Table Of ContentCognitive Science and Technology
Dennis Sale
Creative
Teaching
An Evidence-Based Approach
123
Cognitive Science and Technology
Series editor
David M.W. Powers, Adelaide, Australia
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11554
Dennis Sale
Creative Teaching
An Evidence-Based Approach
123
DennisSale
Singapore Polytechnic
Singapore
Singapore
ISSN 2195-3988 ISSN 2195-3996 (electronic)
Cognitive Science andTechnology
ISBN978-981-287-533-4 ISBN978-981-287-534-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-287-534-1
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To my daughters Adele and Lydia
Preface
Tobeplayfulandseriousatthesametimeispossible,andit
definestheidealmentalcondition
—JohnDewey
This book is written primarily for professional educators who want to teach more
creatively. However, it will have value and interest for parents and other readers
wanting to know more about how humans learn, the key factors affecting this
process and how the practices of good teaching actually work, and why some
practices do not work so well. The approach taken is evidence-based as this is the
mostvalidandusefulwayforimprovingteachingqualitythatresultsinmaximizing
learningopportunitiesandattainmentlevelsforlearners.Afundamentalassumption
is that as we better understand how different aspects of human psychological
functioning impact the learning process, including how creativity works, we can
design learning experiences that result in better attainment opportunities for
learners.
In writing this book, which inevitably requires the inclusion of an extensive
reviewofthevastresearchliteratureonhumanlearningandbehaviour,Ihavealso
wovenintothenarrativeamoreinformalstylethanistypicalofworkinthisgenre.
This partly reflects my Cockney descent from growing up in London’s East End,
but it is also a deliberate evidence-based ploy, as humour and storytelling help to
make life, including reading scientific texts, more interesting. In writing, as in
teaching,if you do not getattention and generate interest,there islittle of value in
doing the activity in the first place.
Creative teachers, by definition, must be expert teachers in that they are able to
create learning experiences that are the most effective and efficient for enhancing
attainment opportunities. This is a given as all good teaching must seek to maxi-
mize attainment levels for the students involved. However, creative teachers have
the added capability of what I refer to as Creative Teaching Competence. This
enables them to create instructional strategies in novel and useful ways (creativity
must involve these components) that further enhance attention and engagement,
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viii Preface
therefore making the learning experience more interesting and meaningful to the
particular learner groups. This is not always easy to do and even the most creative
of teachers cannot guarantee to do this expertly on every occasion they teach.
However, and remember, even the very best soccer players (and many earn more
moneyinayearthansometeachersearninalifetime)donotexcelineverymatch
they play, so be realistic in what you seek to achieve. What I can assure you of,
though, is that this is what makes teaching such a challenging and worthwhile
profession. You will rarely be bored, continually involved in meaningful learning,
and in helping people (your students) to make better choices to attain important
learning goals. And guess what?—It can also be good fun.
Creativeteachingcompetence,aswillbeexplained,illustratedanddevelopedin
this book, is not significantly different from becoming competent in any area of
human capability. The reason is quite simple as all expertise is the product of the
same Core Principles of Learning. These core principles of learning are derived
from our best current understanding of how humans learn and are related to spe-
cific, though interrelated, aspects of the overall learning process. While humans
may differ in many ways, such as physiology, personality configurations and cul-
turalvariations, weall learn inessentiallythesame way. Thereisnosuch thingas
learning styles. People have preferences in terms of the context of their learning,
whichmayincludeaspectsofthephysicalenvironment,timeofdayorevenhaving
some music playing. However, these are personal preferences, not systemic neu-
rological structures determining our learning configurations. Without acquiring
relevant content knowledge, making the right connections and building under-
standingthroughgoodthinkingand,wherenecessary,developingexpertisethrough
appropriate practice, we are unlikely to do particularly well in the learning stakes.
Thereis,ofcourse,muchmoretolearningthanthisquicksummary,otherwisethe
preface would be the book—if only! To explore the human learning process fully,
as it pertains to effective learning and the practices of teaching, you will need a
careful perusal of the various chapters in this book.
