We are honored to welcome Dr. Shamini Dias as our Exchange Host. Dr. Dias works with graduate education students at Claremont Graduate University where she focuses on integrating ideas from complexity science to explore imagination as a creative, adaptive capacity and a critical aspect of human development and leadership. Her research locates teaching and learning in constantly changing, diverse, and inter-connected contexts that define life today. She incorporates this research to help graduate students develop identities as inclusive teachers who strive for educational equity for all learners. In addition to teaching English literature and writing, Dr. Dias is a teaching artist and works with museums, libraries, and schools to develop creativity and communication skills in people of all ages.
In Chimamanda Adichie’s Danger of a Single Story, she talks about the danger of only looking at one part of the narrative. The same can be said for offering students only one format to share their understanding of information. It’s non-inclusive. Providing students with the sensory experience of incorporating art, role-play, dance, singing, poetry and other activities as a way to express their understanding allows them to connect with others while building a multi-literacy thinking process.
There are many opportunities to incorporate creative expression in OER Project activities (Draw Your History, Star Comics, Active Accretion, Alphonse the Camel, Our Interconnected World, Traveler Postcards, and the many graphic biographies to name a few). How do you move beyond traditional instructional strategies to allow students the opportunity to creatively share their understanding? Dr. Dias has shared two documents (see below) with suggestions on how to get started integrating creative learning practices.
The Exchange will be “Live” June 15- 17 but go ahead and start posting your questions for Dr. Dias in the comments below. You may want to ask how you can incorporate sensory learning into a specific OER Project activity, or to ask for more information on how providing students the opportunity to express their understanding in multiple forms is beneficial. We’d also love to learn from you on strategies you incorporate to allow students to share their knowledge. How do your students respond?
Whether you are currently incorporate creative expression in your class, or you want to try new strategies, but this is outside your comfort zone, Dr. Dias can answer your questions. Let’s learn from each other!
