Reflection Blog

When deciding which year 3 topics to take, I tried to choose those that were elated to Education or Child Development. ‘Science of Education’ actually had the word ‘education’ in the title, so I immediately thought I was onto a winner! I think I would have rather poked my own eyes out than taken a Biology based module! The fact Jesse’s module was also an exam free zone was hugely attractive. I only have one exam to revise for now… its brilliant!

I have to admit however, I was wrong in my initial perception of this module. My exact words were: ‘a weekly blog… it can’t be that hard!’ How wrong I was! This module has been both informative and difficult, not to mention time consuming! Each week I literally completed my blog and comments before having to start the next one! It is amazing however, how quickly you get into a routine and how much this helped with my motivation and time management through the semester. My whole time schedule revolved around writing blogs and comments!!! I also feel i have learnt loads through this process! When Jesse stood up on the first “lecture” and said: ‘there is nothing I can say, that you can’t find out for yourself’ I nearly laughed (and then cried..!) However, this is true! For as much as I sometimes wished we’d had more guidance, I really enjoyed the freedom and flexibility this style of discovery learning enabled. I think this module is also most effective because it is a third year module. The First Year me (wow, that’s 2 years ago now!!!) may have seriously struggled with the lack of explicit tuition and direction provided. However, the Third Year me actually really loved it. I am so bored of sitting in lectures, scribbling down notes and then going home to write them up. This module added variety and enabled me to choose what I wanted to learn! I am a huge fan of Ken Robinson, so being able to blog about him every week was great!

What have I learnt… you are your own teacher. You have to be intrinsically motivated to learn to achieve your potential. When you are spending hours camping in the library for the love of learning, rather than the love of grades, you are more likely to succeed. There is very little a teacher can tell you that, especially at the level we are working at, that you couldn’t find somewhere else. A teacher has to read this information from somewhere in order to regurgitate it in a lecture. Why not just cut out the middle man and find the information for yourself? The worry I have with this style of learning however, is for as much as it enables the development of creativity, would it work with younger students? To instil this sense of intrinsic motivation Primary and Secondary school students arguably need a teacher to provide explicit instruction to guide them in the right direction and provide encouragement!

If there was anything I would improve, it would be the use of WordPress.com. It was a guessing game whether or not my comments would show up each week, or if another email would have to be sent to Jesse asking him how many he could see! I am such a worry bean (I admit I am!) so this did cause quite a bit of stress. (Thank you house mates for putting up with my worries, tears and tantrums…!!!). However this aside, I have really enjoyed the flexibility and method of teaching (or lack of teaching?) this module provided. It was really refreshing! Once I am a qualified teacher, I hope my own class may be able to benefit from such teaching techniques!

Thank you.

Synthesis Blog Comments

These are the links to the following 7 comments I have made this week:

http://emmaalofs.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/to-grade-or-not-to-grade-that-is-the-question-synthesis-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-66

http://alecscienceofed.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/blog-synthesis-what-can-we-do-to-make-schools-better/#comments

http://edupsych.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/synthesis-of-topic/#comments

http://psud360.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/a-perfect-pizza-with-all-the-toppings-synthesis/#comments

http://jmssol.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/methods-to-facilitate-academic-success-synthesis-blog/#comments

http://scienceeducation13.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/topic-synthesis-just-me/#comments

http://niamh92.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/synopsis/#comments

Synthesis Blog

The underpinning theme behind each blog was individualism, with particular focus upon creativity as the key component. Throughout each week I chose a specific area of interest, from the grading system to intellectual disabilities, and explored how these factors can enhance of hinder a learners creativity.

