Norah Colvin

Live Love Laugh Learn … Create the possibilities

Tag: critical thinking

  • Just imagine . . . the power of imagination

    Have you ever wished you could:

    • be in two places at once?
    • clone yourself to ensure you get everything done?
    • slow time down so that you could achieve all you wanted?
    • make time stand still so you could stay in the present moment forever?
    • pop back in time to undo that embarrassing moment, or peek forward to see the result of a decision that is pending?
    • choose both options and follow each through consecutively, as in parallel universes?

    I have.

    https://openclipart.org/image/800px/svg_to_png/194578/07-Juli-goin-on-a-summer-holiday.png
    https://openclipart.org/image/800px/svg_to_png/194578/07-Juli-goin-on-a-summer-holiday.png

    Multiple invitations or engagements often occur on the same date. Deciding between desired activities is not always easy. Cloning would make choosing unnecessary. Additionally, sending a clone to an unpleasant but unavoidable engagement could also be desirable.

    penguins

    Sometimes the number of must-do tasks can be overwhelming. The ability to engage the assistance of clones, especially to complete less desirable tasks would be great.

    Time travel, wormholes and parallel universes are the stuff of science fiction; and while I am not a fan of the science fiction genre, I wouldn’t mind having access to some of its features. However, whether any, or which, of those features ever move from science fiction to science fact remains to be seen.

    The power of imagination to drive creativity and innovation cannot be overstated. Much of what we now accept as commonplace was once a part of science fiction. Imagination, the stuff of science fiction and scientific exploration and investigation, has brought them to reality.

    You are probably familiar with following quote, initially attributed to George Bernard Shaw but also made famous by Robert F. Kennedy:

     “Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.”

    These words highlight the importance of questioning to stimulate imagination, and when paired with creative thinking, innovation can occur.

    Einstein said that,

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

    He also said that,

     “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.”

    Although I cannot be certain, from those quotes, what Einstein’s attitude to the current trends in schooling would be (he did attend school and was very advanced in maths and sciences but did not perform so well in the humanities) I think he would not favour a content-driven curriculum which excluded opportunities for imagination and creativity.

    On the other hand, Thomas Edison, the world’s most prolific inventor, was mostly educated at home by his mother who was able to encourage his experimentation and love of learning. He said,

     “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”

    If these significant thinkers of the 20th century, each of whom followed different educational pathways, recognise the importance of imagination, why would anyone argue against it?

    Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch Communications certainly doesn’t. As a fiction writer she embraces imagination. It is the tool of her trade, creating stories where before there were none. This week her challenge is to In 99 words (no more, no less) craft a multiverse situation, setting or character(s)

    Now the term ‘multiverse’ takes me back to the science fiction genre: wormholes, parallel universes and time travel, for example. I’m not sure how well I’ll do with this unfamiliar genre, but I will call upon my imagination and give it a try. See what you think – does my piece fit the criteria?

     

    Clone Magic

    Clone magic

    All night Leone had huddled in line, sleepless with excitement, waiting for the release.

    Now she had them! Clone pills!

    ‘Take one with water. Cloning occurs in 30 minutes and lasts 24 hours.’

    Leone swallowed one tablet, then another, and another; ignoring the small print: ‘Do not take multiple tablets. Effects are unpredictable.’ 

    When three clones appeared she instructed:

    “1. Clean the house. 2. Exercise. 3. Weed the garden.”

    She flopped on the couch. “Now to read.”

    But — their hands grabbed for her book, pulling her hair and clawing her eyes.

    “Me read! Me read! Me read!”

     

    Thanks for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts about any aspect of this article or my multiverse flash.

     

     

  • Are you a lemon or a grapefruit? – Ten articles about creativity

    Are you a lemon or a grapefruit? – Ten articles about creativity

    I am a great fan of creativity.

    Imagination and creative thinking are what inspire and drive improvement, innovation and progress.

    I affirm my belief in the power of creativity in my header: ‘Create the possibilities . . .’

    In this post I share articles and blog posts that discuss creativity. It is not an exhaustive list, just a few to get you started. You will notice that many, but not all, are from Edutopia, a website that is ‘dedicated to improving the K-12 learning process through innovative, replicable, and evidence-based strategies that prepare students to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives’; and TED, an organisation of people who ‘believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.’

    1. In this article on Creativity and education Judy O’Connell says that

    ‘Every student is creative in some way, and the job of educators is to release and support that creative talent in an appropriate manner.’

    She adds that

    ‘Teaching creatively and for creativity entails taking students on a creative journey where their responses are not predetermined.’

    In her article Judy lists some features of teaching for creativity and includes a video of a new school in New Zealand that she suggests fits the criteria. It is quite exciting and worth a look.

    1. In this article shared on Edutopia Do Standards Kill Creativity Claus von Zastrow suggests creative ways of teaching creativity while teaching standards.

    Linking of subject areas, as we used to do through ‘themes’ in the old days, or more recently ‘integrated units’, before subjects were divided and each given their own slot in the timetable, was one suggestion.  A number of varied and interesting comments accompany the article.

    1. I have previously shared this TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson on How schools kill creativity here and here. If you have not yet listened to it, please do. As well as sharing a very important message, Ken is a very entertaining speaker. I’m sure you will enjoy it.

    4. Following on from that talk is this article by Bruce Price shared on examiner.com Ken Robinson and the Factory Method of Education. The article shares an animated talk by Ken Changing Education Paradigms.

