Creative Problem Solving - A Map for Learning

I've been exploring the idea of creative problem solving as the big picture for all of education.  It can be considered the why behind everything we have to teach in schools.

To approach learning this way, step one would be to develop a language that consistently refers to the need for creative problem solving.  As individuals, members of society or inhabitants of planet Earth, we will always be faced with problems.  Personal success will depend on our ability to contribute to the process of problem solving.  It is as relevant to us in the large and small scale of our existence as much as anything.

Step two would be to identify where, in this problem solving process, any current learning falls.

Whether it's a topic in a content area or a skill for communication or technology, it can fit somewhere in the map.  Most likely a specific topic or skill could fit in many places.  The map provides a consistent picture that we can return to between subjects or grade levels and extend into the world beyond the school.

So besides just pointing out where the skill learned in today's Algebra class might be useful, we can also indicate where occupations lie.  If we are talking about how to creatively solve problems, we are always talking about "real life".  

I made the picture below as a draft for a visual display, but the essential flow is as follows:

Finding Resources

1. Better define the Problem
2. Gather tools or resources for continuing the process

Develop Solutions

1. Incorporate existing knowledge, skills and tools
2. Form new ideas - This is the heart of the process, where connections are formed.
3. Evaluate options

Present Solutions

1. Who needs to know?
2. How can we best tell them?

I plan to elaborate on this a lot in the weeks ahead, but here are three things worth noting now:

• There is a circular flow in the map between the main areas.  Notice that most solutions are going to end up as tools available to us for further problem solving.
• There are countless problems to solve throughout the problem solving process.  In one degree or another, every step of a significant problem will likely contain smaller versions of finding, developing and presenting solutions.
• It could be argued that creativity and problem solving are the same thing.  Then creative problem solving is nearly redundant.  I prefer to use the term to emphasize the importance of creativity throughout every stage of this process.  It's the oil of the machine and we can see the whole system grind to a halt in formal learning structures when it is absent.

Teach Creative Problem Solving or Nothing

It took me a year and a half to get this straight.  Everything in school from kindergarten to a doctorate degree should be phrased in terms of creative problem solving.

No matter what the content is, it fits somewhere in the process of problem solving:

• Finding new information to identify the problem
• Processing that information to create and test possible solutions
• Presenting the best solution in meaningful ways to the people who need to it

We know problem based learning is an engaging and effective teaching model when done correctly.  Yet somehow administrators and teachers get so focused on tests that they overlook its importance.  Or maybe they're afraid to let go and trust that successful problem solvers can also figure out standardized tests.

Regardless, this is my mission from here out.  If I'm talking to teachers or students, it will all be phrased in the context of creative problem solving.  If we ignore creativity and problem solving at the expense of right answers in content areas we miss the point.  

When I realized this, a few other things became clear:

• True problem solving and creativity are hard to measure on standardized tests, but that's exactly why they need our focus.  Computers would have a hard time scoring such tests.  Tip:  Being able to do what computers can't is a good thing.
• Any technology standards, attempts at technology integration or what are referred to as call 21st century learning skills are addressed perfectly in the context of creative problem solving.  Technology simply becomes the best tool to aid in the problem solving process.  
• We know students feel that what they're learning in high school is irrelevant.  If teachers would frame their lessons in light of real world problems that can be addressed across curriculum areas this would be less of an issue.  Remind them:  Every class is providing tools for solving problems.  It's an unpleasant fact of life that problems always show up.  Good skills to address problems at all levels will always be relevant.

Real Life Problem Solving in School

When it comes to creative problem solving in school, nothing beats a project that goes beyond the school walls and actually helps other people.  Here's an inspiring story of a couple high school seniors who did just that.  Their senior project helped a teacher and students on the other side of the world to achieve their dream of getting connected to the internet.

Check out the introduction video below and these links:

• More videos on their YouTube channel
• The official website

This is a great example of how much learning can come out of a project rooted in a passion with a purpose to meet a genuine need.  One other takeaway:  In a world filled with need, the learning never stops.  See how they are continuing a second phase of their project long after the two students graduated.

What similar projects could we inspire student to pursue in the upcoming school year?  Beyond that, please consider supporting this project and spreading the word about the work as it continues.

