How to Become More Creative in Sociology

The art lesson plan developed is for 12 th -grade students. The lesson aims to give the learners a chance to become creative and develop skills in videography. Through the lesson, they will explore the environment, make inquiries and search for answers hence acquire knowledge. Through the lesson, students will be able to develop and show their artistic skills and verbal communication. The lesson will apply an inquiry-based teaching and learning approach. Inquiry-based learning entails presenting questions or scenarios instead of giving developed facts or showing a smooth or effortless path to acquiring knowledge (Erokhina, 2019). This approach is useful in small projects like the one in the lesson plan where students will make small videos. The teacher will act as a facilitator throughout the lesson. Through this approach, learners will be able to think critically and creatively in making their small projects a success. 

The approach is considered one of the most effective because it focuses on skills development and nurturing of inquiry behaviors. It is different from the traditional approach to instruction which focuses on content mastery. The traditional approach is teacher-centered. The instructor provides information on what is already known, and the learners are the receivers (Krogh & Morehouse, 2020). Besides, it focuses on the importance of a single correct answer/solution/way of doing things, and it is more concerned about preparing learners for the coming grade level and success within the school environment. An inquiry-based learning teaching approach was selected for the lesson because it will help the students understand to learn in life. 

The approach is suitable for the lesson because it will allow students to apply technology in their projects. The traditional approach to learning encourages closed systems in teaching and learning where knowledge is filtered in levels to learners. Therefore, utilization of resources is restricted to the ones that are available within the classroom or school environment. Moreover, students learn about technology instead of its application to better learning. However, the inquiry-based approach focuses on learning and applying content as a way of developing the ability to process information and solve problems (Taylor, 2006). The approach will help the teacher implement student-centered strategies to instruction and learning. The focus will be on how an individual comes to know and less on the information or what is already known. Learners will be actively involved in knowledge formulation. The more a learner is interested and involved in a topic or project, the more it is easier for him/her to develop deeper and broad knowledge. The lesson’s assessment will focus on identifying the progress made in developing skills and understanding of subject content. Also, the inquiry will focus on both in-school achievement and long-life learning. 

Rationale for the Lesson Plan 

Context Description 

As previously mentioned, the teacher will apply inquiry-based instruction to facilitate the completion of projects. The approach can be used in students of any age. The students in the classroom are between the ages of seventeen and twenty years. According to Logan (2018), older students can benefit more from inquiry-based teaching and learning because they have the ability to address more complicated questioning and projects. Therefore, a spirit and motivation for inquiry can be built effectively in the lesson activities. Besides, the approach is appropriate for a small classroom. Using inquiry can broaden the learner’s perspectives when engaging in projects. Besides, students can work together with the teacher to stimulate the continuous development of learning that is meaningful in different contexts. The objective of the approach is to engage the art learners in a challenging inquiry project as a way of stimulating understanding of art curriculum and knowledge application in the real world. 

Students will work on individual projects to develop and improve their creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Learning through projects helps students develop the skills needed to live in a world that is highly technological. Project-based learning s innovative and puts emphasis on cooperation during the learning process. Learners are able to make tangible outcomes to demonstrate what they have learned/ the knowledge gained (Larmer et al., 2015). Learners apply technology and inquiry to address complicated issues or challenges. Besides, working on projects will promote student-centered inquiry and learning within groups while the teacher acts as a facilitator. The method effectively helps learners have an experience of real-world application of the concepts learned in the classroom. According to Harada et al. (2008), the PBL activities are almost similar to those experienced in real-world activities and duties done by professionals instead of classroom-based activities. Consequently, the teacher can promote interdisciplinary ideas and help students play different roles, and develop the expertise required beyond the classroom setting or the individual projects. 

Projects allow learners to develop multiple solutions. Besides, they equip learners with important 21 st -century skills such as the use of technological tools, critical thinking, and a strong ability to communicate effectively, visualization, and research, among others. By combining these skills, learners become their managers throughout the learning process as the skilled teacher guides and mentor them. According to Larmer et al. (2015), project-based learning and technology give new relevance to teaching and learning. By introducing real-life scenarios in the curriculum through projects, learners are encouraged to become independent workers, learners throughout their lives, and critical thinkers. Moreover, project-based learning is not just a means of learning/acquiring knowledge. It is also a way of learning how to collaborate with others. When learners become responsible for their individual learning, they lay a foundation of how they will work with other people in the future. Also, the assessment used in this learning method is authentic, and it enables the teacher to make a systematic analysis of the learner’s progress and achievement. 

