Strategies for Holistic Learning and Creativity

How can we create a dynamic and flexible learning environment that fosters personalized, competency-based learning, maximizes student engagement, and nurtures creativity and innovation both indoors and outdoors? #1 Learner-Centered Approach As Eric Sheninger states more emphasis on the “who” we are teaching than the “what” we are teaching! - Emphasize the individual learner's strengths, interests, and needs, shifting from a focus on content delivery to personalizing learning experiences. This includes fostering student agency and choice, where learners have a voice in shaping their educational journey. #2 Interdisciplinary Competencies What learning habits do we want life long learners to possess? - Develop transferable, whole-learner competencies that integrate content knowledge with real-world skills and dispositions. Move from teaching discrete grade-level standards to fostering higher-level competencies that prepare students for diverse challenges. #3 Mastery-Based Progression How are we moving from accountants of points to mentors of young people? Right Devin Vodicka! - Shift from traditional seat-time measures to proficiency-based progression. Students advance upon demonstrating mastery of key learning outcomes, allowing for personalized pacing and ensuring genuine understanding before moving forward. #4 Flexible Learning Environments How are we making education more geographically fluid? - Create adaptable learning environments that support individual learning paths. This includes flexible seating, schedules, virtual courses, and self-paced mastery, promoting a more engaging and accommodating educational setting. #5 Effective Pedagogy and Data-Driven Personalization How do we know if what we are doing is working? - Employ effective pedagogical techniques such as cooperative learning, differentiation, scaffolding, and innovative assessments like portfolios to empower learners. SpacesEDU uses evidence of learning data not just for collection, but to personalize and celebrate learning to meet each student's unique needs. Sierra Holtzheuser These five principles collectively create a personalized, competency-based learning environment that is flexible, engaging, and focused on the individual learner's growth and mastery. What would you add? What does your ideal learning environment look like? Your Friend, Danelle Almaraz InnovateEd #onthemove

I hope this is the first thing you see today and that it inspires you to create. "Knowing how to look is a way of inventing" — Salvador Dali To me, inventing is just a form of creativity. People always tell me in workshops, "I'm just not creative." Have you heard this as a facilitator? Be honest! 🧠 As facilitators, we know that creativity is important for better problem-solving and collaborative decision-making, so how do we get our participants on board and smash their biases they bring to the session? 🧠 ↳ Remind them that creativity is not making something out of nothing. I love how Grace Hawthorn describes creativity in her book 'Making Possibilities Happen' — creativity is "to synthesize novel connections and express meaningful outcomes." That's it right there: connections! ↳ Express that looking at things from different perspectives is creative. You are adding your own experience and background to an idea that, within itself, transforms the idea and makes new connections. ↳ Start with a creative thinking activity to warm up their brains; just do it - don't tell them it's a creative thinking activity upfront. Show them they can be creative. Many activities are accessible for anyone to express creativity and normalize imperfection, risks, and mistakes. One I love for this is Bunny Behind the Back! ↳ Focus on idea transformation. Creativity isn't just about generating ideas but also about transforming them. Reimagining something into something different. Jean-Luc Godard says, "It's not where you take things from — it's where you take them to." ↳ Use questions. Creativity emerges from curiosity and asking questions. If your group is stuck — use an improv game and tell them they can only respond to others with a question. This helps people think differently, and it's pretty fun, too. There are so many more ways to help people get out of their own heads and see they are actually creative. What techniques do you use? Share with us! --- Found this useful? 💜 Repost for your network.