Download: CS-For-Schools (38)
There’s much more to intelligence than academic ability and much more to education that developing it. If there were not more to intelligence than this, most of human culture with its complex fabric of scientific, technological, artistic, economic and social enterprises would never have happened.
Sir Ken Robinson, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative
There is a major shift happening today in the way we live our lives and run our society. As the world becomes faster, smaller and more connected, skills and abilities that were prized in a previous generation – those based on academic intelligence – are fast being replaced by the ability to think creatively. Employers are looking for people who embody this new way of being and yet many of our schools are still training young people for the world of yesterday. Aside from employment opportunities, the emphasis on Academic training in schools can squash the natural talents of many young people, shutting down the very abilities that are so valuable for a successful and happy life. In many of our schools, challenging social and economic conditions often exacerbate this problem and the lack of creative stimulus can mean that students act out or give up. Teachers and staff can also find themselves trapped in the narrow confines of what is expected by higher authorities and find that their own creativity is being shut down. In many ways schools are reflecting the issues of our wider society – in the face of larger populations and greater complexity we can all find ourselves wondering where we fit in.
THE CIRCULAR SOUNDS PROCESS
The CS Process answers the question “Is there another way to look at this” by inviting you to apply it to any aspect of your life that challenges or holds you back. With the use of our six elements
LANGUAGE – COLOUR – SHAPE – SOUND – MOVEMENT – FEELINGS
you explore these challenges by transforming them from one element to the other through different creative media. This enables you to gain new insights with each successive activity. These include:
Guided imagery – visualisation and relaxation techniques access thoughts and ideas you never knew you had.
Games – assimilate new skills and ideas through play and laughter, relaxing the nervous system so that creativity flows.
Mandala – uses shape and colour to draw upon inner awareness and represent the creative flow of ideas by literally building your transformation within the circle before you.
Exploring as a group
The focus of this process is individual exploration, but a great part of the value of CS is that this occurs in a group setting, allowing you to experience your creative contribution in successive levels of interaction with others. We work with the premise that action is fundamental to learning and once you have experimented with bringing your skills to a joint activity you will really understand how you can make a difference in the wider world.
NEEDS MET
CS is a training programme designed to benefit your school and all the people who work and study there. With particular emphasis on the school as community we will address the following needs:
Staff
- Developing a practical definition and understanding of Emotional Literacy
- An awareness of habitual or instinctive responses to the emotional triggers that may arise within the school environment
- Skills and tools in how to deal with vulnerable children and emotional literacy issues as they arise within the classroom
- An awareness of themselves as creative contributors to the development of the school as a community.
Students
- A sense of themselves as an individual, their place within their class, year group, the greater school community and how these interrelate.
- An awareness of themselves as creative contributors to the development of the school as a community.
- An awareness of themselves as learners, and how to make responsible choices for their learning.
- A creative curriculum and flexible teaching methods which cater for all styles of learning, e.g. visual, aural, kineasthetic, etc. that enable them to become effective learners.
- A way of learning that develops the skills of critical thinking in addition to the retention of information.
- An awareness of the place of learning in their lives, what it offers in a broader, continuing context, and what they may contribute to the process.
HOW CIRCULAR SOUNDS WILL MEET THOSE NEEDS
By asking the question “Is there another way to look at this?” in conjunction with our Six Elements, CS provides awareness of alternative ways to conceptualise any situation and academic subject. Our flexible programme can be used to address the needs of all parts of the school community:
Students:
In order to make sense of their world and to find their place within it, children are quick to ‘label’ and to accept labels from others. Without a firm sense of their own identity they can more easily be influenced by outside pressure, whether it be from their peer group, family, or other adults. As positive creativity is vital for building a strong and productive life, CS places a deep emphasis on self responsibility for choices made in life and the ability to respond to circumstances with confidence in those choices. CS aims to help young people to discover, and reflect, their ‘inner diamond’.
Teachers and Adult Staff:
Self Awareness is the greatest ally of any professional working with children – if they can foster this within themselves they are in a much better position to develop this within the children they support. Using the Six Elements of CS the process focuses on developing skills around listening, communication and emotional awareness, using creativity and games to understand and manage the triggers that arise through professional contact with children.
The School Community:
CS works best when all sections of the school community are involved, allowing teachers, students and ancillary staff to come together to learn about each other and how they fit into the wider whole. This is particularly useful in Transition classes, where students entering a new school environment benefit greatly from a creative and fun way of getting to know the people around them. This programme addresses the emotional literacy training needs of both teachers and students and will act as a catalyst for ongoing creative approaches to building a strong and
PROJECTED OUTCOMES
- a growing culture of creativity
- a cohesive school community
- classes and year groups that perform as supportive units
- confident people sure of their own worth and place within the whole
- a shared climate of enthusiasm and co-operation
- acceptance of differences and recognition of their enriching effect
As the school culture shifts away from valuing academic league tables, all members of the school community will be able to discover new ways to learn and teach. Removing the competitive element from the education system will transform your school into a community of highly functioning individuals, each open and responsive to the needs of the moment and aware of their value and place within the whole.