According to Ardaan & Lozzo (2021), when the teachers use technology tools, they get better productivity levels, expand students’ learning opportunities, and enhance their support and engagement. Therefore, using computers and cameras during the lesson will make the learners more engaged, support their learning, and provide them with more opportunities to grow their art learning opportunities. Besides, the teacher can enhance his/her instruction strategies and provide personalized learning to students. Donahue et al. (2009) argue that integration of technology in learning can promote collaboration between learners and between them and the teacher. Students can engage with each other. In the lesson, students will share the results of their individual projects with their partners and provide and receive peer feedback which could be used to improve the final outcome. Therefore, they work together to solve any problems in their partner’s projects through sharing ideas and providing support to one another. They learn from each other too. Lemon (2015) states that using technology can enhance interaction with teachers, and students are able to ask questions related to subject learned in the classroom and get more help in areas they find difficult to understand. Besides, learners can upload their assignments from anywhere, and the teacher can have access to and see their completed projects from their computers. 

The use of technology tools/resources in learning can cause inquisitiveness in learners and improve their curiosity. Existing evidence indicates that inquisitiveness is linked to success in academics. Curiosity can help art students develop a better understanding of art concepts. Besides, it makes the teacher more productive and efficient. Students have access to the most recent information, and they have a valuable artistic encounter. This is associated with new opportunities for being creative, communication, diversity in art, sharing different ideas, and inspiration (Loveland, 2012). Leaning institutions have always tried to give learners realistic encounters of technology by taking them for field trips and other co-curriculum activities. According to Santrock (2007), a learner’s creative ability can be promoted through positive encounters such as field trips to places such as art galleries. However, such activities remain as academic instruction, and it is often challenging to integrate them because of various problems or issues. Technology helps by providing a solution to these issues (McComas, 2014). It presents new chances for learning environments through presenting real-world issues in the classroom for learners to investigate and address. 

Using technology tools will not only help students have an active learning environment to meet curriculum goals, but it will equip them with the skills they require to address their issues. To ensure that students have acquired more information relevant to the curriculum, they need to have information from different resources, including the use of search engines to look for information on the internet (Taylor, 2006). In art, the internet offers a real opportunity for learners to see and learn about works of art on diverse cultures. The art teacher can have multiple resources like curriculum ideas that might change and improve art instruction by integrating visual resources in the instruction and learning process (Ursyn, 2018). Learners can make and send their art items to other students in other parts of the world, which provides an opportunity for sharing inspiration. This is essential in meaningful artistic experience and creativity. As learners explore, they become more active. For the art teacher, technology can help in creating awareness of new art tools, including software and paint, among others. 

The use of technology is appropriate in helping English language learners (ELL) understand art concepts. Verbal language plays a significant role in art instruction. As a result, ELLs might find it difficult to understand some concepts do limited ability to understand and communicate in English. Literature, discussion, and writing is conducted in English throughout the lesson. Using technology during the lesson can provide visual-audio aspects that can help the English language learners to understand concepts during the lesson. According to Egbert & Abobaker (2018), although most teachers see art classes as welcoming environments for English language learners, they should acknowledge the need for adaptations to meet the instruction and learning needs of these learners with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Different researchers in art education propose different pedagogical adaptations to work with English language learners. For example, Egbert & Abobaker (2018) proposes the application of cooperative learning and technology as a way of enhancing knowledge acquisition in English language learners. Through cooperation in groups, learning aspects that a student could be more familiar with due to culture can provide an environment that is less anxious for the ELLs as well as all the other students. Visual cues which can be enhanced or provided through technology can help English language learners follow instruction and understand the art-making process (Yenawine, 2003). Through art-making using technology, they can express themselves and their feelings. 

Justification for Chosen Learning Activities 

The lesson’s purpose is to allow 12th-grade art learners to be creative and practice videography. Through the activities, students are given a chance to make a short video with a narrative. The introduction will cultivate interest and motivation in learners. It helps students focus their attention on the lesson and its various objectives (Savage, 2014). Besides, it helps convince students that the lesson is beneficial to them. In my teaching career, I have learned several strategies to introduce a lesson or do a warm-up before a lesson begins. Among the most effective are asking the learners questions to help them think about the lesson’s topic, present pictures related to the topic, and narrating a story that demonstrates the importance of a topic (Butt, 2006). Besides, presenting real items related to the lesson’s topic is an interesting and good way to introduce a topic. For this assignment’s lesson plan, asking questions was identified as the best way to introduce the lesson. It is an inquiry-based lesson hence the need to help students start thinking about the topic through asking them questions. Questions will make them think of the various perspective of the identified objects using personification. It will develop an interest in the topic and make them aware of what to expect in the course of the lesson. 

