This mindmap was created using the program, Popplet. It is a visual representation of the understandings which emerged while researching and developing a framework for the cultivation of creativity and imagination in education.
For more detailed information on each area on the main page, click on the speech bubble icon in the right corner of each ‘popplet’.
Please click on the link below to be taken to the mindmap.
http://popplet.com/app/Popplet_Alpha.swf?page_id=3228629&em=1
This video has been developed to inform and transform thinking about creativity and imagination in education for both students and teachers.
As the unit EDFD459 draws to a close, I have reflected back on the past 12 weeks and tried to identity 5 key moments that have stood out for me.
1. Salmon’s model of online learning
Learning about this model at the start of the unit really helped me to understand the process we go through when working in the online environment. In the beginning, I wondered if I would make it past level two. It was encouraging to see myself and others develop confidence and feel more comfortable contributing as the weeks went on.
2. Web 2.0 technology
It has been a very steep learning curve for me, becoming familiar with, and using, Web 2.0 technology over the past 12 weeks. I can hardly believe I have managed to set up a PLN, write posts, add images, embed videos, join Twitter (still finding that confusing), learn about programs I’d never even heard of such as Prezi, Amaze, Pearltrees, Piktochart, and put together an ePresentation.
3. The concept of liminal space
The idea of liminal space had never really occurred to me. I hadn’t even heard of the word. It just makes sense to me now that we are all living in this space at various times and it is what we do while here, our attitude towards being here and the meaning we gain that shapes our future. I found the forum conversations about our students being in the liminal space while learning, really interesting.
4. Becoming more informed about global issues
This unit required me to become more informed about global issues including the plight of the Syrian refugees. It has opened my eyes up to the suffering of fellow humans but also their resilience and the optimism they have for the future. I am sorry to say, I was a person who preferred not to know what was going on in the world as I thought it was too upsetting and sad. I would turn off Foreign Correspondent or SBS World News because it was too confronting.
I now want to know what is going on and try to make a difference, however small that might be. Through this unit, my children have been interested in what I am learning and we have talked about the refugee crisis and issues such as the education of girls. Maybe these conversations are the start of making a difference.
5. Being part of a Community of Practice
I have been inspired by the contributions of others during this unit. It has been wonderful to see relationships develop with people sharing their thoughts, challenging ideas, offering alternative views, helping out each other, providing support, in a very respectful and encouraging manner.
To my fellow learners, thank you for sharing your ideas, your helpful advice and the opportunity to learn along with you in the unit. With this being my first unit, I wasn’t sure what I was in for. Though the last 12 weeks have been challenging, I feel I have gained so much from this unit and taking part in this inspiring Community of Practice. Thank you Adam for guiding us through, for providing endless support but also for setting high expectations and pushing us to continue.
I wish you all the very best for the future and hopefully our paths will cross again as we continue on our learning journeys.
Children who are currently living as refugees will possibly be the generation to rebuild Syria. It is hoped that through education they will develop a range of skills and grow to be resourceful, resilient and positive citizens. They have lived through the horrors of conflict and war and hopefully through education, have learnt other ways of resolving conflict in a more peaceful way.
Education can provide children with neutral games and activities, where their focus is not on aligning with a certain group, fighting or conquering one side or another. Education can help children focus on more positive and less violent activities and thoughts.
According to the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) education is a productive way to address all of the issues that these children have and will be exposed to due to conflict. Informal education can be used to directly address non-violence, conflict resolution and peace while formal education keeps children engaged in the world, hopeful and motivated. Youth can be prepared to be leaders, whether or not they decide to take on the role in the future.
Education is critical to the development of young people who will grow into future decision makers and leaders of change in their communities, country and the world.
The Joint Education Needs Assessment Report (UNICEF & REACH, 2014) acknowledges that teachers in Zaatari work in an extremely challenging context. The report outlines a list of priority interventions regarding access to education in Zaatari. There are a number of recommendations regarding educators that I will attempt to incorporate into my future learning space.
