is also wise to identify yourself when you approach a visually impaired student as well as seek permission from the student before you physically guide them to an object. Teachers must be mindful that a person classified as legally blind may still have usable vision, in which it does not significantly alter functional ability and it is important to realize that a legally blind person may be able to function visually for a variety of tasks. However, some students with visual impairments may need to look off center to see things more clearly, it is important not to interpreted that as inattention or negatively on the part of the student.

Visual Art teachers may question to what extent a blind person can appreciate and create art and to whether or not they have the necessary knowledge in order to provide the blind or visually impaired student with the best arts education. An educator may inquire- Can blind persons learn about different art styles? Can blind people learn as sighted people do to identify different time periods? Blind people can learn to understand perspective in a tactile drawing, but can they learn to understand perspective in an artwork? Are blind or visually impaired people limited to sculpture or can they learn to draw? What are light, colour and form to a blind person? Perhaps we can better understand a visually impaired or blind person if we attempt to comprehend a glimpse of their experiences. For example, lets us imagine that we are nearsighted and we remove our glasses to watch television, the images are not being viewed as intended by the network but rather the images appear dream-like with patterns and construed colour, for some this may be a negative experience but for the artist, this is a rare and amazing gift. This experience opens the artists up to a world where her or she is able to transform these experiences into personal interpretation based on only how they see the world. Parents and arts educators should encourage this and assist the students by stimulating their visual memory and or emotions. People that are blind or visually impaired have the ability to draw quite accurately; they are able to transfer knowledge from exploring the world around them to depicting vantage point and perspective in their artwork. For e.g., they are able to understand and draw the side-view and top-view of a vehicle and they can identify foreground and background- they know that the girl standing in front of the tree is larger in the picture plane then objects in the distance. Revensz (1950) concluded that people with visual impairments do have some form of spatial perception, which was based on the records from Von Senden’s 1932 study of people with visual impairments (pp.86). However, Revensz also proposed that people with visual impairments cannot “properly” perceive beauty or create artistic images (pp87). Quite frankly, I find that statement rather appalling because his definition of beauty and creation is defined by the sightless person not being able create works of art based on their inability to see object’s in this world of all it’s beauty, nature & glory. He states that the blind person is limited to only the “material sphere” but who is to say that beauty can only be expressed through ones visual experiences, on the contraire I believe what restricts many artists in the creation process is over-analyzation, responding with minimal sight to a stimulus can inspire remarkable works of art that are beautiful, memorable and emotionally compelling! “Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things” (Degas).

Equipment, Material & Instructional Suggestions
Other things to consider is equipment and materials in the classroom, such as: enlarging devices, magnifying lens, three-dimensional Marquette’s and tactile materials such as drawing boards (which add great tactile and/ textural elements to the composition), raised-line paper, raised-line drawings of images, diagrams, charts & illustrations. Raised-line drawings will assist the teacher in explaining art history to the blind or visually impaired student. The use of visual storyboards and technological aids may enhance the concept of the lesson or demonstration. When teaching painting, place colour in the same order on the palette from left to right- white, yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, green, brown and black. Use non-spill containers for liquid mediums and place paint containers in a narrow lipped tray, organize all dry mediums (For e.g., Conte, pastel, colour pencils etc.) in a specific order and keep all heat emitting equipment in a safe and controlled area away form traffic zones. Students that are blind or visually impaired enjoy working with high contrast mediums, so it is feasible to have some bright paint available. Lastly, check frequently for the student’s comprehension as instruction proceeds and be mindful of background noises that can make instruction inaudible.

Conclusion
Students with special needs will enter our classrooms, we as Art Educators need to share our passion for the arts with these students, often these learners are “overlooked” or “worked around” because of our lack of tools or knowledge, however the best way to inquire this knowledge is to get to know our students, to further educate ourselves of their needs as well as to encourage them to expressed themselves and to take risks in their work. Art educators need to provide blind and visual impaired children with the same opportunities as their peers, by being mindful of any stereotyping, by teaching them art skills, by exposing them to a variety of mediums and through teaching them about great art in order to encourage art appreciation and a love for life-long learning.