    Bruce does not agree with Ken’s views and warns readers to be sceptical of information imparted by Ken. He says that Ken’s opposition to traditional schooling is unhelpful and argues that, unlike most others referenced here, that creativity cannot be taught.

    5. In this article by Deepak Kulkarni Recreational and Educational Value of Math Puzzles shared on Edutopia the suggestion is made that creative problem solving can be taught using maths puzzles.

    6. A variety of Techniques for creative teaching are shared on the Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching website which states that

    ‘in order to teach creativity, one must teach creatively’.

    7. In yet another article shared on Edutopia, Andrew Miller states enthusiastically Yes, You Can Teach and Assess Creativity! Andrew provides suggestions for recognising creativity as well as teaching and assessing it.

    8. Also on Edutopia, Diane Darrow talks about Creativity on the Run: 18 Apps that Support the Creative Process.

    9. In this rather long TED talk on his life, authenticity vs karaoke culture Malcolm McLaren postulates that ‘we’re living in a karaoke culture, with false promises of instant success, and that messiness and failure are the key to true learning.’ He talks about his own schooling and attitude to creativity.

    10. Michael Michalki shared an article on Edutopia regarding what he considers the 7 Tenets of Creative Thinking, including:

    Believe you are creative

    ‘While creative people believe they are creative, those who don’t hold that belief are not.’

    Work at it and ‘produce an incredible number of ideas — most of which (may be) bad. He says that

    ‘more bad poems were written by major poets than by minor poets’.

    Go through the motions – ‘Every hour spent activating your mind by generating ideas increases creativity’; visualise what you want and go for it.

    On his own website Creative Thinking, Michael Michalko suggests many more ideas for getting you to think creatively.

    The header of Michael’s website states that “A grapefruit is a lemon that took a chance.”

    lemons and grapefruit

    So which are you: a lemon or a grapefruit?

    I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts about any aspect of this post and let me know whether you agree or disagree with the value of creativity and if it can be taught.

    Thanks for reading.

  • Are you ready to embrace the future?

    http://openclipart.org http://goo.gl/XApwuV
    http://openclipart.org http://goo.gl/XApwuV

     

    The flash fiction challenge posed by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch this week deals with the future. What a perfect prompt for a teacher, for is not education firmly focused on the future?

    We educate ourselves so that we will know more, be more skilled, or be able to do more in the future than in the past; we may learn new skills that keep us up-to-date with the changing demands of society or technology; or we may seek to improve our employability or income possibilities.

    We educate our children so that they will be independent and contributing members of society, able to participate in the world of the future, and having the knowledge and skills to enable them to achieve their goals.

    We educate for the future, but we are unable to predict the future, so the challenge to making decisions about education is difficult and highly-charged, attracting many different opinions and suggestions for solutions.

    Forbes Magazine featured an article in 2012 which queried the purpose of education.

    A 2013 TED conversation about the purpose of education, related to a talk by Ken Robinson, Changing education paradigms, attracted many and varied comments.

    In 2014 Tony Ryan hosted an online seminar about Future-proofing Kids. Tony says,

    “Many of the children alive today in Western societies will still be around in the 22nd Century. How can we possibly predict what they will experience between now and then? And if we can’t do that, then how do we best prepare them for whatever is up ahead?”

    I think of greatest importance in preparation for life, all of which will be in the future, except for the present moment, is the development of attitudes and character traits including:

    •  Confidence
    • Persistence
    • Resourcefulness
    • Resilience
    • Able to seek solutions to problems
    • Openness to new ideas and possibilities
    • Creativity
    • Divergent thinking
    • Questioning
    • Optimism

    In addition to the character traits, a certain level of skill is required in both literacy and numeracy, and especially an ability to locate and critically evaluate information.

    The title of Tony Ryan’s seminar, Future-proofing Kids, to me belies the value of the content Tony shares. To me ‘future-proofing’ indicates that the future is something to be protected from, like water proofing protects us from water; something perhaps of which to be scared. But Tony’s seminar is far more optimistic and future-oriented than that.

    We don’t know what the future will bring, but we never have. We can plan for it, we can hope and dream and set goals; but we can make no guarantees. Prophesies have never accurately foretold the future. I’m thinking of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four or the more recent Y2K Bug.  I’m thinking of all the teachers who told their students they would never amount to anything, like Thomas Edison’s teachers who said he was “too stupid to learn anything”.

    peole_laptop

    In the early 1980s I was told at a conference that by the year 2000 computers would do so many of our menial tasks that we would have an enormous amount of free time and wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves! How inaccurate was that prediction! The menial tasks have only increased in number and instead of computers being a tool to simplify our lives, in teaching anyway, they are now an unrelenting, ever-increasing and demanding master requiring the completion of data bases and spreadsheets, the creation of graphs and statistics, reducing life to a series of expected numbers and standards

    The potential employment opportunities of today’s young women could not even be imagined when I was growing up and making my work choices. My apparent choices were teacher, nurse or office worker, and ultimately mum. Because I had chosen an academic path after year 8 and hadn’t learned shorthand and typing, office worker was eliminated. If I had chosen the commercial, shorthand and typing, path my choices would have been even further restricted.

