Guest Robert Masala
On Masla 's teaching philosophy:
For me the art process is a spiritual journey. I experience individuals as sparks of creative
energy and awareness,part of the Whole of the ongoing Creation. As children we all naturally
participate with awe, and celebration in the creation - moment to moment. Remember your delight the
first time you perceived dust particles in a beam of light or watched a “river of water”
from a spilled cup, turn into a “waterfall” as it cascaded over the table top to form a
“lake” on the carpet below – only to “disappear” as it was absorbed moments latter – It
was magical. It still is magical! It is our acceptance of routine and day-to-day
experience as “ordinary” that takes the Passion out of life. More often it is our
perceptions and beliefs of the constructs of “reality” that shape our experience, rather
than “pure experience”. Many things have occurred to us since the time of innocence,
when we were “one with creation” and celebrated with awe in the unfolding of our
experience as part of the creative process. Since that time a lot of experiences (often
voices of anger or criticism, judgments, mental constructs and belief systems – the many
voices of the “inner critique”) have created space, an illusion of separateness.
Art affords us with an amazing opportunity tore-experience our original and true nature as
pure creative awareness. Join us in drowning out the voices of the inner critique by diving
into the waters of passionate creative expression.
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Comments (Show all 61)
Robert Turner said
at 12:44 pm on Jan 27, 2012
Creativity by itself isn't dangerous. It can be defined as " the use of imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of artistic work". That sounds harmless enough. What people do with their original ideas can certainly threaten the status quo. Regarding our educational culture, the drumbeat of the "math and science" mantra can strike fear in the heart of parents who want their offspring to find employment in the U.S economy. What will junior do if he fails at math and science? Cutting art, music, and library services while stressing the so-called basic skills is common and makes sense if a pool of compliant workers is the goal, but is short-sighted if we are mindful of the power of art education. Art and play create joy, joy helps us learn and removes barriers to learning.
Christy Flugga said
at 1:01 pm on Jan 27, 2012
First, I agree with what you mentioned from the Daniel Pink presentation and remember that all too well through out my educational experiences. I don't think our school systems have changed all that much regarding to students worries about "what will be on the test". Last semester at Bemidji State was the first time I didn't worry! :) Both Dr. Anderson and Bridges told us what to study and Dr. B even gave us a study guide for us to fill out and drill on. I had confidence for the first time regarding what would be on the test.
Second, Yes I see your point with the escape from Math or Science, but art can be used within these classes as well can't they? Creativity can be used in any project a student designs can't it?
Patricia Penney said
at 3:08 pm on Jan 28, 2012
Christy, YES! Art can be used in Math and Science!
Christy Flugga said
at 1:04 pm on Jan 27, 2012
The powers that be and want to remain having control can only have such control to a certain degree. If there is a demand to not have art cut within a district or community then it is up to said community to take part of that control back. I do not mean by voting power alone either. I mean that they can petition with as many signatures as they can possibly get to keep or add these classes. I have seen it in action and it is in their best interests to follow what the community and district wants!
Christy Flugga said
at 1:07 pm on Jan 27, 2012
My dad had a saying about that, "Want in one hand and sh*t in the other and see what fills up faster!" Haha still makes me laugh :0 Now with that being said to we as a society try and change this or keep giving the ruling class exactly what they want? Unfortunately coming together as a society isn't something the US has ever been able to do, but we can change things within our own communities can't we?
Christy Flugga said
at 1:11 pm on Jan 27, 2012
Answer- We can be little zombie ant drowns that do the same thing day in day out and do not question anything because that is what we were put on this earth to do.
This is my thoughts on the why, but I am absolutely against this type of oppression in our schools and society!
Christy Flugga said
at 1:12 pm on Jan 27, 2012
Being creative allows for creative thinking and thinking outside of the box!
masla@crocker.com said
at 2:03 pm on Jan 27, 2012
This line is the theme repeated by Many of you, and Prof. B should be proud - Cutting art, music, and library services while stressing the so-called basic skills is common and makes sense if a pool of compliant workers is the goal, but is short-sighted if we are mindful of the power of art education. Actually our whole education system, if you excuse my bluntness -is ass backward, designed for a pool of compliant workers and those that will not question what is fed to them on Fox "News". You can teach all of the subjects, Science, Math, Languages - Etc. through an Extensive Art Based Foundation - And be more effective too. If done properly, you are also teaching the essence of values and morality and dare I say Spirituality, -all this with out any religious or sectarian dogmas or doctrine. Small example: When one understands, through both logic, intuition and experiential application -feeling, (the Art Process), that every action one takes, (every mark on the paper, color, shape etc. on the canvas, etc. etc.) effects the Whole, -that the individual is a part of - not separate from the creation, (Nature) around them,- that is in the constant process of creating, of which they are and have a part in -one realizes that each action has a consequence. One would logically choose not to abuse "the Other",(wether that be person or thing), because "The Other" is part of ones -self. So to answer your question Christy, from my perspective, Art, the process of creation, is totally universal, but is dependent on the proper education. con't.