Often teachers in Zaatari are quite inexperienced as many have only recently graduated. In my future learning space, educators will take part in professional development and training and they will be supported and monitored. They will be provided with learning materials and lesson plans to use as a starting point. They will plan activities and experiences with input from the students involved in the project.
They will have access via technology to educators across the globe who provide similar programs which will allow them to share ideas, successes and find solutions to challenges.
Their role in this project will be of a facilitator guiding the leaders and there will be opportunities to build ongoing relationships with students in a more informal setting than the classroom. They will work with a smaller number of children than the regular, large class size. Educators will see a more cohesive learning environment develop as relationships are established.
Through this project increased communication and greater collaboration will occur between parents, educators and students. Awareness of the project will need to be raised so that everyone is familiar with the purpose and benefits of participating in the project. There will be opportunities to celebrate the achievements and participation of students.
My future learning space will see educators in Zaatari in a more positive light. For every two Jordanian teachers in Zaatari, there is approximately one Syrian assistant teacher. Syrian teachers are frustrated that they are only allowed to work as assistants in Zaatari camp, given they are fully qualified teachers.
Wherever possible, qualified Syrian educators will be utilised in the project. They will build relationships with both the students and their parents and hopefully feel more valued and supported in their important role.
First and foremost, education is a human right, documented and declared in the United Nations’ 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 28). The Convention places a high value on education and states that young people should be encouraged to reach the highest level of education of which they are capable.
The youth of Syria have been termed ‘a lost generation’ since the conflict in their homeland began to severely impact their access to education. For many children, especially those who have been out of the classroom for months or years, teaching literacy and numeracy is of vital importance. A report by Save the Children (2014) highlights that providing children with schooling during times of conflict helps them avoid child labour, early marriage and recruitment by armed groups, and can contribute to their mental resilience. Education also provides a sense of normalcy, stability, structure and hope for the future.
Greater funding and resources need to be allocated to educating children in a camp setting not just to keep children engaged and occupied while in the liminal space, but as a way of promoting a peaceful future. Education initiatives which acknowledge trauma and help children develop coping skills are required. Petche (2014) in his article, Witnesses to War: The shattered lives of Zaatari’s children, reported that there is an arcade games tent that has been set up in the camp. Computer games based on shooting and killing are the most popular along with imaginary war games on the street. As an alternative to violent play, cooperative learning games and activities along with explicit teaching of conflict resolution skills would be beneficial.
Violence on the way to and home from school is a significant concern for all age groups, and for parents. The walking school bus is an idea that can be implemented to protect children from potential violence. Given that some children are travelling over 2 km to their nearest school, different areas of the camp could have appointed and formally employed individuals to walk children to school after meeting at a certain point.
Kayri Shanahan, a peer from EDFD459 provided a very insightful comment on what education may need to provide refugee children. She said, “Ultimately, I think we need to consider what education we are hoping to deliver. Is it just literacy and numeracy skills? Is it life and survival skills? Is it psychosocial skills, perhaps in the forms of art-therapy or involvement in sport? Is it encouraging creativity and imagination in an environment where there are limited freedoms?
The lack of aesthetic beauty (natural or man-made) must affect the psyche of those who inhabit this space day-after-day, year-after-year. Perhaps by incorporating technology in ways to experiment and experience things outside of the camp would be beneficial in encouraging refugees to think beyond Zaatari as just a liminal space and make real progress towards creating a future for themselves’ (Shanahan, 2015).
I agree with Kayri that children need to be provided with opportunities to explore, play, be creative and utilise their imaginations. They should be provided with rich and meaningful learning experiences and opportunities to build quality relationships with peers and teachers. Project based learning and collaborative activities will encourage students to work together, share their ideas and learn from each other.
Students in Zaatari should have access to the wider world through technology. Technological advancements including virtual reality platforms could open up exciting new learning experiences for students. Global connectivity is achievable with students in Zaatari being able to connect and interact with peers across the world.
Opportunities to see the beauty in nature, in the arts and in built environments are possible. Residents have even started planting their own gardens to recreate the homes they left behind in Syria. Gardens are starting to pop up throughout the camp.