    My generation was the one that began shuffling the female role in society. Had I been born just a few years earlier, I would have worked until I married; after which I would have stayed home and looked after the children. Many female teachers were required to resign when they married. Pregnancies were hidden under loose and voluminous clothing, and the whole process was considered an illness. Unmarried mothers were considered an embarrassment and ‘sinful’ and most had their babies removed and that part of their history hidden.

    Women of my era were able to return to the workforce, but it was not encouraged before the youngest child had started school. At that time child care was not readily available and often grandmothers, who had not returned to the workforce after marriage, looked after the children for mothers who worked, often part-time and for low wages.

    The current generation of women have far more career opportunities but are also expected to stay in the workforce, often required to return to work when their babies are only a few weeks old in order to maintain security of employment. Many now work through pregnancy, almost until the birth of their baby.

    Pregnant women no longer try to hide under voluminous layers of clothing but, partly with thanks to Demi Moore and Annie Leibovitz in 1991, take pride in showing off their changing shape. The term ‘unmarried mother’ is almost an anachronism in today’s Western world. There is no shame in having a child, whether married or living with someone or not; and babies are not forcibly removed from their mothers.

    I am no more able to predict the future than I am to make sense of the injustices and horrors of the past.  However I think part of the purpose of education must be to help individuals grow so that they are able to stride towards the future with arms outstretched saying, “Give me what you’ve got!” while at the same time with a listening ear and an open heart asking, “What can I do to help?”

    What do you think?

    I welcome your feedback. Please share your thoughts about any aspect of the article or my flash fiction piece:

    Ready

    “I’m off now,” she said.

    “Have you got everything?” asked Mum.

    “Yes Mum.”

    “Are you sure you haven’t forgotten anything?”

    “I’m sure.”

    Mum looked around. There must be something she’d missed.

    “What about . . .?”

    “No, Mum. I’ve got everything.”

    “Okay. If you’re sure.”

    “Bye Mum!”

    ”Bye.”

    She walked through the door and down the stairs.

    Mum watched, anxious. What could she have forgotten?

    “Wait!”

    She turned, puzzled.

    Mum leapt down the stairs.

    “What?”

    Mum hugged her tightly, whispering softly, “I love you very, very much. Always have and always will.”

    “I know. Love you too Mum.”

     

  • 3 Inspiring educators

    3 Inspiring educators

    Like every other teacher, I want to make a difference in the world.

    The thought that I could make a positive difference to the life of another is both empowering and inspiring.

    To do so, I seek out others making a positive difference and pay it forward, hoping that the ripple effect will carry it far and wide.

    flag on twitter

    Three inspiring educators who have positively influenced me are:

    Brian Cambourne

    Brian is an amazing literacy educator from whom I had the extreme good fortune of learning many years ago. I have written about him before here and here.

    Brian’s work focused on the conditions necessary for literacy development. His influence has spread beyond the classroom with the application of the conditions to learning in the workforce demonstrated.

    Tony Ryan

    Tony is an amazing educator who does his best to be the change he wants to see in the world. He talks about future-proofing and using innovative thinking to solve problems of both local and global importance.

    Anyone who believes ‘that education is the most important profession on the planet’ and does everything in his power to support teachers to be outstanding, as does Tony; must be pretty good in my books.

    One of Tony’s books The Ripple Effect is particularly apt for mention in this post. Tony says,

    “you must believe in your personal power to create ripples that spread out and change the world. In fact, if it is not you who is going to do it, then who else do you think is likely to make the effort? Remember that every change on this planet begins with a human being somewhere, somehow. It may as well be you.”

    This year Tony has started a new project called The Earth Movers Foundation which ‘helps young teenagers to create solutions to local and global issues. And they get to choose their own project. No adults will be telling them what project to do. They decide for themselves.’ Sounds pretty good to me.

    Ken Robinson

    Ken is another amazing educator. I fell in love with his ideas when I listened to his TED talk Do schools kill creativity? which I have also shared before here.

    The statement on his website declares that

    “Imagination is the source of all human achievement”.

    I could not argue with that.

    Ken introduces this short video The writing spirit which presents quotes from artists, thinkers, writers, innovators and snippets of interviews with writers. Just incidentally, and exciting for me, Richard Bach is included. Richard is the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, one of my favourite books for its inspirational message.

    It is more than likely that these educators have no idea how they have influenced my life (and others as a result).

    How wonderful might it be to know of the positive influence you have had on someone, and to have the opportunity of letting others know that they have positively impacted your life?

    This is the purpose of The Butterfly Light Award which was bestowed upon me my Lisa Reiter, a lovely lady who is herself inspirational for her courage and her positive attitude which she shares with others through her blog Sharing the story. Thank you, Lisa. I am honoured and accept with pleasure.

    As with any award, it comes with conditions:

    1. You should write an acceptance post, making sure you link back to the blogger who awarded you and thank them. You MAY NOT lump this award in with a batch of other awards.

    Thank you Lisa Reiter!

    1. You must individually name and re-award to a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 9999999 bloggers. You must let them know either personally with a comment on their blog OR a pingback.

    As I have been writing about educators, I am going to stick with that theme. A quick visit to these blogs will explain why I have selected them.

    Ruth Mancini

    The Nerdy Book Club

    Two Writing Teachers

    Raising a literate human

    3.  You should link back to Belinda’s blog either to http://idiotwriting.wordpress.com/about/ or http://idiotwriting.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/i-love-charismatic-geeks/

    Done!

    1. You must write a short paragraph entitled either “How I’m Spreading Light” OR “How I’m A Positive Influence” (what Lisa calls ‘the squirmy bit’).

