Presentation by: Ursula Hearne

Presentation Title: Using Computers to Promote Creativity, Learning Strategies and Problem Solving Behaviours in Children

The specific objectives were to determine:

How children, selected from two contrasting environments in our society, are experiencing computers. How a computer environment can promote children’s creativity and develop their learning strategies and problem solving behaviours. How their independent access to the technology can promote the development of their digital literacy. How children’s intellectual development and creativity can be assessed in a computer environment.

Key Factors in educational success or otherwise

Social class – language development - educational disadvantage

Literacy and Numeracy

Creativity

Assessment

Social Class Bernstein (1977) argues that it is through specific linguistic codes that relevance is created, experience given a particular form and social identity constrained.

He distinguishes and describes two general types of code - restricted and elaborated, which he suggests, characterises, respectively, the working-class and middle-class.

Most studies would agree that various socio-economic groups exist and that they routinely produce significant differences in communication codes.

Literacy and Numeracy

National schools established in Ireland during the nineteenth century were designed to be agents of social control, to regulate children, to socialize them into particular religious beliefs and into particular gendered, ethnic and sexual identities.

They were assigned the task of selecting, labelling and stratifying students by age and level of attainment in literacy (written language) and numeracy

Attainment in literacy and numeracy as an indicator of success in education now functions as a powerful bias in our society.

This bias operates systematically to disadvantage certain classes or groups i.e. those of low linguistic intelligence or those who have a lower-class perspective on reality.

It influences our modes of learning and assessment processes.

Creativity

The notion of creativity is complex, a variety of definitions, themes and ideas emerge from a review of the literature:

the highest form of intelligence

the human mind and how it can surpass itself

a puzzle, a paradox and a mystery

creativity is found in every field of human endeavour, in every discipline, and in every profession.

The Process of creation

1.The creator explores the information or material.

2.There follows a period of incubation during which there seems to be little progress in the direction of fulfilment.

3.There eventually comes the big moment of inspiration, with a final, or semi-final, solution.

4.There usually follows a period of evaluation or verification, in which the creator tests the solution or examines the product for its fitness or value. Little or much "touching up" may be done to the product.

Guilford (1950)

Creation involves curiosity exploration , endeavour, expression.

Economic progress has always been about curiosity, enquiry, productivity, then commercialization.

Once you get these working together the economy can grow and living standards can rise for all.

I believe that when we encourage the seedbed of creativity in our communities and ensure that each child and adult has the opportunity for creative expression, we also lay the groundwork for sustainable employment in creative industries and enrich our social, cultural and economic development.

Many of the most valuable things in life cannot be measured.

Michael D. Higgins

Assessment

Assessment is one of the most potent forces influencing education.

Tests can yield reasonable predictions about children’s success in school, and subsequently their ability to read important texts, transcribe information in written form, and carry out those mathematical operations needed for accounting and commercial purposes

The problem that arises nowadays is that, if one wants to predict performance in a technical craft, in a sales job, as an entertainer, as an entrepreneur or even as a politician, then the measurement of literacy (writing skills) and numeracy skills is of questionable relevance.

the completion of standardised tests in English reading and in mathematics is now a requirement for children at two stages during their years at primary school – at the end of 1st class/beginning of 2nd and at the end of 4th class/beginning of 5th class.

Understanding STen scores

STen score What the score means Proportion of children who get this score

8-10 Well above average 1/6

7 Above average 1/6

5-6 Average 1/3

4 Below average 1/6

1-3 Well below average 1/6

These tests provide a quite distorted view of the system as a whole, demoralising the schools and parents where low scores in English reading are prevalent, generally those serving the most socio-economically disadvantaged communities, while providing positive reinforcement of schools with high scores in English reading, generally those serving the most socio-economically advantaged communities.

Standardized tests can redefine what we mean by learning, and have possibly resulted in our reorganizing the school curriculum to accommodate the tests.

The problem is likely to worsen now as global competition causes countries to stress the academic subjects more, using the results of standardized tests as the measure of student accomplishment and talent.

The Study Fifty three 11-12 year old children, from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds, were introduced to the vocabulary and syntax of MicroWorlds in groups of five, six or seven. Each group attended ten 75 minute weekly workshops.

Data were collected by participant observation, by interviewing the children, by video and audio recording, from the evidence of the children’s work and diaries and by assessment tests.

MicroWorlds

A Digital Art and Design application.

A melody editor.

An extended version of the programming language Logo.

The capability of creating and programming animations, simulations and computer games.

A presentation application similar to Microsoft PowerPoint.

Summary of various assessments

Grade Standardised TestsComputerised Assessment of reasoning

abilityMicroWorlds Workshops

English MathsVerbal reasoning

Non-verbal

reasoningExploration Endeavour Expression Attainment

Num. Num. Num. Num. Num. Num. Num. Num.

Advantaged Boys

A 1 1 0 2 6 7 2 2

B 4 4 2 5 3 2 4 1

C 2 2 6 3 2 2 2 6

D 1 1 1 1 0 0 3 2

E 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0

N/A 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

Disadvantaged Boys

A 0 0 0 1 5 6 2 1

B 0 0 2 5 6 4 8 3

C 5 0 6 4 5 4 4 8

D 3 2 1 6 1 3 2 4

E 9 14 8 1 0 0 1 1

N/A 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Grade Standardised TestsComputerised Assessment of

reasoning abilityMicroWorlds Workshops

English MathsVerbal reasoning

Non-verbal

reasoningExploration Endeavour Expression Attainment

Num. Num. Num. Num. Num. Num. Num. Num.

Advantaged Girls

A 4 4 2 3 11 11 6 2

B 4 3 3 4 0 0 5 6

C 4 5 5 5 1 1 1 4

D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

E 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

Disadvantaged Girls

A 1 0 0 2 7 7 3 2

B 0 0 0 4 5 5 7 6

C 5 2 8 5 1 0 2 3

D 2 1 3 2 0 1 0 2

E 5 10 2 0 0 0 1 0

Recommendations

A new vision for integrating ICTs in Education – one that supports the creative talents of our children - needs to be articulated.

We need to make creativity an operational idea in the way we have made literacy (written language) and numeracy operational ideas.

‘Literacy’ needs to be redefined to include verbal, mathematical, kinaesthetic, musical, and visual languages.

Research is needed into how evaluations of multiple literacies and creativity can become ‘high stakes’ assessments without damaging children’s creativity.

Name Standardised TestsComputerised Assessment of

reasoning abilityMicroWorlds Workshops

English Maths Verbal

reasoning

Non-verbal

reasoning

Exploration Endeavour Expression Attainment

Anna C B B A A A A B

Mark E E E D C C D D

Lucy C D C A A A A A

Ernie E E E D B B A C