masla@crocker.com said
at 2:03 pm on Jan 27, 2012
... As pointed out above, a scalpel in the hands of a surgeon can heal, in the hands of madman can kill. Art has been used through out history in this way - the church used, (uses) it as propaganda and control, (as does our present media, although much subtler and more sophisticated) - renaissance artists began to use it for the expansion of knowledge and humanism, actually the rebirth of science and math as we know it began with them, (i.e. see Brunellschi, or look at Da Vinci, -Michelangelos anatomical drawings, (at the risk of his life from the church for dissecting cadavers) are so accurate they are still used in some medical schools. - and then you have the pendulum swinging the other way with the Nazi's, etc. etc.
So if you stick to the stimulation of free creative thought, through exercises that empower both direct observation, intuitive response, critical thinking and visual thinking, your headed in the right direction... this is obviously a subject that would involve much more detail than I can give in the short time I have now - keep exploring, You are all headed in the right direction.
emily.rogosheske@live.bemidjistate.edu said
at 2:13 pm on Jan 27, 2012
I don't think creativity is dangerous as well. Sure, there are times where people use their creativity for horrible things like hurting others. However, creativity also brings beauty into the world. It is what individuals use to make the world tolerable to live in. I think as educators it is important to push students creativity and let them know that they should never let go of creating.
kathryn.bolin@live.bemidjistate.edu said
at 2:14 pm on Jan 27, 2012
I believe that a lot of students learning is being driven by extrinsic forces which is stamping out creativity. Creativity is one of the very things that will help provide a student with intrinsic motivations in learning. Students will study to get a A or to pick a treat out of the box, but what will they remember? When they are truly learning, because of intrinsic motivations, I believe they are doing it for themselves and will remember more. When I think of creativity, I think of art. But creativity can be utilized in all subjects. It will keep the children interested.
I believe that arts are one of the first to be cut because school has never moved as fast as society. In this competitive world and fast moving society, school has almost become stagnant in comparison. When the budget 'experts' make cuts, I believe a lot of them believe that education still stems from the 'three R's'.
emily.rogosheske@live.bemidjistate.edu said
at 2:19 pm on Jan 27, 2012
Art has the power to do a lot. It has the power to let individuals express themselves and feel better about whatever is bothering them or exciting them. Art also has the power to teach core subjects in a more abstract way for those learners who don't understand lectures. Art also lets students be creative in every aspect of their learning and life. I think that it is the first thing to get cut because as a society we don't care how one is feeling. We are a power country that wants to get ahead and people see the only way of getting there is through rigorous, intense education. This is so wrong on all accounts because there are many people who don't learn this way.
renee.deegan@live.bemidjistate.edu said
at 2:33 pm on Jan 27, 2012
Art is the most important subject taught because it promotes free will. If students shut out their creative thinking they become useless to themselves and useful to everyone else. Like Pink talks about, many left brain thinking jobs are being outsourced. If you are only good at things that can also be done by a machine, or completed from remote locations, you are at the mercy of others. When you can think on your feet, create something from the ground up, and dream big, you are prisoner to no one. You have the ability to create and re-create your own destiny at will.
I think some of the "angry elite" want to remove our creative chip to avoid what I mentioned above. For us to fit in their perfect technologically advanced bubble we need to be like silly puddy. Having our own creative thoughts and feelings makes us too hard to manipulate and control. I truly believe we are on a forced self destructive path that will only benefit the top 1% of the world. As long as we are educated to work in a systematic like fashion we can keep the queen bee happy and have the illusion of being happy ourselves. We are brainwashed into thinking we need the latest cars, gadgets, and clothing. Once we have these things we are happy right? So it justifies our possible unhappiness and self sacrifice professionally because we can maybe get these golden nuggets.
emily.rogosheske@live.bemidjistate.edu said
at 2:38 pm on Jan 27, 2012
I think that this has a lot of truth to it. Let's look at it from a different, yet similar angle, school. There are many students, myself included, that don't want to do work or learn something without purpose. Sure, the teacher can threaten with a grade or bonus points but it's not going to make me do it. What is going to make me do it is if I see that there is a purpose behind it. Therefore, I think there are times where teachers need to take off the pressures of grades and deadlines and just let students create and work for a purpose.