    Done! See beginning of article.

    5. Display Belinda’s lovely “Butterfly Light Award” badge on your blog.

    Thank you, Belinda. It’s a pleasure! We can never have too many butterflies!

    butterfly-light-award

    Note: The beautiful framed quote, pictured at the top of this post, was made for me by a wonderful lady, the mother of two of my students. They all share my love of butterflies! I thank them for sharing their appreciation of my positive influence.

    I welcome your feedback. Please share your thoughts about any aspect of the article.

  • What do you have in mind?

    This week Two Writing Teachers posted a wonderful article by Stacey Shubitz (one of the Two Writing Teachers) about A Picture Book that Pushes the Growth Mindset.

    This post coincided beautifully with the flash fiction prompt posted by Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch Communications. Charli’s challenge is to:

     In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about getting stronger.

    This is a perfect prompt for a teacher as a major focus of our work is in developing children’s strengths:

    Strengths as in abilities; strength as in self-esteem and self-confidence; strength as in willingness to face setbacks and try, try again; strength as in keeping on going even when the going gets tough.

    The picture book discussed in the article by Stacey Shubitz is The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. Stacey suggests that the book is a great opener for discussions with children about the importance of a growth mindset.

    According to Stacey, an understanding of ‘the power of having a growth mindset’ has been enabled by the work of Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist. It is grounded in a belief that

    ‘Someone can accomplish a lot more through hard work and dedication, rather than by relying on their smarts alone.’

    I agree with Stacey that

    ‘Educators know the benefits of having a growth mindset, rather than having a fixed one. We learn from trial and error. There is value in failure.’

    I will not quote Stacey’s article in its entirety, but suggest you pop over and read it for yourself. (If you do, and leave a comment prior to June 27th, you may win yourself a copy of The Most Magnificent Thing, if you live in the USA or Canada.)

    Stacey says that “The girl in the story tries over ten times to build something and get it right. Through hard work and some help from her trust sidekick, her pug, she eventually succeeds.” As well as a starting point for discussing the growth mindset, Stacey suggests eight features of the book which are useful for teaching writing. The article also includes a brief, but informative, interview with the author/illustrator Ashley Spires.

    In response to Stacey’s question about using The Most Magnificent Thing for discussing a growth mindset, Ashley responds:

    ‘The character is a perfectly capable girl with a great idea and the skill to make it, but she has to try, try and try again in order to succeed. Most kids (I was one of them) think that if it’s not perfect the first time, then they should move on to something that comes to them more easily. Working hard to succeed is what true success is.”

    <p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/89499612″>The Most Magnificent Thing Book Trailer</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/kidscanpress”>Kids Can Press</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

    My flash fiction, told through the jottings of a classroom teacher over time, shows a growth mindset emerging from one that was previously crushed.

    Progress

    Day one

    Timid. Needed help getting things out of bag to put in drawer. Sat towards back of group. Drew knees up under chin. Hunched over. Sucked thumb. Twisted long tangled hair under nose. Rocked.

    Day twenty-six

    Responded in roll call! Sat with ‘friend’. Legs crossed. Back straight. Smiled – briefly. Someone looked! Screamed, “Stop looking at me!” Dissolved in tears. Again. Retreated under desk. Again.

    Day fifty-two

    Initiated conversation!! Hair combed!! Nose not running!! Brought toy for show and tell. Responded with one- or two-word answers. Small, dirty, pink unicorn. B laughed. Erupted, but went to desk, not under!

     

    I welcome your feedback. Please share your thoughts about any aspect of the article or my flash fiction piece.

  • Of rainbows and unicorns – Part 2 – Do fairy tales and fantasy still have a place for children?

    https://openclipart.org/http://goo.gl/zzNhFF
    https://openclipart.org/http://goo.gl/zzNhFF

    I have many discussions with parents about whether they should read fairy tales and stories with magical elements to their children. These parents raise a number of issues, for example:

    • Horrible things happen – Hansel and Gretel are abandoned in the woods (by their parents) and are captured by a wicked witch – the wolf tries to trick the seven little kids left at home alone
    • Parents are often dead or absent – Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk
    • Stepmothers are mean – Cinderella, Snow White
    • Sexism, especially the need for a female to be rescued by a handsome prince – Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty
    • They contain “magical” creatures such as fairy godmothers (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty), witches (Snow White), giants (Jack and the Beanstalk), trolls (Three Billy Goats)
    • Myth of happily ever after
    • Stereotypes – beauty is good, ugly is bad
    • The presence of magic – good magic of fairies and bad magic of witches – Sleeping Beauty; magical bean seeds and geese (Jack and the Beanstalk)
    • Bullying – Cinderella

    Maria L. Hughes, writing for The Little Prickle Press sums up the concerns this way:

    “many of the older tales incorporated rather dark themes devoted to death, suffering and children being murdered. But then there is also a second incorporation that has to do with later Disney movies of these fairy tales and them being too happy and can result in parents thinking their child will be deluded with ideas that the world will just work for them and things will be good.”

    While I acknowledge these elements occur, I am not prepared to abandon fairy tales because of it.

    While I may consider a diet of only fairy tales problematic, I think something would be lacking if a child was refused access to the richness of their stories and tradition. Like most fiction, they offer an avenue for escapism. In addition, the stories can be used as a tool for initiating non-threatening discussions of the issues listed above.