Work Cited
Axel, E. & Levent, N. (2003) Art Beyond Sight: A Resource Guide to Art, Creativity, and 	Visual Impairment. American Foundation for the Blind, Retrieved from, 	http://books.google.ca/books?id=B4ioCFic7m0C&pg=PA86&lpg=PA86&dq=19	32+article+by+Von+Senden&source=web&ots=YjeF_cHyHN&sig=CW1bSBbK	2obBCkPGH0EXE5zMBI4&hl=en#PPA86,M1

Pearce, W. (2007) Serving the Arts Educator of Pennsylvania. NY: Keystone Arts 	Education Network, Retrieved from, http://www.keyarts.ws/content/view/47/199/

Resources
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) http://www.afb.org/

Art Education for the Blind (AEB) http://www.artseducation.info http://www.artbeyondsight.org/sidebar/aboutaeb.shtml

The Rhythmic Arts Project http://www.traponline.com/

National Federation for the Blind (NFB) http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Default.asp

American Printing House for the Blind (APH) http://www.aph.org/

The National Centre for Tactile Diagrams http://www.nctd.org.uk/

Koenig, A. & Holbrook, M. (2000) Foundations of Education, Instructional Strategies for 	Teaching Children and Youths with Visual Impairments. AFB Press, Retrieved from, 	http://books.google.com/books?id=rcwAgJw1ZSwC&pg=PA403&lpg=PA403&dq=art+	visual+impairments+foundation+of+education&source=web&ots=p80aXHeLwk&sig=Y	hb0huEjgYQ1KNHCG-_Bmqar5jA#PPP1,M1

--SuzieQ (talk) 00:20, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

Thesis
Being an arts educator to special needs students is both a rewarding and challenging task. Teaching the arts, specifically music, can be a motivating and fun way to teach all children, especially those with distinct learning needs. Essentially, the purpose of this paper is to show the benefits of teaching the arts, in specifically music, to students with special needs, to express the importance of creating an inclusive environment in the classroom, and to also discuss certain strategies, resources, and ideas to use in the secondary school level to help special learners succeed.

The Importance of Learning Music
It is important to note the benefits that learning music can have on a child’s growth and development. Firstly, music has been shown to help students who are cognitively challenged. For example, learning through songs works as a mnemonic device to assist in memory and learning by organizing and breaking down information into pieces, thus, making it easier for a student to retain and encode what they are learning (Lazar, 2008). Thus, when teaching a student a concept such as the alphabet, the months in a given year, or a historical figure, if taught through a song, there is a greater chance that students will learn and retain these concepts easier. Teaching music has also been shown to benefit students with communication barriers. Essentially, singing and speech share many similarities because when a person sings, this requires them to use their speech as well. For example, songs of varying lengths can increase the duration of a child’s speech, while rhythm can be used as a timing cue to aid in speech pacing and intelligibility (Lazar, 2008). Thus, music can be used as a means to improve a student’s functional communication. Lastly, learning music has been shown improve and develop a child’s gross motor skills. Research shows that basic skill areas such as visual-motor integration, bilateral integration, imitating movement, or crossing midline can be targeted with rhythmic activities (Lazar, 2008). For example, learning a particular dance style, or learning songs such as The Hokey Pokey, provide opportunities for the growth and development of a variety of motor skills. Thus, the aforementioned information exhibits how music can positively impact a child's growth and development.

Fostering an Inclusive Environment
When teaching special needs students, it is crucial for an educator to foster inclusion in the classroom. Implementing an inclusive atmosphere allows all students to feel valued, included, and appreciated. There are a variety of considerations for inclusion in the classroom that educators should be accustomed to. Firstly, it is crucial for an educator to know their students. For example, if a student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), it is imperative for an educator to read through that student’s IEP and find out as much about the student’s disability as possible. From this, an educator can deduce what services the student might need in the classroom, what the strengths and weakness of the student are, etc. Also, it is important for educators to know their colleagues and the Special Ed staff within the school. Resources such as these can offer a wealth of strategies pertaining to how certain students learn best, and also how to interact with particular students. Thus, by researching and examining the disabilities of students in the classroom, an educator can make the proper accommodations and modifications which will not only ensure student success, but will also create an inclusive environment.

Theory: Motivation
There are a variety of specific strategies that a secondary school educator can utilize in order to meet both the needs and interests of special learners in the classroom. For example, if an educator comes across a student with a physical disability, how would they go about choosing a suitable instrument for them to play? When selecting musical instruments for students with special needs, as with any other student, it is crucial for an educator to be aware of what motivates and interests the student. This is a most important factor when choosing suitable instruments, because special learners will often overcome enormous odds when they are determined and inspired to do something (Hammel, 2004). Also, when learning a new musical instrument, especially if no prior knowledge in music is evident, motivation and persistence are both essential. Thus, when students are motivated, there is a greater chance that they will succeed which is why an educator must ask themselves, “What instrument holds the most attraction for the particular student?

