Academics
Academics
The core philosophies and content areas that have served as the foundation of the program have been based in fundamental processes and theories of teaching and learning such as: The Multiple Intelligences, Critical and Creative Thinking, Human Growth and Development, Cultural Influences on Teaching and Learning, Integrated Learning and Assessment, Teaching as a Designed Experience, and Leadership in the Arts and Education.
The Creative Pulse embraces and explores critical thinking processes and habits of the mind, enabling our students to develop, refine and integrate these processes into their own thinking and learning abilities as well as those of their students.
- Observation—Learning to see with new eyes, framing and perceiving the world through many conceptual systems
- Envisioning—Learning to generate mental images internally to guide actions and solve problems
- Expression—Learning to discover, explore and articulate personal and unique VOICE and MIND as they create works rich in emotion, atmosphere and meaning
- Reflection—Learning to think about decisions made, to make critical and evaluative judgments and to be able to justify them
- Engagement and Persistence—Learning to work through frustration as students stretch and explore; to take risks, “muck around” and profit from mistakes; learning that “Trial and Error” is a process that fosters creative thinking and problem-solving
- Self-evaluation—Learning to review and assess learning experiences as well as develop new strategies and directions for further growth and stimulation
- Synthesizing/Making Mental Connections—Recognizing patterns and integrating these perceptions into the larger whole; understanding how these perceptions relate and integrate with our work and life
