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- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Description
The SolarSPELL is an offline, ruggedized, digital library, created by Dr. Laura Hosman for the U.S. Peace Corps. It has thousands of pieces of educational content that can be accessed through a self-contained Wi-Fi hotspot on the device itself. Currently, there are more than 200 deployed in several Pacific Island nations. After visiting one of these nations, Tonga, in December of 2016, I learned that almost all of the Peace Corps volunteers stationed around the Pacific Islands suffered from a lack of resources due to a variety of reasons. While the SolarSPELL helps to remedy that, the device is lacking classroom activities and resources for creative work and educational drama. Furthermore, for many students in these environments, schools are for learning information and producing high scores on exams, not for learning about creative strengths and identity. After researching curriculum development and the use of drama in an educational setting, I compiled over 50 pieces of content to include on the SolarSPELL involving art, drama, music, movement, and most importantly, imagination. These resources will allow Peace Corps volunteers to explore additional ways to teach English in their schools, while also creating a classroom environment that allows for creative expression. All the content is compiled into one folder as "Teaching Resources", and is then broken down into seven sub- categories. In the first sub-category, Art Projects, there is a collection of several hands-on projects, many of which involve recyclable or readily available materials. These projects will allow for a greater understanding of conservation and "green" living, concepts that are crucial to the stability of these island nations. The next 5 categories are Drama Readings, Music, Movement, and Video, Group Exercises, Creative Writing, and Worksheets. The second sub- category is a collection of beginner-level "Reader's Theater" scripts. The third sub-category involves music and video to engage students in movement activities. The fourth sub-category is a compilation of group games and activities to help students express themselves and learn social skills. The fifth sub-category includes a collection of activities such as fill-in-the-blank story worksheets and journal prompts which will aid in creative thinking and the practice of the English language. The sixth sub-category involves a collection of worksheets that mainly focus on self-reflection and identity. The seventh and final sub-category, Content Guide and Information, works to explain the benefits of using of drama and creative play in the classroom, as well as strategies teachers can implement in order to further engage their students in dramatic learning and play. Overall, these pieces of content are meant to be used as resources for the Peace Corps volunteers in order to provide alternative ways to practice reading, writing, and speaking the English language, a critical part of education in the Pacific Islands.
ContributorsTaylor, Amanda Nicole (Author) / Hosman, Laura (Thesis director) / McAvoy, Mary (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School for the Future of Innovation in Society (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Design Thinking is a popular topic and problem-solving method that is gaining attention and being used more and more often across disciplines in recent years such as “IT, Business, Education and Medicine” (Dorst, 2011). Its ability to address wicked problems, problems that are inherently complex and socially layered, has branded it an attractive and useful problem-solving method for a wide range of industries and consequently a wide range of problems. Its human centered and empathetic approach to addressing problems also paints design thinking to be an action-based method that works well with interdisciplinary teams in which all members have the same desired end. More recently, its use has expanded to the field of education and is being cited as a way to develop 21st century learners and redefine the field of education as a whole. This paper intends to examine design thinking in the context of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College of Arizona State University specifically. The goals of this paper are to define design thinking for the educational field, examine and analyze the methods of it use, as well as determine the purpose for exposing undergraduate education students to the process. Through expert interviews of faculty and staff members that were analyzed for common themes and other consistencies, an understanding of how the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College defines design thinking is obtained, as well as the various uses and applications of design thinking skills and process for the field of education. The paper describes multiple areas in which design thinking is being implemented internally, externally, and within teacher preparation curriculum through the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and details the four main reasons for exposing future teachers to design thinking practices and principles.
ContributorsScully, Hannah Marie (Author) / Morris, Katherine (Thesis director) / Silva, Alexandria (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / School for the Future of Innovation in Society (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05