Breanna kalal said
at 3:12 pm on Jan 27, 2012
Teaching children creativity is a critical skill. With out creativity, how will ideas for new experiments take place or new marketing ideas? Our society thrives on creativity, always coming up with new and better ways to do things. Will our society be able to make advancements without new and creative ideas? Isn't the purpose of schooling to educate people in the hopes that they will go out into the world and make a difference? Schools are so focused on math, reading, and science and passing state testing to meet standards. It shouldn't just be about what knowledge students obtain but also how they utilize that knowledge that makes a difference. Teaching student how to engage in creativity through classes like art builds a foundation and appreciation for creativity that spreads into the rest of what students do. Why do educators, state legislator and our government not see the power and potential for teaching art?
Breanna kalal said
at 3:27 pm on Jan 27, 2012
Employers who motive people through bonuses take away the essence of true creativity. Creativity cannot be demanded or requested. It is not a switch that people have that can be turned off and on. Creativity comes when an individual feels engaged and happy with their work. If given the correct environment of freedom and support, creativity blossoms and grows naturally. To cultivate these kinds of individuals that go out into the work force with intrinsic motivation for success, educators need to embrace the inquiry and creativity of exploration of our students.
Barbara Bridges said
at 7:57 pm on Jan 27, 2012
OK... How do you like titled "Untitled" ???
masla@crocker.com said
at 8:07 pm on Jan 27, 2012
The current state of education, for the most part, (and certainly not helped by standardized testing), is to fill the student up with facts, (90% of which they will likely forget and never use) - Real education however involves teaching a student how to think, how to ask intelligent questions, to explore and be thirsty, not just for knowledge, but for understanding and wisdom. This is possible thru an Extensive Art Based Foundation that empowers the student with direct observation, intuitive response, critical thinking and visual thinking.
Patricia Penney said
at 3:20 pm on Jan 28, 2012
Having just attended Science,Technology,Engineering, and Mathematics training yesterday for work I am excited to read your posts and comment! Our curriculum is based on a 5-point process which incorporates many of the principles you mention. The process is Ask- Imagine- Plan- Create- Improve. Having always been a somewhat creative person I can see the many possibilities of this process! It seems very similar to the creative process when attempting to create Art. The STEM program also gives real world applications to the content that the students are learning for better understanding and usage.
Glenn D'Amour said
at 8:08 pm on Jan 27, 2012
Science and Math are the nuts and bolts of building and inventing but without creativity it would be finite and bland. Add creativity and it can be infinite and exciting and go in anyway that Science and Math will allow it.
Manuel Cuevas said
at 9:05 pm on Jan 27, 2012
People have elected representatives to decide how education should be funded. It has been decided that schools and teachers will be judged on student performance in reading, writing, math and science. We have lost track of what the ultimate objectives of education is suppose to be and we simply want to see "results". There is no room for creativity. Without creativity we lose out on developing the brain power that leads to creation and innovation. We need to break the mold of Manufacturing students and allow our children to obtain their full potential. We need to stop labeling free thinkers and status quo challengers as deviants and trouble makers. We as teachers have the power and responsibility to help our students to express their creativity and think outside the box. Art is a perfect expression of creativity. Creativity is dangerous because it is a pandora's box; But it is well worth the risk.
Kirstin Melaas said
at 9:07 pm on Jan 27, 2012
This is what you get when you combine art and math...http://youtu.be/hlsfBqH7KG8 Alexander Calder was a hydraulics and automotive engineer and also a sculptor since childhood. The synthesis of these two disciplines give us some lasting works of art that show not only artistic creativity but mathematical as well.
Kirstin Melaas said
at 9:15 pm on Jan 27, 2012
Buckminster Fuller is also a great example of a mathematician/engineer who's creativity provided us with the geodesic dome design that can be found in home and commercial design. He created a structure that was easy to assemble and yet incredibly strong. Even though art was not first in his thinking about design there is a quote of his that shows the necessity of it.
"When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I've finished, if the solution isn't beautiful, I know it's wrong." Buckminster Fuller
masla@crocker.com said
at 9:52 pm on Jan 27, 2012
"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination."..."After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are artists as well"...."It is nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of education have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry... It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty"....""All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual."..."The value of an education in a liberal arts college is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think of something that cannot be learned from textbooks."..."The emotional state that leads to achievements resembles that of a worshipper or the lover."..."When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge."..."In art, and in the higher ranges of science, there is a feeling of harmony which underlies all endeavor. There is no true greatness in art or science without that sense of harmony."..."A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."..."Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."..."Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world...