I used the definition of creativity posed by Ken Robinson: ‘the process of having original ideas.’  Linked to such ability is the need to acquire divergent thinking skills, as this is not a synonym of creativity but the ‘ability to see multiple answers to one problem.’  This raises questions about the effectiveness of the grading system in encouraging individualism. Exam results suggest there is always one right and wrong answer to every problem. Rather than allowing for creativity and divergent thinking to develop, teaching arguably becomes tailored towards exam success as the ‘right’ answers must be learnt to prevent failure. The drive behind such ‘success’ can be enhanced by increased pressure to conform (Whiten, Horner and De Waal, 2005). As one of my first blogs analysed, there is a negative correlation between creativity and conforming (Guncer and Oral, 1993) suggesting the more likely you are to conform to authority and societial rules, the less able (or perhaps the less willing) you become of thinking of multiple, novel ideas. As was highlighted during a discussion after my talk, the instilment of conformity is immediately evident within the education system from the minute our children put on their school uniform.

Even though we may blog about educational reforms and new initiatives to enhance learning, my own mindset frequently slips into the ‘just give me a good grade’ mentality. I posed the question in one blog of how far away from the norm would you deviate, if your work stopped receiving the estimated predicted grade? The Social Exchange Theory (Emerson, 1976) suggests our motivation to succeed in education is fundamentally driven by grades and not a love of learning. A high grade positively reinforces studious behaviour and hours spent camping in the library, hence encouraging such behaviour to occur again. For as long as the reward outweighs the costs, this circular pattern of behaviour will presumably persist. Success is therefore a simple number crunching calculation, with students aiming for minimal investment but a large return in equity! Butler (2011) found intrinsic motivation and effort significantly reduced for students who achieved low grades, but increased for high achievers. The grading system therefore also encourages a ‘rich-get-richer’ phenomenon to develop for more able students and a cumulative disadvantage for the less able (Stanovich, 1987).

Interestingly, Butler (2011) found when teachers provided each student with a personalised comment, motivation and effort increased by students of all abilities! However, the Intrinsic Motivation Principle suggests if a learner becomes overly concerned with any kind of extrinsic motivator they are more likely to follow the ideas of others, than think creativity in applying novel answers to problems (Amabile, 1985). In other words, students are more likely to conform to the ideas of others that are positively reinforced, than risk presenting a new idea that is positively punished. However there is a silver lining… students with a high internal locus of control, hence attribute the outcome of their behaviour to themselves, were less influenced by the feedback others provided (Kluger and DeNisi, 1996). When feedback was critical, those with high intrinsic motivation remain determined to outperform the expectations others held of their ability (Amabile, 1994). The encouragement to develop intrinsic motivation is therefore a key skill necessary in enabling the development of individualism.

Comments on my blogs mentioned how creative thinking is not dependent upon one single determining factor, but is a combination of both biological and social influences together. For as much as this may be true, it is interesting to analyse specific components effecting development. Fluctuations in neurotransmitter activity have found to influence mood. Positive feelings are correlated with greater creativity (Davis, 2009). By allowing children to freely express their feelings on paper, greater positivity and feelings of happiness can emerge (Petrillo and Winner, 2011). Increased activity within the parietal lobe has also been correlated with greater creative abilities (Shaywitz, 2002). Interestingly, students with Dyslexia have less activity in this area of the brain (Krafnick, Flowers, Napoliello and Eden, 2011), hence it could be implied are less creative. However, with greater reading tuition such neural activity can increase with a knock on effect for creativity levels. As many comments on my blog highlighted however, such generalised conclusions are dependent upon the definition of creativity used. When creativity defines artistic talent, children with Dyslexia often excel (Shaywitz, 2003).

To conclude, by analysing individualism in terms of creativity questions are raised as to the effectiveness of our education system in teaching children to think of original solutions to problems. When the need for conformity and grades join together, creativity arguably flies out the window. However, by encouraging a high internal locus of control and intrinsic motivation, critical feedback should not encourage learners to follow others paths but allow them to improve their own ideas. To fully understand the causes behind creativity, it is clear both biological and social underpinnings must be analysed together. However, the need for individualism within our education system remains evident. With 80% of jobs that will be sort-after by children currently in Primary School not even existing yet, we are teaching our children to solve problems we do not even know are problems yet! The adults of tomorrow need to be able to approach this ever changing world, with new ideas and initiatives others have not previously thought of. Do we want our children to be sheep or shepherds?

