Watch Video: Inspiring Creativity and Curiosity When Teaching Online
“What is a question that you don’t know the answer to, and that you aren’t sure has an answer at all?”
This past year has been like no other. As the pandemic hit, teachers were forced to move online and to adapt their teaching practices to the new virtual learning environment. Students and teachers settled into this routine quickly, but as time went on, it became hard to maintain the engagement that comes more easily in the classroom. Tips, tricks and tools emerged, including The Distance Learning Playbook by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, but what about a more abstract approach to inspire curiosity and creativity?
Enter Sarah Newman, Director of Art & Education at metaLAB at Harvard, and a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Working at the intersection of research and art, her work engages with technology’s role in human experience. In addition to her art practice, she is also a facilitator and educator, and leads customized workshops that use creative materials to address interdisciplinary research problems. Newman adapted these workshops last year to work in an online setting, and has been inspiring others to teach and learn with physical materials in virtual environments.
Intrigued? Watch this video, where Newman guides you through the process of setting up a similar workshop, leveraging art and design thinking to spark creativity and engagement.