Steps or The Big Picture? How we approach teaching and learning

Did you ever notice this sentence at the end of any list of directions from Google Maps?

"These directions are for planning purposes only. You may find that construction projects, traffic, weather, or other events may cause conditions to differ from the map results, and you should plan your route accordingly."

I have relied on Google Maps for years to help me plan my travel. The steps are invaluable. I love that short disclaimer at the end, though, because it reminds me that steps alone are not enough in the real world.

Besides real life throwing us an unexpected obstacle, another problem with steps is that if you get off track for any reason it can be really hard to find where you're going.

When traveling somewhere for the first time, nothing beats looking at the map first and getting the route and the area in your head. Even a GPS, while it is so helpful when turned around in busy traffic, is a short sighted aid that will only take you to your final destination. A map, studied and remembered, offers a few advantages.

First, connections between other close destinations can be made. Looking at the map, we can see the cities passed on the trip and roads that remind us of other places we know or might want to visit. This aids in planning future travel or maybe opens the door for someplace fun to check out on the way home.

When lost in an unfamiliar area, a map in the mind compared to having a list of steps makes it so much more likely we can still get where we want to go. Having a mental picture of our general position relative to our destination, and knowing most of the roads are going north, south, east or west, is usually enough to get us where we need to be. It's not magic that makes some people better than others at finding their way in unfamiliar areas.

And lastly, I'd argue that having that mental map makes the whole trip easier to remember. Each site I pass that I might want to return to at another time can be effortlessly stored away in the already existing picture in my mind. I might forget it was between the first and second light on the short road going south, but at least I know the general area. 

In short, not having to think of every step makes it easier to pay attention. Everything I pass along the way, whether I need it right away when turned around or years later when thinking of another trip, a mental map helps organize it.

I trust it's clear this isn't about how to plan trips. The parallels to teaching and learning are obvious. The steps to a process are important, but I'd argue that every time steps are not enough if we want the learner to do something with the learning.

Steps get you from point A to point B if you can remember them or have them available whenever you need them.  They are effective as long as nothing changes in between. They do not require deep thought from the person relying on them.

In a constantly changing world, we need to give our students a big picture. With it they can form new connections and use the learning in new ways, taking them to places they have never been before.

Here are some related thoughts:

• A map for creative problem solving
• The value of reflection in learning
• From another blog:  Beginner's Guide to the Use of Mind Maps in Elementary Schools

Teach anything with just three apps?

I am a minimalist. I love finding ways to do more with a lot less. I hope someone speaks at my funeral about how I touched the world in a significant way using only what fits with me in the casket. It could make a great visual.  If nothing else, I’ll be clutching my iPad.

I was recently musing about what’s the least a teacher would need to teach anything. I tweeted this and it got a little bit of attention:

I think I could teach anything-CCSS, 4 C's, etc-using only an iPad with browser, 30 Hands and iMovie. Kids supply the ideas and style.
— Mike Petty (@mpetty39) August 21, 2013

I was exaggerating somewhat, mostly because I didn’t really go through all the CCSS and I had to fit it in 140 characters. I would certainly need a few other apps, even if just for recording notes while working. I’ll give a slightly longer list of the bare necessities below, but first here was my main thought behind this.

As I’ve written elsewhere, I think all learning should be posed as a creative problem solving activity involving three steps: find information, process it and present the solution.

Elaborating a little more, students need to

• research the problem at hand and gather resources or information that they already know. 
• process all that, getting their brains around it, synthesizing seemingly unrelated ideas, adding in their own thoughts. 
• present it in a way that suits the people who need to hear the solution.

So my tweet assumed that the iPad has a browser and the learner can access the Internet. That can help a lot with the “find it” stage.

30 Hands and iMovie are my favorite apps for narrated slideshows or videos, respectively. They’d be used for the presentation piece.

Being a little more realistic, I’d need some apps that would let them store the things they find. They also would need to process it all. I gave it more thought and made this list of suggested apps. I’m including the two I already mentioned, just to give more detail.