I feel that sharing the videos using a computer program is fun, and it will help them learn how to use technology in their art. Today, technology is integrated into different areas of the art process, and introducing it to the learners is essential for their ability to live in the current 21 st century (Allen & Van der Velden). Technology skills are needed in almost all areas of life, and art is not an exemption. However, it is important to establish a balance between technology implementation and the traditional artistic process. Therefore, the teacher should always be aware of the best practices and strategies to integrate technology in art lessons. For example, the teacher used the Turn-Around Technology Integration Pedagogy and Planning (TTIPP) model to identify the best technology that matches the learners’ needs for the lesson and to address any learning problems that exist in the classroom. Apart from promoting the development of the 21 st -century skills required in learning, the teacher anticipated that technology integration in the lesson would provide more excitement in the art room as students make their short videos and make narratives. 

The lesson’s activities promote critical and creative thinking. As students think of the different perspectives of the objects selected for the project and develop complete the lesson’s activities, they will be required to think critically and be creative in making their videos. As a result, the artistic experience will not only be exciting but simplified and real too. Besides, asking learners to provide feedback for their peers’ work will make them apply critical thinking abilities to provide a constructive critique. The peer feedback activity will help in developing and improvement of critical thinking skills in the students. Besides, it will contribute to the self-esteem of English language learners in the class. Besides, through the lesson activities, learners will have a chance to reflect on areas they find difficult and apply problem-solving skills with the teacher’s help to address them. The resources proposed for the lesson are available both in the classroom, school, and home environments of the learners. The resources will give the students a solid foundation for basic video-making skills before moving to more complicated skills and aspects of the art of video-making. 

Reflective Report 

In this reflective section, the following questions will be addressed in conducting a self-evaluation of the lesson while considering the feedback provided by classmates. 

What went well as anticipated in the lesson and why? 

The lesson’s introduction, object identification, and taking of video shots went well as planned. It means that the students understood all the instructions provided and implemented them in these stages. After making the lesson introduction, the students were so excited and demonstrated a lot of enthusiasm for the project. Besides, all the video cameras and computers used during the project functioned well, and there were no troubleshooting issues. None of them caused issues with the learners or affected their project execution process. This must have been the most exciting class for me and the most active in terms of art projects. 

What did not go well? Why? 

The English language learners found it difficult to use the video-sharing program because it was set in English only. The installed program did not have an option for interpretation into other languages such as Spanish to help the learners understand directions better. As a result, the ELLs required the teachers’ intervention to interpret most of the information on the program. Therefore, this category of students did not have independent activities as much as their peers who had no problems in understanding the English language. 

Was the lesson student-centered as expected? 

The lesson was student-centered. The focus and emphasis of the instructional methods used, technological programs and tools, learning encounters, and support techniques were on the different learning needs of the students, their interests, and cultural backgrounds. The teacher acted as a facilitator and allowed the learners to explore different ideas to develop unique pieces of art. Through peer feedback before submitting their final projects for assessment to the teacher, students were able to learn from one another and use the feedback provided to improve their work. Besides, they were allowed to learn from experiences as well as active participation in the lesson. The teacher was involved in nurturing their curiosity as they asked different questions in the process of completing their small projects. 

Moreover, the learners can apply what they had learned in authentic experiences that were almost similar to the real-life application of the concepts or knowledge acquired (Crumly, 2014). The teacher provided frequent feedback to students as they continued with their work. The feedback was personalized based on the learning needs of each student and the challenges faced. Besides, they obtained feedback from each other when the teacher asked them to share their completed work with their partners. While doing so, they also had a chance to explain concepts to one another hence promote understanding as well as creativity. Communication between the students and between them and the teacher was regular and encouraged. Engagement in students was identified as learners were able to implement most of the instructions and directions provided by the teacher in their unique ways. The videos made by the students were amazing. They demonstrated a lot of creativity, and most of them were beyond the teacher’s expectations. This was also identified by peers with whom the videos were shared. Some peers proposed a better and easier program for the lesson because the one that was used was a bit complicated. 

What could have been done in a different way? 