masla@crocker.com said
at 9:52 pm on Jan 27, 2012
masla@crocker.com said
at 9:53 pm on Jan 27, 2012
..."We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality."..."The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." - all of the Above - Albert Einstein
masla@crocker.com said
at 9:59 pm on Jan 27, 2012
one last one..."It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." (Albert Einstein)
Sarah Cottingham said
at 10:56 pm on Jan 27, 2012
I was actually engaged in what was being discussed. I wanted to pay attention. This shows you what creativity can bring to the table. The days of rote memorization and mindless lectures SHOULD be a thing of the past. It is going to be up to us as the teachers of tomorrow to ensure that it does not continue with us. If students are engaged and are provoked to think, encouraged to question and create, and are provided information in a way that leaves them wanting more- it will be less of a struggle when it comes to recalling the information. We remember the fun lessons we had in school, not the ones that we slept through.
Students deserve to be creative, teachers deserve to be creative.
Sarah Cottingham said
at 11:15 pm on Jan 27, 2012
The arts cannot be used as a comparable subject to other nations. We have proven that the United States is slipping (embarrassingly so) further down the number line in comparison to countries that do not even have the resources that we do- gasp. Students cannot be told that their art or creativity is incorrect because art is so subjective and personal. If you can't measure it, it must not be important right? That is exactly what is wrong with the nation that we have created. We compare ourselves to others to be like them or have them be like us. "It's the "American" way". We live with the insanity that fewer brain breaks and more sage on the stage is the answer to our problem. We have government officials (on all sides of the political lines) who have no idea what students need saying what they think they know students can do without. We need to be the ones who figure out how to work within our boundaries and push them at the same time.
Patricia Penney said
at 2:55 pm on Jan 28, 2012
Creativity is not dangerous! It is what we are, think of our ancestors who created our nation or the immigrants who came to our country to create a new and better life for themselves if they weren't creative they would have failed! Creativity in the classroom is essential. From creative and engaging lessons, working with a budget, to connecting with students and families in a collaborative way. If we don't have creativity we all fail!
Patricia Penney said
at 3:05 pm on Jan 28, 2012
I think the reason Art is being removed from school curriculums is because it appears no essential and because Art is subjective, it is hard to grade if someone is truly creating are for creative purposes. Our school is currently becoming a STEM school and one would think it would completely eliminate Art as a result but our district has brought in an Art teacher where there wasn't one and it is essential to STEM. This is why, STEM is about being creative and creating and to encourage children to go through the creative process using different materials.
Jennifer Kaufenberg said
at 8:27 pm on Jan 28, 2012
Our school is focusing on fine and applied arts (art, music, etc), this also includes STEM, Shop Classes and technology classes. All of these content areas appear to be on opposite sides of the educational spectrum - however, they are inter connected by creativity!
Glenn D'Amour said
at 8:43 pm on Jan 28, 2012
If you can encourage a student to be creative you can unleash a sense of satisfaction, therefore I need to learn more. The teacher should do everything they can to ensure the student understands the fundamentals of the subject before they unleash the creativity or yes, it could be dangerous. Can you imagine if one of my culinary students decided to use baking soda instead of cornstarch?
Jennifer Kaufenberg said
at 9:25 am on Jan 29, 2012
Could you teach fundamentals using creative means? Would this allow the teacher to reach more students?
michelle.pautzke@live.bemidjistate.edu said
at 2:17 pm on Jan 30, 2012
Trying to teach the students to "look outside the box" for creativity is good!
Manuel Cuevas said
at 10:06 pm on Jan 28, 2012
I found a list of ideas to teach for creativity at http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/teaching_creativity.php . My favorite is to allow mistakes. Trial and error is important for learning and innovation.
Robert Turner said
at 11:11 pm on Jan 29, 2012
Having purpose as a teacher and inviting students to reveal theirs somehow opens new pathways. It's kind of exciting and, oddly, it makes me think of being five years old again in my sandbox, my one haven from my sister, where I could do whatever I want. I guess we just want to be human.
michelle.pautzke@live.bemidjistate.edu said
at 2:12 pm on Jan 30, 2012
I think the more creative the student is the more outgoing the student probably is. It seems to me students that are quiet and shy usually want to make the project they way the teacher wants it to make sure they are doing it perfect, according to what they think the teacher thinks is perfect.
michelle.pautzke@live.bemidjistate.edu said
at 2:18 pm on Jan 30, 2012
It seems like the older we are or the way we were taught at a younger age, will show how creative you can be. I know I am not creative at all. I hope with the current classes and future classes, my creativity opens up.
michelle.pautzke@live.bemidjistate.edu said
at 2:20 pm on Jan 30, 2012
After taking the "specialty" classes last semester, I realized how much the specialty classes mean and much more the students can learn.
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