    In Once upon an if The Storythinking Handbook Peter Worley writes

    “Stories are just one way that we are able to sharpen our own character in order to prepare for the narratives we will one day find ourselves in as the story of our life unfolds before, around and within us.” 

    Following a comment by Richard Dawkins, a recent discussion on The Guardian considered whether fairy tales are harmful to children. So far the consensus seems to be that they are not.

    Albert Einstein was a supporter of fairy tales and is often attributed with the following quote, discussed in more detail by Maria Popova on brain pickings.

    https://quozio.com/
    https://quozio.com/

    Anne Fine, in the Foreword to Once upon an if The Storythinking Handbook explains

    “In an increasingly complicated world, we more than ever want our children to be able to think with clarity, rather than lead lives hampered or derailed by all those false assumptions and unexamined prejudices that seem as easily inherited as freckles or brown eyes.

    How can we go about teaching them to peel back the surface of their first thoughts on a matter, or even their strongest beliefs, and look at them with more care? . . . fiction has always fostered the moral, intellectual and emotional development of the growing child. (‘Should she have done that?’ ‘Would I?’ ‘What else could have been done?’ ‘How would it feel?’) Good stories highlight the sheer complexity of things. They furnish a far greater understanding of the world and everyone in it. For most of us, fiction has always been the earliest – and many would argue the best – instrument we have had for ethical enquiry.”

    Think of the ethical inquiry that could occur when discussing Goldilocks and her break and enter, Jack’s theft of the giant’s belongings and the constant portrayal of the wolf as the bad guy; just to get you started.

    Melissa Taylor on her blog “Imagination Soup” suggests the following 8 reasons why fairy tales are essential to childhood:

    1. Show kids how to handle problems
    2. Build emotional resilience
    3. Give us a common language (Cultural literacy and canon)
    4. Cross cultural boundaries
    5. Teach story
    6. Develop imagination
    7. Can be used to teach critical thinking skills
    8. Teach lessons

    In a previous post about fairy tales, written in response to a flash fiction challenge set by Charli Mills  I mentioned that I was not a keen reader of adult fantasy. In a comment on that post Charli mentioned that she knew others with similar feelings. I will leave you with a link to another article on brain pickings in which Maria Popova discusses the thoughts of one of the masters of fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien on Fairy Tales, Language, the Psychology of Fantasy, and Why There’s No Such Thing as Writing “For Children”

    What do you think? Should we read fairy tales to children? Why/why not?

    What are your favourite fairy tales and what lessons have you learned from them?

    Please share your thoughts.

  • Of rainbows and unicorns – Part 1 – Fantastic creatures and magical realms

    I am not a reader of adult fantasy novels. I have never read Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit or Watership Down. I just couldn’t buy into it. I’m sorry I have to admit it – it is true.

    However, I don’t mind a bit of fantasy in children’s books and, in fact, really enjoy it. I didn’t mind the rats’ use of language in Robert C. O’Brien’s The Rats of Nimh while I couldn’t handle the talking rabbits in Watership Down by Richard Adams. I cannot explain why my response is different but I’m sure it has something to do with the ability to suspend disbelief. I am obviously more able to do that when encountering fantasy in children’s stories than in adult fiction.

    As both parent and teacher (and now grandparent) I love sharing stories with children. In addition to all the good things I know it is doing for them, it is doing lots of good things for me as well. Reading children’s stories written by masterful authors is one of life’s greatest pleasures and I love having excuses for doing so.

    This week the flash challenge issued by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch was to

    In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes a fantastical element or creature. 

    I am taking the opportunity of sharing with you some of my favourite fantastic creatures and magical realms from children’s stories. Each of these stories is wonderful to read aloud and share with children.

    Charli mentioned rainbows, unicorns and the phoenix.

    I thought of The Iron Man by Ted Hughes (a story in five nights, suitable for children from age 5 – 104)

    book 2

    “Taller than a house, the Iron Man stood at the top of the cliff, on the very brink, in the darkness.

    The wind sang through his iron fingers. His great iron head, shaped like a dustbin but as big as a bedroom, slowly turned to the right, slowly turned to the left. His iron ears turned, this way, that way. He was hearing the sea. His eyes, like headlamps, glowed white, then red, then infra-red, searching the sea. Never before had the Iron Man seen the sea.

    He swayed in the strong wind that pressed against his back. He swayed forward, on the brink of the high cliff.

    And his right foot, his enormous iron right foot, lifted – up, out, into space, and the Iron Man stepped forward, off the cliff, into nothingness.”

     

    and The BFG by Roald Dahl. (a longer tale for school age, and older, children)

    book 4

    “It wasn’t a human. It couldn’t be. It was four times as tall as the tallest human. It was so tall its head was higher than the upstairs windows of the houses. Sophie opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Her throat, like her whole body, was frozen with fright.

    This was the witching hour all right.

    The tall black figure was coming her way. It was keeping very close to the houses across the street, hiding in the shadowy places where there was no moonlight.

    On and on it came, nearer and nearer. But it was moving in spurts. It would stop, then it would move on, then it would stop again.

    But what on earth was it doing?”

     

    I thought of Joan Aiken’s wonderful collections of fairy tales like A Necklace of Raindrops (for children in early years of schooling)

    book 3

    “And when she had nine raindrops Laura found that she could make the rain stop, by clapping her hands. So there were many, many sunny days by the sea. But Laura did not always clap her hands when it rained, for she loved to see the silver drops come sliding out of the sky.