A computer program that has an option of translation to other languages could have made the learning experience better for the English language learners. I felt that they did not enjoy the experience and understood as much as their peers who are fluent in English. Besides, classroom arrangement could have been better to allow adequate working space for all the students. Some tables had more than two students, and they seemed to have a limited space to comfortably work on their projects. 

What lesson was learned from the experience in implementing the lesson plan? 

Effective implementation of technology can enhance and simplify the artistic process. However, it is essential to consider the potential challenges that technology integration might present and mitigate them. 

References 

Allen, J.P. & Van der Velden R. K. (2012). Skills for the 21st century: Implications foreducation.  https://doi.org/10.26481/umaror.2012011 

Ardalan, S., & Iozzo, C. A. (2021). Art and technology: Innovative K-12 digital lessons. 

Boss, S., & Larmer, J. (2018). Project based teaching: How to create rigorous and engaging learning experiences. ASCD. 

Butt, G. (2006). Lesson planning. A&C Black. 

Crumly, C. L. (2014). Student-centered versus teacher-centered learning. Pedagogies forStudent-Centered Learning, 3-20.  https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt9m0skc.5 

Donahue-Wallace, K., Follette, L. L., & Pappas, A. (2009). Teaching art history with newtechnologies: Reflections and case studies. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 

Egbert, J., & Abobaker, R. (2018). Opportunities for engaging young English language learners through technology use. Advances in Early Childhood and K-12 Education, 158-176.  https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3123-4.ch009 

Erokhina, E. L. (2019). Communicative environment of inquiry-based learning at school.  https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2019.09.02.36 

Harada, V. H., Kirio, C. H., & Yamamoto, S. H. (2008). Collaborating for project-based learning in grades 9-12. Linworth Publishing. 

Krogh, S. L., & Morehouse, P. (2020). Inquiry-based learning. The Early Childhood Curriculum, 94-126.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429280764-6 

Larmer, J., Mergendoller, J., & Boss, S. (2015). Setting the standard for project based learning. ASCD. 

Lemon, N. (2015). Revolutionizing arts education in K-12 classrooms through technological integration. IGI Global. 

Logan, R. (2018). Approaches to learning and teaching art & design: A toolkit for international teachers. Cambridge University Press. 

Loveland, T. (2012). Educational technology and technology education. Technology Education for Teachers, 115-136.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-161-0_6 

McComas, W. F. (2014). 21 st -century skills. The Language of Science Education, 1-1.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-497-0_1 

Santrock. (2007). Educational psychology. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. 

Savage, J. (2014). Lesson planning: Key concepts and skills for teachers . Routledge. 

Taylor, P. G. (2006). Interdisciplinary approaches to teaching art in high school. National Art Education Assn. 

Ursyn, A. (2018). Visual approaches to cognitive education with technology integration. IGI Global. 

Yenawine, P. (2003). Jump starting visual literacy: Thoughts on image selection . Art Education, 56 (1), 6-12. 

Appendix I 

Lesson Plan 

Learning Context: The art lesson plan is for 12 th -grade learners. The class was comprised of twelve students. Four of them are English language learners (ELL). One of the students uses a wheelchair. The learners are between the ages of seventeen and twenty years. The lesson builds on their past knowledge of using technology in art-making. 

Individual Lesson Aims: 

The aim of the entire lesson is to give the learners an opportunity to be creative and practice videography. Learners will be able to consider perspectives from their surroundings. Students will make a short video accompanied by sound, giving the perspective of a non-living object. Learners will be expected to demonstrate creativity in their artistic skills and in verbal communication use.

Materials: (acknowledge published sources) 

Video cameras  Computers

Anticipated problems and solutions: ( eg ss’ previous knowledge, setting up activities, organising the room) 

Some students might experience difficulties when using the video sharing program on the computer. The teacher will provide assistance to individual students who experience difficulties.

Stage	Aim / Purpose		Interaction  Pattern
Opening/Introduction  Lesson implementation/body  Wrap-up  Evaluation	The teacher will ask all the learners to sit on the floor and look at the world around them from that position. Ask them what they see as unique or strange from that position. Inform the students that this is what the project they will accomplish during the lesson is about.  Ask students to choose a non-living object within the school or class.  Make video shots from the object’s perspective.  Provide a commentary of how the object could think of the world (personification).  Ask learners to share their videos with their partners for feedback. Ask them to share the videos with the teacher.  A rubric will be used	2 hours	Student-teacher interaction and student-student interaction