Thinking Creatively – Perspectives from MYP 3 – Mahindra International School

As a teacher and artist, I often think about creative thinking and how best to interact with the budding artist. At first my focus is to pretend as though our coordinator is standing behind me ready to guide my thoughts towards the MYP Arts Guide. Artistic intention, alternative perspectives, exploring ideas and moving from point A to point B, are the topics swirling in air. Very quickly, my reflective and instinctive mind takes over. I drift back in time and remember my favorite teachers and how personality strolls right in the door behind each and every one to deliver instruction. For me, it is humor and “tid bits” of genuine experiences I have had while engaging in the creative process that usually generates a smile. Sometimes that smile turns upwards and eyes begin to squint as the thinker applies my words in a visual means. That is when questions usually begin to burst onto the stage. The climate, if the magic happens, delivers conversation rich in flavor that eases most of the students towards alternative thought. Our ideas bounce off of each other like a pin ball hitting a bumper or, the glass if the excitement is too exaggerated. A cup of coffee, instrumental music on low volume, and words that spring from the pages of my journal usually help me to settle in behind the camera or an easel. I find that I need to jump at the right moment from one medium for expression to another if my creative efforts are to flow onto the screen or canvas. It is the job of every student to think and write an artistic statement and with every subject including art, each assignment should begin with discussion and a clear idea for approach. In the Visual Arts, it is referred to as an Artistic Intention. Even the Abstract or non-representation piece begins with an idea, regardless of how complex, that somehow bounces out of the mind and into our visual world. Very recently I approached a few students from the MYP3 class, and asked them questions related to Creativity. Akshat, Anjali, MyungChan, and Prithika had much to share and plenty of thoughtful words that will make you think. At the start of one MYP3 single art lesson I asked, “Raise hand if you often engage in the Visual Arts outside of school.” Immediately three hands shot up. Those enthusiastic hands were attached to MyungChan Kim, Prithika Rathi, Akshat Chattaraj, and Anjali Kumaran.

By Mr. Joseph w/Interviewees MyungChan Kim, Prithika Rathi, Akshat Chattaraj, and Anjali Kumaran.

Human systems and economic activities	The study of how and why people construct organizations and systems; the ways in which people connect locally and globally; the distribution of power and authority.
Social organization and culture	The study of people, communities, cultures and societies in the ways in which individuals, groups and societies interact with each other.
Continuity and change through time	The study of the relationships between people and events through time; the past, its influences on the present and its implications for the future; people who have shaped the future through their actions.
Human and natural environments	The study of the distinctive features that give a place its identity; how people adapt to and alter their environment; how people experience and represent place; the impact of natural disasters on people and the built environment.
Resources and the environment	The interaction between people and the environment; the study of how humans allocate and manage resources; the positive and negative effects of this management; the impact of scientific and technological developments on the environment.

Living things	The study of the characteristics, systems and behaviours of humans and other animals, and of plants; the interactions and relationships between and among them, and with their environment.
Earth and space	The study of planet Earth and its position in the universe, particularly its relationship with the sun; the natural phenomena and systems that shape the planet and the distinctive features that identify it; the infinite and finite resources of the planet.
Materials and matter	The study of the properties, behaviours and uses of materials, both natural and human-made; the origins of human-made materials and how they are manipulated to suit a purpose.
Forces and energy	The study of energy, its origins, storage and transfer, and the work it can do; the study of forces; the application of scientific understanding through inventions and machines. (IBO, 2009)

Thinking Creatively – Perspectives from MYP 3

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