30 Hands - This is a great free tool for slideshows and I have a demo and review about it here. You can use your pictures as backgrounds, add text and draw on the slides. It is very simple to record narration for each slide, then it exports as a movie to the Camera Roll. I love it!

iMovie - I don’t usually by apps that cost $4.99, but this app feels like it’s worth so much more. You can easily add pan and zoom effects to pictures you’ve taken and edit videos you recorded (or even those slideshows you made with 30 Hands). It is also simple to add narration, transitions and titles. It’s a portable video studio.

Google Drive - Information gathered in research and your own thoughts could easily be taken in the Notes app that comes with the iPad. But Google Drive is free, so why not add this to the list? Sure, it’s limited compared to the version you’d have on your desktop computer, but I’m still amazed with how useful it is for productivity.

Doodle Buddy or SketchBook Express - Both of these drawing apps are free. These would be mostly for the presentation part of the process. We use them in school for titles and other graphics. Doodle Buddy is extremely simple. SketchBook has layers and some very good drawing tools making it promising, but possibly more complex than you’d need for most projects.

Inkflow - I haven’t paid for the Plus version of this yet, so for me this is like a stack of paper and a black marker. I love it for flow charts and visual thinking, so it’s definitely a tool for the processing stage of the learning process. You can also export the drawings and notes as jpg or PDF to use them in presentations too. (Side note: When talking at the coffee shop, this app becomes the proverbial napkin on which I illustrate my ramblings.)

Voice Record Pro - This audio recording app is incredibly versatile because of all the apps you can export it to. Files also can be opened in iMovie as the background track. So presentations can be recorded as a speech or conversation, then in iMovie you can add pictures or images you drew using any of the above apps. It also converts to mp3 so you can send it to others in a flexible format. (Bonus: I’m not including Video Star as a “must have”, but if you record yourself playing live music with Voice Record Pro it exports to Video Star so you can lip sync. Fun!) I wish Voice Record Pro had better tools for editing, but for free it is great.

GarageBand - I debated about including this app because original music is usually not necessary in a presentation. Still, there will be some topics where such a projects will be greatly enhanced because of the possibilities of this app. (And for some students it can make all the difference.) Like iMovie, it is $4.99, but whenever I use it I find myself sticking it in people’s faces, raving about how much it does for that small price. All the virtual and Smart instruments are outstanding.  For the basics, it is very intuitive to record and edit tracks.  As with Voice Record Pro, you could use this for any audio recordings. It certainly has more editing capabilities than that app, though sometimes I need iTunes on my computer to get the files where I need them.

So there you have it. I’m going to give my minimalist approach a try this school year as much as possible. I’ll edit this as necessary.

What am I overlooking? Are there any other apps you consider to be the bare necessities?

Game Design in the Classroom - Part 1 - What I learned

An early handmade version of my game What's It To Ya?

This is the first in a series. The second is about what others learned from making games. It can be found here. You can find the rest of the series and other articles I've written on game design in the classroom on this page.

I saw an article recently about game design activities for the classroom. It sounded like a great project that students would enjoy. The final product was a non-digital game, so it didn't require programming experience. Right away it reminded me of similar design challenges I've used that I could modify for the classroom, but something was missing in the article.

I couldn’t find much in it about the educational value of game design. Sure, the kids love it, but what are they learning? I even did some searches for lessons learned from making games, but it’s tricky finding anything. Most sites promise lessons about game design.

So before I write a post about my own classroom game design activity, I’ll start with a few lessons that I learned from designing games.

An improved version from a few years later

I’ve been making games as a serious hobby for about twenty years now. Some have been published and played around the world. Looking back, I have learned far more valuable lessons from making those games than I have in many classes I’ve paid for.

I brainstormed a list of lessons in no time. I won't give you a table correlating these lessons to Common Core State Standards, but these are important lessons for success in far more areas than just game design. They’re usually not taught explicitly in school. I can see they would be useful for any teacher in at least three ways:

• If a teacher does assign a game design activity, the requirements of the project must include the course content standards.  These other ideas I list below should also come out in the lesson, though, because they can help students no matter which path they take in life.
• If a student shows interest in game design, even if it’s completely unrelated to what’s being done in class, have students read my series of blog posts. The ideas in it will provide a good starting point for his or her success.
• These concepts are behind much of what I do when training teachers. These lessons apply to all of us educators just as much as they do to the students.