Speech 2: Is the Grading System Limiting Creativity?

This is a speech I made, furthering the idea’s written in the blog: ‘Is  the Grading System Limiting Creativity?’ This relates to Blog 6.

Comments I’ve made for Blog 7

These are the 7 comments I have done this week:

http://gbuckley22.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/learning-disabilities-in-a-wholesome-blog-week-7/

http://scienceeducation13.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/private-or-public-mind-the-gap/

http://chriswynnepatterson.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/tip-of-the-tongue-state/#comments

http://niamh92.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/khan-academy-dare-i-say-the-critics-are-wrong-yes/#comments

http://franssoeblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/blog-7-could-you-survive-without-a-tv/#comments

http://sophw13.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/blog-7-the-bullying-culture/#comments

http://jmssol.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/methods-to-facilitate-academic-success-health-behaviours-throughout-the-academic-year/#comments

Pick up a pencil and write it down… Blog 7

As I was about to start writing this week’s blog I looked out of the window and saw a young girl skipping down the street with blond curly hair carelessly blowing in the wind. Her mum however had her head down, gripped the girls hand tightly and stomped up the hill. This got me thinking… we all experience the ticking of time, however how we choose to act in this time is different. Throughout this blog, I will discuss how biology can change mood and the positive correlation this has to creativity. I will also look at how writing, drawing and simply expressing your emotions on paper can be effective techniques to encourage positivity and ultimately creativity.

Davis (2009) conducted a meta-analysis of 62 studies assessing the relationship between mood and creativity. The overall findings suggest the more positive an individual is feeling, the more creative they will be. Creativity is defined as the ability to form new ideas to problems (Robinson, 2007) with those feeling sad generating fewer new ideas (Gasper, 2004).

The biological underpinning behind mood is arguably serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine fluctuations (Thase et al, 2002). Serotonin is of particular importance as when the activity of this neurotransmitter is reduced, activity in these other systems is also affected. Lower levels of serotonin result in greater traits of depression and aggressive behaviour, whilst higher serotonin levels trigger happiness and constructive social interactions (Young & Leyton, 2002). If an individual is classified as having depression, the drug Prozac is often administered as it increases serotonin levels by blocking its reuptake.

However what I am really interested in is how mood can naturally be improved in students, who do not have depression, but are simply feeling sad or low on a particular day. Petrillo and Winner (2011) showed children images of upsetting events before asking them to either draw how they were feeling, copy shapes or do a word search puzzle. The mood of the students in the latter condition did not show any improvement after completing the task; they still felt equally as upset. Those who drew shape patterns reported a moderate increase in positively, whilst those that freely expressed their emotions showed the greatest improvement in happiness. It is inferred therefore that being able to physically express your feelings on paper, can trigger a release of negative emotions and improve positivity. Not only does drawing have the ability to change mood, but for older students and adults, writing down in words how you are feeling has the same effect (Pennebaker, 1997). Therefore, it can be said the more opportunities students have in the classroom to express their feelings without boundaries, the greater their sense of positivity will be. The Citizenship KS1 and KS2 curriculum suggests children should learn ‘to share their own opinions and think about themselves’. However I question whether other subjects allow for such personal expression, or if the focus is upon teaching key skills- such as third person story writing and structured artist techniques. I know from personal experience writing down how I feel is very therapeutic and naturally enables greater positivity. You can literally walk away from the negative emotion you have just expressed (so to speak!). Baring in mind the effect serotonin has on mood and therefore creativity, the more expressive behaviour students engage in, surely the more creative they can become.

To conclude, the higher the level of serotonin transmission, the more positive an individual’s mood will be. Writing and drawing about your emotions can act as a release triggering greater feelings of positivity. With the strong positive correlation between mood and creativity evident, surely schools should treat the Arts with the same importance they give to the Sciences?