“Gardening allowed them to make something with their hands and gave them a sense of accomplishment. We have seen an incredible change in them,” says Mohammad Abu Farah, a staff member from Save the Children, who now leads gardening workshops for the camp’s children.
“When the children arrived at the camp, they had just come from a violent war. A lot of the children were introverted and struggled to make friends. They were violent with one another. But after we started implementing gardening classes, the children learned to work in a team, and started to build friendships.”
Sport and recreational activities enable children to play, learn skills such as taking turns and fair play and improve their physical, social and emotional wellbeing. Exposure to the arts provides a way for students to express their creativity, imagination, feelings and hopes for the future.
Melissa Fleming (UNHCR, 2014) in her TED talk, How to help refugees rebuild their world, puts forward the idea of education as a “place of healing, of learning and of opportunity.” She explains, “Not investing in refugees is a huge missed opportunity. Leave them abandoned, and they risk exploitation and abuse, and leave them unskilled and uneducated, and delay by years the return to peace and prosperity in their countries. I believe how we treat the uprooted will shape the future of our world. The victims of war can hold the keys to lasting peace, and it’s the refugees who can stop the cycle of violence.”
Educating children is not just providing the academic and social curriculum, but is a combination of what individuals bring to school and that which schools provide (Howard, McLaughlin & Vacha, 1996). These two resources provide children with educational capital and are comprised of variables which enable students to benefit from school and their subsequent adult lives.
I believe the education capital of the refugee children in Zaatari is significant. Firstly, many students have a great desire to learn. Many Syrian children have not been able to go to school for months or years because of the crisis in their home country. Though they may be behind in their learning, many students have a great desire and capacity for learning.
In times of crisis, attending school provides safety and respite. Places of learning provide some degree of normality to the lives of these children living under challenging circumstances, along with some hope for the future.
“I am more than happy to return to school and study. I love my teachers, my classes and I really love my studies and the girls in my class.” Arwa
Some kids don’t go to school. They want to wait until they are back home in Syria. I think it’s silly to wait. How will they remember anything and there is nothing better to do here anyway.” Sidra
Secondly, most parents and religious and community leaders understand the importance of education. It’s the beginning of hope for many parents who see education as the only future for their children right now.
“Through education, you can reach your highest goals. Children are the ones who will build the community in Syria. They are the core of civilisation. That’s why we care about their education.” Abu Omar
It is this desire for education and hope for the future that will inform the development of my future learning space.
Approximately 57% of the people living in Zaatari camp are under the age of 18 and almost 20% are under 5 years of age. This makes the provision of education to school aged children extremely difficult.
Three schools are operating in the camp, all on a double shift basis, with girls attending in the morning, and boys in the afternoon. According to the latest numbers available, 15,500 of an estimated 28,000 school age children are attending formal education in the camp (UNHCR, August 2015). The schools are run by the UN Children’s fund, UNICEF and the Jordanian Ministry of Education. 13% of children in Zaatari are engaged in child labour.
Informal education sessions are also being provided within the camp by humanitarian organisations such as Save the Children, as are other activities such as music and sports programs. There are Child Friendly Spaces around the camp including 7 playgrounds and sports courts. There are a total of 27 community based centres providing psychosocial support services, child protection case management and recreational activities for children.
“Child Friendly Spaces are ultimately safe spaces. They are a place for the kids to express their energy, creativity and develop friendships. For children who have experienced so much violence and trauma, we want them to play and be creative. It’s important for their lives to move forward in that way.”
“The goal is that these activities help move young people out of a state of anxiety and get them motivated to think about, “How should I be investing in myself as an individual and in my friends and in a community so that every day of my life counts?” (Alexandra Chen, Child Protection Advisor, Mercy Corps).
Syria’s civil war is the worst humanitarian disaster of our time (Mercy Corps, 2015). Not since World War 2 have so many people been forcibly displaced. More than four years on from the start of the brutal conflict in 2011, more than 4 million refugees have fled their homeland in search of safety and peace. Another 7 million have been internally displaced. Over half of the entire population of the country have been uprooted.