One last note: Before finalizing my list, I realized it also would be great to bring in input from other designers. I posted a short survey on a couple forums. I will post the responses I received in a second part of this series. (Part 2 is here.)

Knowing I’d ultimately have a lot of input from others, I shortened my list and just spoke to some general topics.

Here are just four valuable lessons I learned from making games.

How to be heard above the noise - Gaining attention for my work taught me the important lesson of how to stand out in a good way. Proper use of social media, directing language and images for a target audience and paying attention to feedback are all crucial for success in today’s world.

Technology skills - I was a math teacher when I started making games. I had no idea that by playing around with graphics programs, web 2.0 tools and website design on the weekends would open doors for me to do rewarding work with educational technology. Sometimes I was frustrated because I felt I had to do so much of the design and publishing process myself to realize my goals. Now I’m thankful for all those skills I developed.

Creative problem solving - I’ve already written much about the importance of this. It makes a great foundation for all of what we are doing in school.

Bringing an idea to reality - I write a lot about “teaching like an artist”. Most of what I have experienced as an artist has come from my work with games. It’s that process of having a dream, working hard to make it real and then sharing it with others.

• When I talk about inspiration in the classroom, it’s because I have seen:
• how much dreams matter
• the benefits of working on them to the end
• they can be contagious

The final edition of What's It to Ya?

I’ve found all students dream big. They also love it when we remind them their dreams matter. The sad thing is most will never learn how to take a big dream from start to finish.

That skill (or combination of many skills) is vital if we want people to live interesting lives and reach their potential, yet it’s not something we teach explicitly in school very often. Living (and learning) like an artist is pure work at times, so we have to encourage and remind students that the payoff is better than just existing off the dreams of others.

As I said, in my next post in this series I will include lessons other game designers have learned.

If you liked this post, here are others you might find useful:

• How to Make Games of Any Type Using My Game Design Template 
• How to Make Games (Part 1) 
• How to Make Games (Part 2) 
• 8 Things I Emphasize in Game Design Lessons 

What I learned in education in 2012

2012 was a good year for a lot of progress in ed-tech in the district where I work.  More teachers are getting it.  We had more video projects, iPads and flipped teaching than ever.  We even started using Google Apps for Education at our middle school.

Here are the things I learned and related posts for each:

• Video game design integrates perfectly with science at the middle school level.
• Creativity exercises are fun and popular!  Teachers always ask me back and my most visited posts by far are the ones based on the exercises and games I created.
• In fact, I'm convinced creativity is the oil in the education machine.  Without it, the system grinds to a halt by high school.  With it, students are engaged and more willing to work through problems.
• Every class can be taught within the framework of creative problem solving and the students buy in.
• Poke the Box is a great book that had a huge impact on me.  My first attempts at computer (Flash) game programming are a direct result.  See What's It to Ya?, Pegged and Factor Duel.
• Instructing with video is very effective.  It makes me a better teacher too as I have to focus on my presentation so much more as I record and edit.

All things considered, the Classroom Creativity Game sums up most of what I learned this year.  From my video lessons (created with Explain Everything) about the related presentation to the creation of the generic, versatile webpage itself, I'm excited to hear feedback and improve the resource over the upcoming months.

Tips for Success - An interview with Dominic Crapuchettes of North Star Games

Here's a brief interview with game designer Dominic Crapuchettes, founder of North Star Games.  

Dominic created the excellent party games Wits & Wagers and Say Anything.  They're both great fun and (with his kind permission) I turned them into classroom presentation games for ActivInspire.  With two editions based on each game, they have been some of my most downloaded classroom activities.  The games themselves are also a great addition to the classroom.  I have entertained many students with both titles.

I met Dominic in 2002 when we both were part of a newly formed game designer convention.  His talent for games was apparent immediately.  From that time on I watched him devote his life to a dream of having his own game company.  Rather than focusing on the smaller market of "hobby games", he set his sites on the big time--having his games reach the masses through the large chains like Target, Toys R Us and Wal-Mart.

With his talent and hard work he has done just that.  I asked him to share some of his story because I believe it can inspire creative students to follow their dreams.

He also had some unique educational experiences that remind me that to help students be successful I have to do more than just cover the Common Core Standards in my classes.