    Now it was time for Laura to go to school. You can guess how the other children loved her! They would call, “Laura, Laura, make it stop raining, please, so that we can go out to play.”

    And Laura always made the rain stop for them.

    But there was a girl called Meg who said to herself, “It isn’t fair. Why should Laura have that lovely necklace and be able to stop the rain? Why shouldn’t I have it?”

    and The Kingdom Under the Sea (for children approx. 8 -12), each beautifully illustrated by Jan Pienkowski adding another element of wonder to the tales.

     

    book

     

    Charli suggested that we “think of how (we) can use the fantastical to enrich realities” and I thought of the mouse who invented The Gruffalo in Julia Donaldson’s story and showed how imagination could be used to solve problems that arise. (The Gruffalo is suitable for children in pre-school and early years of schooling)

     

     

    While the above excerpts are short, like flash fiction, each demonstrates the skill of the author in choice of words and sentence structure. In his book On Writing Stephen King refers to these as forming the top level of the tool box. But these excerpts show a depth greater than that also.  They create a connection, forming a relationship with and a need in the reader to know what happens.

    It is the ability of the author that sweeps us away, as if on a magic carpet, to other places and other lives. It is the ability of the reader to suspend disbelief that allows the journey to occur.

    I thought about how we, as either child or adult, use fantasy to escape realities that we may not wish, or not feel strong enough, to face. This brought me back to Charli’s unicorn.

    And now I offer my own bit of flash, which is not suitable for reading to children of any age.

     

    www.openclipart.org http://goo.gl/Ep1vK6
    http://www.openclipart.org http://goo.gl/Ep1vK6

    Unicorn knights

    She sat on the bed and looked around. Funny how some things don’t change.

    They had left it untouched for all those years since her escape, waiting for her return. But she never did. Never could. Until now.

    “You should,” she was told. “Make peace.” “Let it go.”

    It didn’t look so scary now. They were both gone. She was grown.

    Sunlight glinted on the unicorn. It had faded but waited still, on the night-table, for their nocturnal escapades away from cruel reality.

    She fingered it for a moment, remembering. Then dumped it in the wastebasket.

    “Sell!” she said.

     

    I welcome your comments on any aspect of this post; the books I have suggested for sharing and my own piece of flash.

    Don’t forget to pop over to the Carrot Ranch where you can read responses to Charli’s prompt by many other writers.

     

  • It’s no surprise! Talking education

    https://openclipart.org/image/800px/svg_to_png/185077/creepyjackinthebox.png
    https://openclipart.org/image/800px/svg_to_png/185077/creepyjackinthebox.png

    We all like a surprise, right?

    Well, you might say, that all depends on whether the surprise is a good surprise or a bad surprise.

    A surprise is simply something unexpected, and everyday life is full of surprises; some so little they go almost unnoticed, others of larger more life-changing proportions. Some are pleasant and others far less so.

    What got me thinking about surprises this week is the flash fiction prompt posted by Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch Communications.

    Charli’s challenge this week is to

    In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that shows surprise without using the word. 

    I have been thinking of all sorts of surprises I could write about but decided to maintain my focus on education.

    There are many opportunities for surprises to occur throughout one’s education, which is not limited to (but probably, dare I say, by) one’s schooling experiences.

    For example:

    • Discovering you can read a book, all by yourself
    • Discovering an author whose work you just can’t put down
    • Finding a solution to a problem that had seemed insurmountable
    • Achieving a favourable result in a dreaded test
    • Being offered a place in the course you were wanting
    • Having work accepted, valued and receiving payment

     

    There are many situations in which the surprise could go either way.

    For example:

    • Being called to the principal’s office
    • Having a parent-teacher interview about your own child, or student
    • Receiving exam results or course placement offer
    • Meeting a new teacher
    • Working in a group to solve a problem

     

    Being a lover of stories, especially picture books, it is rare that a situation doesn’t trigger a thought connection to a story or book I have read.

    Thinking about the good surprises and bad surprises that could happen in some of these situations made me think of a book I had read to my own, and classes of, children years ago. Maybe you will remember it also.

    what good luck what bad luckThe book is What Good Luck! What Bad Luck! by Remy Charlip and relates a sequence of events alternating between good and bad.

    It appears, from what I can find out, that it was first published by Ashton Scholastic in 1964 and sold for 60 cents.

    Today Amazon has used copies on offer for $34.99 or $122 and a collectible as high as $157.70.

    What good luck, I used to have a copy.

    What bad luck, it is no longer in my possession.

    I was at the stage of mentally composing my story with my fingers itching to get to the keyboard to translate it into print when I glanced at the morning paper1 and came across this headline:

    Lesson 1: Bad teachers = bad results

    As a teacher who is passionate about education but also critical of top-down force-fed schooling institutions, headlines/comments like these have me vacillating between defiant self- (and professional-) protection and agreement with the criticisms.

    Teachers come in for a lot of criticism, some of it deservedly so, other of it not so much.

    One quote I love is “Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions”.

    On the flip-side of this is “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”

    While I take offense at this one, sometimes I am inclined to think it alludes to an important quality in a teacher. Frequently those who are expert at something, find it difficult to break a process into a series of steps that would enable an explanation to be easily understood by others. If one has struggled to master a task, the process can seem clearer and easier to explain. However there does come a point below which knowledge and experience must not fall or effective teaching cannot exist.