Tobeacreativeteacherandachieveexpertiseatthehighestleveltakestime,and
there is much to learn, but that is true in every professional field. However, it is
much easier to achieve a particular goal (e.g. creative teaching) when you have a
clear sense of what it looks like, sounds like and feels like. It further helps if you
know wheretolook for it. Thisiswhat Ihaveattemptedtodothroughasynthesis
ofwhatconstitutesthebestevidencerelatingtohumanlearningandthepracticesof
teaching,andmostimportantly,howtousethistobethebestteachingpractitioner
one can be—a Creative Teacher.
Therefore, I hope you find the book an interesting read, apart from being a
practical and useful resource for your professional development. I have tried to
incorporate the essence of another quote I like in this context, one by Charles
Mingus:
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awe-
somelysimple,that’screativity.
Acknowledgments
Towriteabookoncreativeteachinghasbeenmymostchallengingwritingproject
to date. The main contributors to my work are the thousands of teaching profes-
sionals, from all educational and training sectors, many countries and cultural
contexts,whohaveallowedmetoobserveandappraisetheirteaching.Withoutthis
rich and varied source of primary data, it would not have been possible to validly
and sufficiently model, make sense of and eventually understand the underpinning
syntax of creative teaching. Indirectly and without knowing, you have made this
book possible for me to write. Wherever you are now, a big thanks from me.
As Senior Education Advisor at Singapore Polytechnic, and working for the
MinistryofEducationinSingapore,Ihavehadthevaluedopportunitytoworkina
dynamic and challenging educational landscape, committed to continually
enhancingthequalityofitsteachingforce.Iamgratefultohavebeeninaposition
to learn so much.
I would also like to specifically thank the following:
GeoffPetty,oneofBritain’sleadingexpertsonteaching methodsandauthorof
TeachingTodayand Evidence-Based Teaching: APractical Approach.Apartfrom
being inspired by Geoff’s pioneering work in this area, I am especially grateful to
himforhisfeedbackinwritingabookoncreativeteachingfromanevidence-based
approach.
BillPowellandOchanKusuma-Powell,veteraninternationaleducators,authors
ofnumerousbooksandpresentlypassionatelyinvolvedinNextFrontierInclusion,
a collaborative network of schools supporting inclusive of children with learning
challenges.Theirfeedbackwasinvaluableinframingthestyleanddirectionofthis
book.
Allen Koh, Raquel Gochioco and Kirsty Le Pelley, good professionals and
friendsofmine,whohaveprovidedessentialfeedbackandsupportthroughoutthis
challenging endeavour.
ix
Contents
1 Making Sense of Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 What ILearnedat School: The Good, theBad and the Ugly. . . 1
1.2 A Short Tour into Educational Jurassic Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Moving Out of Educational Jurassic Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.4 Summary: Moving from Mystery to Heuristics. . . . . . . . . . . . 13
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2 The Heuristics of Effective Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.1 Establishing a Useful Frame on Pedagogy:
The Core Principles of Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.1.1 Core Principle 1: Motivational Strategies
Are Incorporated into the Design of
Learning Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.1.2 Core Principle 2: Learning Goals,
Objectives and Proficiency Expectations
Are Clearly Visible to Learners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.1.3 Core Principle 3: Learners Prior Knowledge
Is Activated and Connected to New Learning. . . . . . . 35
2.1.4 Core Principle 4: Content Is Organized Around
Key Concepts and Principles that Are
Fundamental to Understanding the
Structure of a Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.1.5 Core Principle 5: Good Thinking Promotes
the Building of Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2.1.6 Core Principle 6: Instructional Methods
and Presentation Mediums Engage the
Range of Human Senses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
2.1.7 Core Principle 7: Learning Design Takes
into Account the Working of Memory Systems . . . . . 58
2.1.8 Core Principle 8: The Development of
Expertise Requires Deliberate Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . 64
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