Human freedom involves our capacity to pause, to choose the one response toward which we wish to throw our weight. Rollo May

PAUSETo suspend action temporarily; to hesitate; to linger

A FEW THOUGHTS ON:

• BEING AN ART TEACHER

• BEING A ‘CREATIVE’ SENIOR LEADER

• SHARING PRACTICE

Do I create the gaps for students to:• think deeply

• ‘play’ & practice• struggle & persist

• observe, question, reflect & practice• be themselves

• support each other & forge friendships• consider how brilliant they could be

Why do I keep a website / blog?:

• A helpful resource for students• Celebrates student work• Demonstrates self as a reflective practitioner to students

• Reflective process• Helps organize thoughts (and words)• Can provide valuable feedback (though honest, constructive

feedback can be in short supply)

• A resource and prompt for department team• An emerging sense that it might be useful to others

Creativity prospers best where there is a flow of ideas between people with different sorts of

expertise, and an atmosphere of risk-taking and experimentation are encouraged…

DOES SOCIAL MEDIA PROVIDE US WITH THIS? OR ARE WE MORE LIKELY TO…

• Mix with like-minded people (who say nice things rather than challenge);

• ‘Borrow’ ideas too easily – compromise opportunities to: discover by accident; experiment for ourselves; search & think deeper; struggle

• Become formulaic in our approaches

A sustained change in our T&L culture will not take place through policies and ‘initiatives’; it will take place through people - through colleagues, collaborating as teachers and learners…

“Certain environments have a greater density of interaction and provide more excitement and a greater effervescence of ideas – therefore they prompt the person who is inclined to break away from conventions more readily”

MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI

PAUSE