I was struggling to come up with ideas for my final project in our Innovation & Education program this week. I am also taking the Creativity and Innovation course this semester and this week we are studying the Models & Stages of Creativity. I tend to need more time during the Incubation stage, the period where there is no conscious work. You give your brain a break from the problem and let your subconscious process the information you have gathered.
Last night, I did just that. I shut down my computer and spent some time cooking a nice meal for my husband and me. After dinner, I had that "Aha" moment. I have been trying to come up with an idea on how to be more creative and innovative with my Middle School Math students. I am not only a math teacher in my building but also the Mathematics Department Chair. Part of my role is to facilitate collaboration and professional development within our department in our monthly meetings.
Here is my initial idea for my final project: I would like to introduce the Mathematics Department in my building to HIVE and create a community within the platform for us to share resources, ideas, successes and failures of how we are being more creative/innovative in our instruction, how we are fostering creativity within our students, etc. This could then go further to include other teachers within our district (there is another middle school, k-8 school, High School and multiple elementary schools), the St. Louis region, and beyond.
I would love your feedback and suggestions about this idea!