Just thought I would end on a letter written by a child… I hope writing it down helped her!

Comments I’ve made for Blog 6

http://cathscienceofeducationblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/writing-anxiety-i-dont-want-to-write-it/comment-page-1/#comment-57

http://bethseducationblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/conformity-in-lectures/

http://edupsych.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/negative-aspects-of-punishment/#comments

http://stephk91.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/the-effects-of-grouping-children-according-to-their-ability-in-primary-schools/

http://natberryblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/blog-6-classroom-management-the-use-of-detentions-in-schools/

http://sophw13.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/blog-6-has-our-childrens-get-up-and-go-got-up-and-gone/#comments

http://psud360.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/youre-the-worlds-greatest/#comments

Grading Reduces Creativity, Blog 6

As I sat down to write this week’s blog, I asked myself: ‘What does he want to see?’ ‘What can I write to get a better grade?’ I then told myself off because I am not practising what I preach! The last few blogs I have written have been about enhancing creativity and individualism within the education system and yet, I have fallen into the ‘just give me a good grade’ trap! If I am being honest, I have been slipping further into this mindset over the last year. For as much as we blog about educational reforms and new initiatives to enhance learning, we just want to graduate… don’t we? I personally am not setting up a Camp bed in the library and sacrificing precious time with family and friends for the good of my health. I want the grade, with learning almost a by-product of such success. Throughout this blog I will argue that the grading system within education is naturally encouraging such thought processes and in turn limiting creativity.

I first came across The Social Exchange Theory (Emerson, 1976) during an A-level module on relationships. The theory suggests relationships are maintained because the rewards they provide outweigh the costs. The exchange part of this phenomenon suggests when another person reinforces your behaviour, you feel obliged to return such favours. In terms of student-teacher relationships, if a student receives high grades their studious behaviour is being rewarded and positively reinforced. If this grade outweighs the cost of living like a hermit in the library for a week, they are more likely to engage in these actions again. In turn this is reinforcing for the teacher as well, because their students are succeeding (and Ofsted are pleased…!). However, this is where the problem arguably lies. Students are finding the grades reinforcing rather than the act of learning itself. They aim to achieve the highest possible grade but with the smallest amount of effort. In business terms, they want to maximise their equity with minimal investment. It is a simple number crunching calculation and for as long as the figures continue to add up, this circular pattern of behaviour will arguably persist.

Butler (2011) found grades only maintained a students’ interest in the topic if they were a high achiever. For students who did not achieve top grades, intrinsic motivation and effort given to work significantly reduced. In relation to the Social Exchange Theory, the reinforcement grades provide did not outweigh the time and effort invested, hence motivation reduced. Interestingly however, when grades were not provided but detailed individual feedback was given from the teacher, interest and motivation remained high in all students. Could it be implied therefore that the current grading system creates a ‘rich-get-richer’ phenomenon to occur for more able students and a cumulative disadvantage for less able students? This is coined the Matthew Effect (Stanovich, 1987).

So in relation to creativity… when we research information for our blogs, are we really being creative? Using the definition of creativity proposed by Robinson (2007): ‘the ability to think of new ideas to problems’, it could be said to some extent assignments allow for such behaviour. The research and associated conclusions you draw are individualistic and allow for novel ideas and interpretations to be presented. However, our work is still being graded. How far out of the ‘box’ or away from the norm would you go with your new ideas? If your work stopped receiving high grades, the costs of such ideas may outweigh the benefits, so your behaviour would change. Martin Luther King had new ideas but I wonder how different our lives would be today, if it wasn’t for such strong voices with new initiatives.

In conclusion, is the purpose of our education system to motivate, teach and instil a love of learning? Or is the grading system educating such qualities out of us (so to speak). Similarly, do the majority of adults go to work for the love of their job or the financial rewards it provides? It’s an interesting thought!

