Reflection 2: 9/5/11

Mental Blocks to Creative Thinking

A Whack on the Side of the Head- this is exactly what some people may need in order to understand they their comments are idea squelches.  von Oech must have listened to many people during his research and has accurately identified 10 comments that will cause individuals to have second thoughts about thinking creatively.
Below are a few of the barriers he has listed that I hear often:

1. To Err Is Wrong-  Not only in education, but in the society we live in, we live in constant fear of making a mistake.  I recall many times, especially in high school, when I would consider different answers for problems in class, but when I could get away with it, I would not write down a final answer until it was discussed as a class.  I did not want the answer on my paper to be wrong and did not want others to know that I had made any errors.  Later on as a music teacher, I noticed that I had many students that would sing very softly in my class.  I encouraged students to sing out and be proud of their voices, but children as young as kindergarten and first grade would sing quietly for fear their voice was on the wrong pitch.  On the other hand, I did thankfully still had young children who would sing out loud and did not notice the funny looks the other students gave them as they sung incorrect pitches.  During these  moments, I gave praise to all the students who sounded their voices loudly, and worked more directly for a couple of minutes on matching pitches with their voices without singling out individuals.
2. That's Not My Area- This phrase seems to come in handy for some individuals who approach a music teacher with a question.  Teachers sometimes came to me with a classroom or library book in hand and asked if  I would help teach their students the song in the book that went with the lesson they were teaching.  Each time I complied and assisted them because I think it is important to integrate music in the classroom in that way.  However, there were other times when I would ask teachers for their assistance with the music classroom.  There were events throughout the year that students would attend where they needed to sing along and participate.  I prepared them in my classroom, but with only one lesson each week, I felt that they needed more practice in their classroom.  I asked teachers if they would help; some teachers complied, and some simply said that this was "not their area of expertise" and they did not feel comfortable.  My general response to this was to attempt to make time to visit their classroom during the week so that those students got the practice they needed to be prepared.
3. I'm Not Creative- This sad phrase came from many students I encountered in the music classroom.  It breaks my heart to see children with low self esteem putting a damper on their own creativity.  I provided opportunities in music class for students to explore music and then present them in a creative way.  A project that I assigned my fifth graders was for them to think of their favorite musical thing (style, song, artist, instrument, etc) and present this to the class.  Students were allowed to work individually or in groups; they were allowed to use recorded music, sing, dance, or discuss their favorite music when presenting to the class.  The most challenging part of this project for some students was coming up with an idea and a way to present it to the class.  It actually took some students two class periods and lots of encouragement to plan their creative project.  My response to the students who continued to say "I'm not creative" was to fish for ideas with them and encourage them while still allowing the ideas to be their own.  This was a challenge for me as a teacher, but in the end was worth it when students were proud of their hard work.
4. Play is Frivolous- Some adults' perceive music to be a non-essential class.  They view it is an extra play time for their child and some even consider it as a class that takes away time from the necessary subjects of reading and math.  I encountered these parents that questioned why their child even needed to be in my classroom once each week.  My response to these parents was a calm, collected statement about how music promotes fluency in reading, how mathematical fractions are presented when we learn note values, and how the subject enhances and enriches the child's educational experience.  However, I do believe there is more to it than just that which meets the eye.  Children need many avenues to express themselves and anytime they are given opportunities such as a music class to be creative, this time should be protected and valued.  I have seen students who struggle in math and reading classes, but enjoy themselves during music class.  They feel successful and this opens the door for them to be creative.  
5. Follow the Rules- I myself am a rule follower most of the time and find it difficult to go outside the boundaries to be creative.  However, in a few instances I have had ideas that did not lie exactly within the rules.  Last year I developed a recorder ensemble class especially for a studious group of students in a fourth grade class.  The behavior of one fourth grade class was so out of hand that after one unit of recorders I felt that to regain some order I had to move on to different lessons for this class.  There was, however, a small group of students who were genuinely disappointed and wanted to continue with recorders.  So, one day each week after the regular music class, these students came to recorder ensemble; they ate lunch with me, then skipped recess to play recorders.  This arrangement certainly does not follow all of the rules but it allowed these students the time in music that they desired.