Mike Petty:  Dominic, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions for us!  To start, what can you tell us about the success of North Star Games?

Dominic Crapuchettes:  North Star Games started as a dream in my basement over 10 years ago.  Since then, we have designed 6 games and won over 100 awards.  Wits & Wagers is the most awarded party game in history!  Our games are sold in Target, Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, and over 25 countries.

MP:  It has been great following your rise to success over the past several years and I have learned a lot from you about what it takes to realize a dream.  When did you know you wanted to create games for a living?

DC:  I knew through most of high school that I wanted to design games for a living, but I didn’t think it was something I would end up doing.  My senior paper was a business plan for a board game company that I wanted to start.

MP:  There is a lot of talk about games in education now, and in some ways gaming seems to be more popular than ever.  But the hype almost always is focused on computer games.  On the other hand, you and I have been creating traditional games for the most part.  What do you think the advantages are of either playing or creating the traditional games?

DC:  Focusing on board games has forced me to be frugal with rules, and strive for elegance and simplicity.  This is because the players have to keep track of everything, as opposed to having a computer do it.  Every creative endeavor benefits from striving for simplicity, including my endeavor to grow our company.  Even Einstein always sought the simplest explanation for the things he saw.

MP:  I know you worked extremely hard to get to where you are now.  There were times I thought I was working hard trying to balance a job and my pursuits as a game designer, then I'd talk to you!  Tell us a little about those early days.

DC:  It is very difficult to start a company.  I found a great partner when I was going through business school.  We worked about 80 hours a week for two years… without any pay!  There were several times when we thought we were going to go bankrupt.  But we stuck with it, and now it is starting to pay off.  We get to do what we love, AND we get paid for it.  Not many people can say that.

MP:  Would you say you’re living your dream? 

DC:  Yes, I would say that I am living my dream, but keep in mind that this is still a job. I have to set my alarm each morning and drive to work each day.  Then I spend most of my day doing things that are not all that fun like answering emails.  But this is mixed with things that I enjoy greatly, like designing and testing games, and then working on the graphics for them.

MP:  I know your talents well enough to say you could have succeeded in a lot of areas.  You chose to follow your creativity.  What are some benefits of exercising creativity in life, including as a hobby or in other ways that might not make money?

DC:  There are ways to be creative in just about any job.  Finding a creative solution to a problem is not only useful to the company you work for, but it is also very satisfying.  Following my heart led me to start a game company and gives me the opportunity to create games, but most of my creativity goes into figuring out how to make our company successful.  The more creative we are with solving problems, the better our company does.

I believe that it is important to balance your passion with meeting the needs of your community.  Your job is NOT about doing what YOU want.  It is about serving your community.  So look for a way to serve your community in a manner that you enjoy.  It’s a life-long process to balance the things you want with the needs of your community.

MP:  That's a great point.  I try to remind my students of the responsibility they have to others.  It's easy for all of us to forget!  

What was your experience like through formal education.  Do any teachers or classes stand out as your favorites?

DC:  I did not enjoy high school.  Memorizing facts for tests was not interesting to me.  So I went to a college where we read philosophical works and discussed their meaning in class.  That’s when I started getting passionate about my education.  I had many favorite teachers.  They were able to inspire me to get excited about the material.

MP:  Are there specific things you do to keep ideas flowing in your business?  

DC:  I look for my inspiration in the other games I play.  I am always considering ways to improve them, or mix elements from one game into another idea that I am working on.  I do the same with my company.  I read about other companies, speak with other business owners and learn as much as I can from their failures and successes.

MP:  I have some common themes that I present to students when I work with classes at many grade levels or in any subject.  I wondered if you have any comments on these, particularly how they might relate to technology and success.

For one, we increase our chances for success by making the most of everyday opportunities.  Forming the habits now of working hard or making good relationships, for example, makes success more likely in our future.

DC:  One of the most important things is life is forming good habits.  Even the smartest person on Earth has a limited amount of brain energy.  Forming good habits allows you to focus on something without having the rest of your life fall apart.  For instance, I set reminders on my computer for everything I need to do.  Then I can focus on the task at hand without worrying that I will forget something else that is important (like picking up my kid from school).