    In her article Bad teachers = bad results, Kylie Lang says that

    “C-grade teachers will not produce A-grade results”.

    She says,

    “Too many mediocre minds are becoming teachers. Universities usher them in, these academic underperformers who fail to qualify for courses with higher entry requirements.”

    She says that

    “A federal education department report shows a rise in the number of school leavers with poor grades being offered places on teaching courses. This year, 55 percent of Year 12 students that were allowed to undertake teaching degrees had an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank below the average . . .”

    It is a bit scary, isn’t it?

    She also says that,

    “If we are a nation that values education . . . we must attract brighter, more creative thinkers to classrooms.”

    I couldn’t agree more. However I wonder where they will get those creative thinkers if higher order thinking skills, creativity and innovation are sacrificed in the relentless quest for scores on academic tests which require students to spit back information forced upon them in hours of didactic instruction and rote learning.

    It’s no surprise that anyone who maintains the ability to think outside the square would rather not return to it!

    And so to my flash piece for this week, which comes with a warning – there’s no rhyme because there is no reason:

     

    What luck!

    No books, no talk were in the home.

    What luck!

    He was happy to play on his own.

     

    School began when he was five.

    What luck!

    Learning from flash cards, how hard he tried.

     

    “My boy can’t do it!” his Mum once wailed.

    What luck!

    With ‘forged’ test scores no child would fail.

     

    Leaving school, the options were few.

    What luck!

    Teaching was the one he could do.

     

    Uni years flashed by so fast.

    What luck!

    Number requirements meant he passed.

     

    Then into the classroom he unprepared went.

    No future joy for any student.

    What bad luck!

     

    I always enjoy reading your comments. I invite you to share your thoughts.

     

     

    1 Courier-Mail, Sunday May 25 2014

     

    If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy others. Please click the button at the top on the right to receive future posts by email.

  • Empowerment – the importance of having a voice

    In a previous series of posts I wrote about science inaccuracies in a picture book and questioned with whom lay the responsibility for providing young children with correct information.

    While this post builds upon those posts, it also takes a divergent path: the need for children to have a voice; to be empowered to ask questions, to state their needs and report wrongdoings.

    On a highly respected educational website Scholastic, with the by-line “Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life.”, in an article about Eric Carle author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, children are told that

    “Eric already knows that a caterpillar emerges from a chrysalis, not a cocoon! So don’t bother writing to tell him.”

    This seemingly innocuous statement may be easily overlooked but packs a powerful message.

    What does it tell children?

    The author has been told many times, already knows and isn’t going to do anything about it.

    The author is tired of being told he is wrong and doesn’t want to hear it any more.

    The author is “right” and not to be questioned. (The book, with its misinformation, is highly acclaimed by millions around the world. However if, in answering a question on a test, children were to write that a butterfly comes out of a cocoon, they would be marked wrong. Explain that to them.)

    For me the most insidious part of this message is

    He already knows, “so don’t bother writing to tell him”!!!!!!!!

    You can’t change it.

    You know it’s wrong, but you can’t change it, so don’t bother trying.

    Although many societies are now moving to eradicate it, child abuse is still far too common worldwide. Not only must the attitudes of societies change, but children must be empowered, they must be encouraged to speak up and they must be listened to: their voices must be heard.

    In a recent child abuse case that occurred at a Queensland primary school, the student protection officer reportedly said that she couldn’t understand why the children who had been sexually abused did not come forward.

    couldn't believe 1

    The accused had continued in his role as child protection contact for a year after the first complaint was made. The student protection officer found it hard to believe that her colleague was a paedophile;

    couldn't believe 2

    and still she says she doesn’t understand why the children didn’t come forward!

    Click here to read the complete article.

    It seems to me the children did come forward if the first (indicates there were more) complaint was made more than a year before anything was done about it.

    The children tried to say, but were not believed. The predator was believed and protected while the plight of the innocent victims was ignored. The report states that parents who complained about the abuse of their children were ostracised by the school community and made out to be the “bad guys”.

    Is it any wonder that, if not listened to and not believed, and if more is done to protect the offenders than the abused, the children become increasingly reluctant to tell?

    After the first children had come forward and not been listened to or believed, may not they have said to others, “There’s no point in saying. They already know. They won’t do anything about it?”

    Or what about the parents who were ostracised and made out to be the bad ones?

    Doesn’t it make the message very clear – you are powerless. Your voice won’t be heard. Your opinion doesn’t matter.

    Carry this message over into countless other situations and you have a population who is afraid to speak up, fearing the disdain of reproach, the embarrassment of being unvalued and the helplessness of one’s message being unheard.

    How many times have you felt you must remain silent for fear of ridicule, rejection, or worse?

    How many opportunities for creating a positive change have been missed because the task seemed insurmountable or the personal repercussions too unpleasant?

    When have you stepped up and made that change happen because you were not afraid to speak up or speak out when faced with an issue you felt strongly about?

    What changes can we make to empower children (and adults) everywhere?

    By the way, in that article on the Scholastic website, it is reported that Eric Carle believes that “the most important part of developing a book . . .is working with editors to revise it.”

    Would it make any difference to the magic of The Very Hungry Caterpillar if, after all these years, Eric Carle rewrote a corrected version with a butterfly emerging triumphantly from a chrysalis?

    What would that act tell all the countless children who have written to tell Eric about his mistake, and the many others who wanted to but were told there was no point?