Comments I made for Blog 5

These are the 7 comments I made for Blog 5:

http://alecscienceofed.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/week-5-childrens-tv-continued/#comments

http://3rdyearpsychblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/week-5-being-cruel-to-be-kind-the-use-of-punishment-in-education/

http://jmssol.wordpress.com/2013/03/03/methods-to-facilitate-academic-success-what-students-should-be-doing-whilst-revising/

http://sophw13.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/blog-5-childhood-depression-dont-be-silly/#comments (Note: I made two comments on this blog)

http://psud360.wordpress.com/2013/03/03/ill-have-a-birthday-cake/#comments

http://franssoeblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/03/blog-5-the-benefit-of-chicken-talk/#comments

Does Dyslexia Reduce Creativity? Blog 5

Imagine owning a brand new car but not know how to drive. Imagine owning a pair of shoes too sizes too small. Imagine owning a storybook but not know how to read… These scenarios don’t make logical sense; why would you buy something you can’t use? However, one in six UK adults have a literacy level below that expected of an 11-year-old (National Literacy Trust, 2011). Storybooks may be owned, but never read or loved because their owners lack the ability to access what lay under the cover. 10% of the British population are diagnosed with Dyslexia and to varying degrees find reading difficult (British Dyslexia Association, 2010). Throughout this week’s blog, I will use biological concepts to argue Dyslexia limits creative ability. However through extra reading tuition, levels of creativity can increase.

Briefly summarised, the Working Memory Model refers to the underlying processing, storage and retrieval of information. The central-executive system controls which stimulus is attended to and depending upon its nature, either visual or phonological systems then encode the information (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974). Such short-term storage plays a key role in the development of higher order processing skills, such as critical thinking, divergent thinking and ultimately creativity (Shah & Miyake, 1999). (Please see the embedded video of a speech I gave explaining such key terms and their link to conformity.)

Takeuchi et al (2011) gave participants a divergent thinking test as a measure of creativity, that either did or did not rely upon working memory to complete. In the working memory test, individual’s had to hold a letter in mind and respond to a new stimulus if it matched the one from memory. In the other condition, participants did not have to recall previous letters. They found a positive correlation between the number of answers to a problem given and neural activity in the Precuneus, during working memory tasks. (Don’t worry, I didn’t know which region of the brain the Precuneus was located in either… it is part of the Superior Parietal lobe). So in other words, the more creative an individual is the more neural activity occurs for working memory tasks.

This is where research becomes particularly interesting… Shaywitz et al (2002) used functional magnetic reasonance imagining (fMRI), to assess neural activation in typically developing children and those with dyslexia, during reading tasks. Children with dyslexia were significantly less likely to demonstrate high neural activity in occipital and parietal regions of the brain. Linking back to the positive correlation between creativity and parietal activation, does this therefore imply that individuals with dyslexia are in fact less creative due to their biological endowment?

Eleven children with dyslexia took part in a single-case experimental design, assessing gray matter volume (GMV) in the Precuneus (Krafnick, Flowers, Napoliello & Eden, 2011). Measurement was taken before and after an eight week intensive reading intervention. Results showed an increase in GMV after this instructional phase. Reading tuition then stopped for a further eight weeks, however GMV did not continue to change over this control period. They suggested therefore through teaching, reading ability can improve for students with dyslexia and this improvement has a causal effect upon brain activity. In relation to creativity, it could be suggested that through effective education, children with dyslexia can inexplicitly be taught to be creative, through explicit reading tuition.

In summary, significantly less neural activity has been found in the Parietal lobe for individual’s with Dyslexia. Relating this finding to the positive correlation discovered between creativity and Parietal activity, it could arguably be inferred those with dyslexia are less creative. However, through intensive reading instruction creativity could inexplicitly improve. If you encountered a closed road half way through your journey, you wouldn’t turn around and go home. You would find another route. If children with dyslexia encounter a challenge, our education system surly has a duty to improve tuition so goals can still be achieved. With such high illiteracy levels, is this happening?