MP:  Right.  Another theme I emphasize is the importance of learning how to learn.  The world is changing fast and students will always need to adapt to unexpected situations.

DC:  My entire college education was a lesson on how to learn.  Instead of memorizing ideas that other people came up with, we read books, discussed them, and came up with our own ideas.  Learning how to listen to others and adopt your ideas and opinions based upon the information you get from them is an important life-lesson that will help you in ANY job you get.

MP:  I agree.  Thanks for putting it in words for us and for providing the example through your own success story.  I wish you and the company the best in the future!

To keep up with information about Dominic's company North Star Games and their great line of party games, please visit:

• Their website at http://www.northstargames.com.
• Or their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/northstargames.

Advice to a new teacher...if I had a time machine

I really enjoyed Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon.  In it he gives advice about creativity by thinking about what he would tell his younger self.

That prompted me to consider what advice I would share with myself when I just started teaching.  Now, after 18 years in public education, what would be the most important tips I'd pass along?  I boiled it down to the list of six things below.  They're personal, but I think they have some application beyond my own life.

To set the scene I have to admit that the first half of my teaching experience was rough for me.  I did not enjoy much about teaching high school math.  There was plenty to be thankful for, no doubt, and a lot of students liked my classes.  I learned a ton about myself and I have some great relationships that came out of that time.  But dealing with difficult students and seeing my inability to reach all of them was tough.

I never could distance myself and simply say, "Well, I tried."  I felt like a failure many days.  

So here's a short list of what I wish I could have told myself when I was 25 years old, starting out in my career.

1)  Be realistic about what you're getting into.  The students you will be asked to teach are coming in with poor math skills and a poor attitude toward the subject.  Very few of them will see math class as the positive experience that you did.  Be prepared for this!  Set realistic goals of what you can accomplish in those first years as you are learning to be a good teacher.

2)  Take the work seriously, but don't forget about the relationships you are building everyday with your students.  You tend to get focused on the job and forget about people, but they are most important.  Even the difficult ones will respect you for your hard work if they also know you care about them.

Years after the class is over you'll see some of them.  They'll remember that you cared and worked hard more than they ever will the details of lessons, rough days, all those assignments or the grades they got.

3)  Start a game club right away.  That love you always had for games will be a highlight of your time working with students.  A lot of them won't fit in anywhere else, but they'll hang out with you at lunch.  Buy a few more of those games no one else has heard of and use them to connect with the students as much as you can.  Meet every couple weeks or so after school for gaming.  You'll like that extra-curricular work a lot more than organizing the prom.  (For the good of all, tell them you don't want to be a class sponsor!)

4)  Keep up on the technology.  You're kind of a traditionalist and in the debate of calculators versus no calculators you'll be tempted to keep it old school.  Instead, remember that many kids can learn the concept better if they come at it differently than you did.  It doesn't have to be all pencil and paper and a ton of steps.

Keep an open mind on that and use technology to give them a conceptual understanding useful for problem solving. When the principal asks you to try more with technology, do it.  Doors will open for you and you'll enjoy the change as the best years of your career.

5)  Assign creative projects, even in math.  Your department will focus almost exclusively on the state MEAP test, but don't let that drain your classroom of creativity.  You'll be busy and it will be easier to just keep it simple and routine, but things like the video assignment, personalized story problems and the artistic projects are vital.  Keep developing those assignments.  Add a new one every semester so that when students think back to your class, they remember those things they made.  You'll like it best when students say you're not like the other math teachers.

6)  Remember that you felt called to teach.  In frustrating times you'll think you should have gone into programming instead of working with kids who don't want to be there.

All those visions of being an amazing teacher will be shattered by reality and you'll think you misunderstood what you were supposed to do with your life.  But just like you did that day when you got the unexpected call and they offered you the job, trust that God knows what he's doing.  You are supposed to be there.

You won't reach everyone personally or with the math, but you'll connect with many students.  You'll remind them that life is exciting when chasing a dream.  They'll take notes when you talk about what true success looks like and many will thank you.  Among other things, you were called to pass on those messages.  Let them flow through all aspects of your work.

Here's the key to success you'll eventually share with them:

Always do your best

At what's most important

Whether you feel like it or not

You and many others will be thankful for the lesson.