While the vast majority of these people are seeking refuge in Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq, the Zaatari refugee camp located in the Jordanian desert, about 12km from the Syrian border, has become a semi-permanent home for tens of thousands of refugees. More than half of the refugees in Zaatari have come from the governorate of Daara.
Zaatari is the second largest refugee camp in the world and within four years has become Jordan’s 4th largest city with population of approximately 79,000 people (UNHRC, October 2015).
The camp is jointly administered by the Jordanian government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The camp first opened on 29th July, 2012. Refugees in Zaatari are provided with shelter in tents and caravans, water, food, education and health care.
Since then Zaatari has continually expanded, in an attempt to meet the needs of the incoming Syrian refugees. Zaatari camp is now made up of 30,000 shelters and administration buildings, 3 hospitals, 3 schools and a market like main street of shops dubbed the ‘Champs Elysees,’ selling a range of food, clothes and household items. Last year the first Safeway supermarket opened in the camp with pre paid debit cards.
Zaatari is divided into 12 districts, in an attempt to organise the camp as a city. The oldest parts of the camp, Districts 1 and 2, provide close access to services such as schools and hospitals however it is the highest densely populated area of the camp. As much as possible, the UNHRC is trying to regroup refugees from the same previous Syrian communities into the same district in an attempt to foster a sense of community (LIVED projects, 2015).
These people, living so close to their country’s border have hopes to return to Syria and begin to rebuild their lives. All have experienced devastating loss and witnessed much violence and destruction. They carry the emotional scars of war and many are struggling with profound stress, anxiety and trauma.
Refugees living in this liminal space often feel helpless and face so many struggles. They are living in crowded conditions with limited access to basics such as water and electricity. Many fear for the safety of their family in the camp and are concerned about a lack of education and employment opportunities. A woman is head of one in five households, leaving the family in a vulnerable situation. In such desperate circumstances, many young people are unable to attend school, boys are forced to work and girls are at risk of sexual exploitation and violence.
There are so many challenges facing these people and yet somehow, they must try to make the most of the situation by drawing on their strengths, resourcefulness and optimism in order to move forward with their lives. With the average time a refugee will spend in exile being 17 years, the inhabitants of Zaatari may be forced to live in this liminal space for much longer than they expected.
Recent reports from Zaatari show that people are starting to adapt to their new environment. Many are constantly upgrading their makeshift homes. According to the UNHCR, about 75% of the camp’s residents are illegally connected to the electricity grid. Some are independently connecting to the water and sewage network.
“This crisis is now going into its fourth year. The Syrians themselves have understood that unfortunately they will have to stay a little longer. So have we, and the authorities receiving and assisting people. That means changing the way that we look at a crisis” (Killian Kleinschmidt, camp manager, 2014).
Humanitarian agencies at Zaatari are no longer just focusing on providing emergency services, but are looking ahead to the longer term.
“Helping long-term refugees move forward with their lives requires long-term thinking. In addition to responding to urgent needs for food, clean water and safe shelter, we are focused on helping this generation of young people recover from the trauma of war and look towards a productive future” (Mercy Corps, 2014).
Teachers Without Borders is an international, non profit organisation that provides resources, tools and training to enhance the knowledge, skills and connectivity of teachers around the world.
http://www.teacherswithoutborders.org
The mission statement of Teachers Without Borders states:
“Teachers are the largest professionally trained group in the world – the key local catalysts of change and hope. Teachers Without Borders connects teachers to information and each other in order to bring about social change – worldwide”.
I am so pleased to now be a member of TWB. The mission statement is so positive and powerful. Empowering local teachers is key to bringing about change at a community level but imagine what an informed, connected and committed collective group of teachers could do on a global scale. TWB is a perfect example of a Community of Practice.
“There is only one pedagogy, the pedagogy of love.”
Federico Mayor, former Director-General of UNESCO
the classroom and beyond 