Specific Strategies for the Music Classroom
Although motivation is key in terms of choosing a suitable instrument for an exceptional learner, depending on the student's needs, there may be a limit as to what instrument that student can play. This is why exceptional learners need to be individually evaluated to determine both instrument preference and instrument suitability related to their particular disability. Nonetheless, there are a variety of instruments that can be adapted to suit the needs of all students. For example, the piano can be adapted for one-handed players. Essentially, a pianist who uses one hand will need music that combines the melody line with the accompaniment. Fortunately, there is a vast selection of repertoire of music available for left-, or right-handed piano players. Although standard brass instruments such as the trumpet are played right-handed, it is possible for it to be played left-handed. In essence, only one hand is involved in forming the notes of the trumpet, whereas the other is used to support the instrument. Thus, to compensate for this, all the teacher has to do is provide music stand which in turn, would support the instrument. Lastly, stringed instruments can be adapted for one-handed players. This can be done by playing with the bow in the left hand, and also, by bowing with a prosthesis. Thus, when selecting instruments for students with special needs, it is crucial for an educator to be open-minded and accommodating.

Lastly, there are a variety of ways to adapt and modify specific music for students with visual and learning disabilities. For example, one way a piece of music can be altered is to have the student highlight the alternate staves. Doing this would benefit a student with a visual impairment, or one with a learning disability who has trouble processing and following information. Another way to modify a piece of music would be to write out all of the accidentals found within the key signature in front of the corresponding note(s). This would be beneficial to a student who is cognitively challenged and has difficulty perceiving organizing information, as well as linking specific details together. In more extreme cases, a final option would be to simplify the music by including only two or three notes. The educator could then gradually add the rest of the notes onto the music once the student progresses and feels comfortable. Thus, there are a variety of ways in which an educator can modify a specific piece of music to suit the learning needs of his/her students.

Conclusion
Therefore, the aforementioned information clearly shows how an educator can integrate, accommodate, and include special learners into a High school music classroom. Moreover, one can see the importance that learning music can have on a student’s growth and development. Also, the abovementioned information shows how many things in the music classroom, such as instruments, and the music itself, can be adapted and modified to suit the needs of special learners. Doing this would allow special learners to experience and feel a sense of belonging and inclusion in the classroom. Thus, although teaching and integrating special needs students into the classroom can be a challenging task, the rewards of seeing those students succeed despite the odds, significantly outweigh the challenges that the teacher and student could experience.

Resources for the Music Classroom
Websites

 * 1) http://www.people.vcu.edu/~bhammel/special/1_intro/instru_mental/index.htm – Teaching Special Learners in the Music Classroom
 * 2) http://www.menc.org/publication/articles/speciallearners.html – The National Association for Music Education
 * 3) www.musictherapy.org – American Therapy Associate (AMTA)
 * 4) www.cec.sped.org – The Council for Exceptional Children
 * 5) http://blindreaders.info/brbooks.html – sources of Braille books and music
 * 6) http://www.aeideas.com/text/articles/specneedsmusic.cfm – Meeting Special Needs in the Music Classroom: A Problem Solving Approach
 * 7) http://faculty.fhu.edu/ldrive/Burns,%20Sarah/M%20E%20J%20Articles/1-Optional/Instrumental%20Music%20for%20Special%20Learners.pdf – Instrumental Music for Special Learners

Books

 * 1) Teaching Music to the Exceptional Child – R. Graham and A. Beer
 * 2) Mainstreaming Exceptional Learners in Music – B. Atterbury
 * 3) Music for All: Teaching Music to People with Special Needs. – L. Birkenshaw-Fleming
 * 4) Learning through Music: Music Therapy Strategies for Special Education, volumes 1 and 2. – K. Coleman & D. Dacus
 * 5) Music for All: Teaching Music to People with Special Needs – Lois Birkenshaw-Fleming
 * 6) Adapting Music Instruments for the Physically Handicapped – Donna Chadwick and Cynthia Clark.
 * 7) Guide to the Selection of Musical Imtmments with Respect to Physical Ability and Disability – Barbara Elliot
 * 8) Effect of Colored Rhythmic Notation on Music-Reading Skills of Elementary Students – George L Rogers
 * 9) A Sound Approach to Teaching Instrumentalists – Stanley L Schleuter
 * 10) TIPS: Teaching Music to Special Learners – Gail Schlaberg

--Colillis (talk) 00:44, 15 April 2008 (UTC)