George Dafoulas discusses creativity and student engagement in learning. He presents several case studies where creativity is incorporated into the curriculum, including using virtual worlds and social networks to enhance collaboration. Students engage in role-playing scenarios, simulations, and real-world projects. Dafoulas believes creativity can be triggered in students and highlights techniques like relaxing exercises, freedom of expression, and making emotional connections to promote creative thinking.
HMCS Max Bernays Pre-Deployment Brief (May 2024).pptx
'The role of creativity in Student Engagement - learning through Social Learning Networks' - George Dafoulas (S&T)
1. The Role of Creativity in Student Engagement
Learning through Social Learning Networks
July 10, 2014
George Dafoulas
Computer Science Department
School of Science and Technology
2. 2
• I will start with a boring introduction
(how do I perceive creativity?)
• I will continue with rather unorthodox practices
(how is my creativity triggered?)
• I will conclude with hopefully some interesting cases
(how do I channel my creativity?)
• The workshop
– touches on curriculum design and development,
– introduces creative techniques in teaching delivery,
– reflects on how rich feedback supports creative formative
assessment,
– provides a range of creative processes for student engagement
– concludes with the role of technology in learning enhancement.
Agenda
3. 3
• Creative learning is widely understood to be characterised
by:
– questioning and challenging
– making connections and seeing relationships
– envisaging what might be
– exploring ideas, keeping options open
– reflecting critically on ideas, actions and outcomes
Creativity: find it, promote it (QCA/05/1596)
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, 2005
in
Learning: creative approaches that raise standards (No. 080266)
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted)
What is creativity
Researchers define creativity as the development of ideas,
products, or solutions that are perceived both as (a) unique and
novel and (b) relevant and useful.
http://celestra.ca
The Creativity Portal is a key element of
Scotland’s Creative Learning Plan and the
strong partnership that exists between
Creative Scotland and Education Scotland.
http://http://creativityportal.org.uk
Play is the cornerstone of creative learning
(Kim Thomas, Guardian Professional, Tuesday 15 October 2013)
Roundtable report commissioned and controlled by the Guardian
Discussion hosted to a brief agreed with LEGO Education
Funded by LEGO Education
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2013/oct/15/play-creative-learning-roundtable
30 ideas for promoting creativity in learning
Embrace creativity as part of learning
Use emotional connections
See creativity in a positive light
Establish expressive freedom
Allow room for mistakes
Find ways to incorporate and integrate art, music and culture
Use a collaborative creative thinking model to solve classroom problems
The Incubation Model
by E. Paul Torrance
It involves 3 stages:
1. Heightening Anticipation: Make connections between the classroom
and student’s real lives. “Create the desire to know”.
2. Deepen Expectations: Engage the curriculum in new
ways. Brainstorm and create opportunities to solve a novel problem.
3. Keep it going: Continue the thinking beyond the lesson or
classroom. Find ways to extend learning opportunities at home or
even the community.
4. 4
George’s views
• Everyone has a creative side…
• Some can be more creative than others…
• Creativity cannot be taught…
• But it can be triggered…
• Always seek a creativity waking up call…
My waking up call came from
Shelley and Alejandro!
So creativity can be pretty confusing…
5. 5
Creative spell – relax
• Relax and start a creative journey
– Breathing exercises…
– Body tension relief…
– Kick starting your imagination…
6. 6
• Original idea:
– Helping my students to learn outside the traditional classroom in a more relaxed
setting.
• Creativity element:
– Students have the freedom to experience different learning stimuli such as slides,
voting, discussions, design sandpits, formative assessment through online quizzes,
brief talks and immersive environments.
• Scenario:
– Each student created an avatar, logged on to a Second Life viewer, and participated
in structured seminar sessions. Students used computers in labs and at home,
followed instructions and interacted in group exercises. At the end of each session
students took an online quiz using a survey monkey web page.
• Research:
– Architectural impact on learning experience
– Communication patterns
– Learning activity patterns
– Avatar movement patterns
Case:
Virtual Learning Worlds
7. 7
• Feel free to ask questions about:
– The DaCT Village demonstration
– Pilot snapshots
– Pilot short videos
Discussion:
Virtual Learning Worlds
8. 8
Send a postcard to your student who failed your module and
has to retake it, although he/she never missed a lecture or
seminar and did everything you asked him/her to do. Write…
– Tell him/her how you feel for the poor result.
– Make him/her a promise for the next term.
Creative Spell – send a postcard
9. 9
• Original idea:
– Supporting my students in experiencing how it is to develop software in a realistic
setting as part of a global software development team.
• Creativity element:
– Students can use a variety of tools including blogs, wikis, forums, chat, file
repositories while collaborating with students of other Universities. They must
manage the different tools and perform over time zone and cultural differences.
• Scenario:
– So far students have worked with five different Universities residing in US,
Panama and Turkey. Recently the pilots involved six Universities from Egypt and
Palestine. Once students join a group they must follow the instructions and meet
several deadlines for interim deliverables in projects that last up to three weeks.
• Research:
– Coding GSD communication
– Visual analytics of group communication
– Learning performance against interaction styles
– Cultural, professional and learning surveys
Case:
Computer Supported Cooperative Learning
10. 10
• Feel free to ask questions about:
– The Redmine demonstration
– Pilot snapshots
– Pilot visual analytics
Discussion:
Computer Supported Cooperative Learning
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100
150
Group Posts per Day
458
459
460
461
148
501
60
172
Total Posts per Group
458
459
460
461
0
100
200
300
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Total Posts
Total Posts
11. 11
• Remember your early school years…
• Remember your school’s supplies…
• Remember your favourite teacher…
• Remember something special he/she taught you…
• Remember what made it so memorable…
Creative Spell - remember
12. 12
• Original idea:
– Admitting the lost battle against Facebook and make it part of my teaching in
seminars as well as self paced study.
• Creativity element:
– Students are able to join a Facebook page dedicated to their group project and apply
BIS theories into practice. Simultaneously each individual uses Facebook for tasks
such as evaluation, peer review, reflection, feedback and formative assessment.
• Scenario:
– Each student is given weekly briefs in order to perform certain deployment,
evaluation, testing and maintenance tasks of a system. Students experience the use
of Facebook as a development platform both as individuals and in groups.
• Research:
– Role of social networks in web marketing
– Role of social networks in customer relationship management
– Role of social networks in e-learning
– User behaviour in social learning networks
Case:
Social Learning Networks
14. 14
• Look
• Feel
• Smell
• Taste
Creative Spell – use your senses
Student A Student B
15. 15
• Original idea:
– Improving the employability of my students in Forensic Computing and provide a
synthesis project as part of my digital evidence module.
• Creativity element:
– Students participate in a role playing scenario that involves creating an
investigation team and performing a range of tasks based on skills and knowledge
gained throughout their degree. The final assessment involves external guests and
this year all students presented their work at KPMG offices in Canary Wharf.
• Scenario:
– Student teams investigate a crime scene, collect physical evidence by following set
procedures, analyse their collected data, produce a synthesis report and present
their findings.
• Research:
– User activity on social networks
– GSD communication and collaboration patterns
– Visual analytics of social network usage
– Role of collaborative technologies in software development
Case:
Technology Enhanced Learning
16. 16
• Feel free to ask questions about:
– The actual investigation
– The role playing scenario (sample of an actual group report)
– The involvement of KPMG and EY in assessment
Discussion:
Technology Enhanced Learning