    The Very Hungry Caterpillar

    Please share your thoughts.

    Related posts:

    Searching for meaning in a picture book — Part A

    Searching for purpose in a picture book – Part B

    Searching for truth in a picture book – Part C

    Finding power in a picture book – the main event

  • Finding power in a picture book – the main event

    Finding power in a picture book – the main event

    Teaching critical literacy through picture books

    This is the fourth is a series of posts about the role of picture books, especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

    The purpose of this post is to discuss the importance of critical literacy and the necessity to teach children to

    • think critically
    • not accept everything that is presented in text (oral, visual or print)
    • evaluate the source of the information and the intent of the author
    • match incoming information with prior knowledge,  and
    • question, question, question.

    In these previous posts

    Searching for meaning in a picture book – Part A

    Searching for purpose in a picture book – Part B

    Searching for truth in a picture book – Part C

    I suggested ways of including The Very Hungry Caterpillar in an early childhood classroom and discussed the responsibility that authors have in differentiating between fact and fiction in story books.

    In Searching for truth in a picture book – Part C I pointed out the inaccuracies in The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the pervasiveness of the misconceptions, if not totally attributable to the book, then at least in part. This is verified by Jacqui who, in 2011, wrote on the Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust website

    “When speaking to teachers I often find raised eyebrows when I explain that butterflies’ larvae do not make cocoons. The teachers refer to Eric Carle’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, where he refers to a ‘cocoon’.”

    Note that Jacqui refers specifically to this book, rather than to sources in general.

    As shown by Jacqui, though, it can be difficult, even for teachers without specialist entomological knowledge, to sort out fact from the fiction.

    These are two pieces of misinformation contained in the story:

    Misinformation 1:

    Caterpillars eat a lot of different food

    Fact

    Most caterpillars are fussy about their diet, some eating only one specific plant, others eating a variety of plant foods.

    Misinformation 2:

    Butterflies come out of a cocoon.

    Fact

    Butterflies emerge from a chrysalis.

    Moths come out of a cocoon.

    Watch these two videos:

    This one by Strang Entertainment shows the caterpillar becoming a chrysalis.

    This one shows a silkworm caterpillar spinning a cocoon (about 2 mins in).

    They are two very different processes.

    However a quick glance at these Google search results shows just how pervasive the misconceptions are:

    Cocoon to butterfly

    butterfly cocoons

    Even seemingly authoritative educational websites misinform. Look at the way these two websites promote themselves, and consider the misinformation they are peddling.

    The website Math & Reading Help

    Maths and Reading Help

    states that The Very Hungry Caterpillar is “factually accurate . . . teaches your child to understand this biological process … a butterfly. . .(is) a caterpillar that has emerged from its cocoon”

    Primary upd8 which promotes itself as “UKs most exciting science resource”

    primary upd8

    also suggests using The Very Hungry Caterpillar for teaching about the life cycle of a butterfly.

    primary upd8 knowledge

    If self-professed “authorities” can’t get it right, how are we laypeople meant to make sense of it. Suggestions like these reinforce the need for the skills of critical analysis to be developed.

    Unlike those above, I contend that this book has no place in the science curriculum. Its greatest value is as a tool for teaching critical literacy.

    When children have learned about the life stages of a butterfly and then listen to The Very Hungry Caterpillar, they are very quick to pounce on the inaccuracies and immediately want to write to the author and tell him of his mistake.

    When told that he already knows and that he isn’t going to change it, as confirmed in an interview reported on the Scholastic website, they are incredulous.

    “Why would he do that?” they ask.

    Why indeed.

    When told that he doesn’t care that it isn’t right, they are indignant.

    But herein lies its value:

    I am able to affirm their learning: they know more than Eric Carle; and, more importantly, I am able to reinforce with them that just because something is in print, doesn’t make it true.

    In addition, it is important for them to realise that misinformation does not occur only in picture books, nor only in this picture book. It is just as common in news media, as shown by this article from Brisbane’s Courier-Mail on December 7 2013

    Butterfly emergingtext for photographs

    Nor is misinformation restricted to caterpillars and butterflies.

    This article, again from the Courier-Mail, on January 26 2014 also contains inaccuracies:

    Deadly thirst for glidersFurry flyers text

    Squirrel gliders don’t fly, and they don’t have wings.

    Suggestions for teachers and parents:

    • point out inaccuracies and inconsistencies
    • encourage children to think about what they are reading and hearing and to evaluate it against what they know
    • support children to verify the source of the information and to check it against other more authoritative/reliable sources
    • help them to recognise that every author has a purpose and to identify that purpose
    • invite children to ask questions about what they are reading and to interrogate the content
    • encourage them to question, question, question.

    As demonstrated by the Google results shown above, there is a good deal of misinformation available, often cleverly disguised as fact. Being able to navigate one’s way through it is a very important skill.

    Eric Carle says “If we can accept giants tied down by dwarfs, genies in bottles, and knights who attack windmills, why can’t a caterpillar (sic) come out of a cocoon?”

    What do you think?

    Do picture book authors have a responsibility for informing their audience? Is a butterfly coming out of a cocoon in the same realm as giants tied down by dwarfs? Would we accept a child hatching out of an egg? What parts of a story should be based in reality and which parts can be imagined?

    “Why can’t a butterfly come out of a cocoon?” asks Eric.

    Well, Eric, they just don’t.

    Please share your thoughts.