I. Mission Statement and Justification

The mission of Creative Practices is to provide a platform for teacher interaction that helps balance the need for both autonomy and support in the classroom. Creative Practices utilizes the CUNY Academic Commons to tap into the collective creativity of educators and invites members to contribute and review lesson plans, materials, and activities focusing on the arts, environmental issues, and social justice. These resources should emphasize student-centered pedagogy that is geared towards creativity and problem-solving, integration into other subject areas, and an appeal to diverse intelligences and learning styles.

The arts, environment, and social justice are the pillars of humanity and they demand increased attention in a school system that has largely forsaken them. All too often, schools have adopted practices that comport to a human capital approach, which treats individuals as economic entities. The shortsightedness of economic development that comes with this capitalistic ethos has proven itself anathema to the enrichment and sustainability of humanity, which are persistently threatened by social injustices. The current path of education and society must be redirected towards the arts and environment to avert devastating cultural and ecological outcomes.

Creative Practices brings educational change directly to classrooms and teachers. As demands on teachers increase to include various roles beyond that of an educator, it is imperative to support teachers with high quality resources that can inspire creativity in the classroom. Teacher creativity is often stunted by rigid curricula and scripted lessons. In the event that teachers are given freedom to develop their own lessons, sifting through available resources can be a daunting task. The idea that teachers must create all their lessons from scratch is akin to reinventing the wheel on a daily basis; educators should be compelled to develop original lessons that can be shared so that teachers build on and draw from each other’s ideas.

While teacher forums and lesson plan databases already exist, Creative Practices focuses on areas that are underrepresented and marginalized in the curriculum. Important components are transparency and searchability, and a reliance on peer review to promote high quality. In addition, Creative Practices emphasizes progressive methods that, although proven to induce student motivation, remain absent from too many classrooms on account of education’s general resistance to change (see Larry Cuban). This forum is no substitute for staff meetings and development, but should enhance the teaching profession through increased collaboration across schools and districts. It is the aspiration of Creative Practices to grow a grassroots movement through CUNY’s institutions of teacher education. Professors of education are encouraged to invite their students to contribute ideas to the group.

II. Core Beliefs

Creative Practices is a direct result of my own experience as a beginning music teacher. In my nascent career, I have spent a good deal of time seeking out resources to implement pedagogical methods and multicultural content that are not widely available. Though this has spurred the development of many original lesson plans and activities, I am convinced, through collaboration with colleagues, that teaching practices in general can be aided by an easily accessible and transparent network that provides student-centered resources. Thinking back on my own experience as a student, it is clear that most of my teachers did not have access to a teaching network nor these types resources. The internet affords such access with ease.

Central to my core beliefs is the fact that schooling is the most profound social institution. As such, I am dismayed that the content and methods employed in most schools fail to nurture critical thinking and an awareness of the most pertinent issues affecting our society. It is my hope that schools are reoriented towards humanistic goals that promote a rich and harmonious relationship between people and the environment. These convictions are shaped by the central role of music in my life and development, my exposure to alternative forms of education, a disaffection towards the over-consumption and greed associated with unfettered capitalism, and my experiences with impoverished populations in this city and across continents.

My core beliefs dictate that education should not be commodified nor standardized. Currently, content and curricula are, for the most part, organized by for-profit institutions that forever seek a larger market share. Education, however, is a right, not a commodity. As such, the dissemination of educational resources should be free. While this may not be particularly appealing to publishers and authors, the liberation of educational resources from the regulations of copyright and profiteering impulses would benefit a wide range of students and would merely necessitate the harnessing of extant teaching practices.

-Andrew Aprile

I. Mission Statement and Justification

The mission of Creative Practices is to provide a platform for teacher interaction that helps balance the need for both autonomy and support in the classroom. Creative Practices utilizes the CUNY Academic Commons to tap into the collective creativity of educators and invites members to contribute and review lesson plans, materials, and activities focusing on the arts, environmental issues, and social justice. These resources should emphasize student-centered pedagogy that is geared towards creativity and problem-solving, integration into other subject areas, and an appeal to diverse intelligences and learning styles.

The arts, environment, and social justice are the pillars of humanity and they demand increased attention in a school system that has largely forsaken them. All too often, schools have adopted practices that comport to a human capital approach, which treats individuals as economic entities. The shortsightedness of economic development that comes with this capitalistic ethos has proven itself anathema to the enrichment and sustainability of humanity, which are persistently threatened by social injustices. The current path of education and society must be redirected towards the arts and environment to avert devastating cultural and ecological outcomes.

Creative Practices brings educational change directly to classrooms and teachers. As demands on teachers increase to include various roles beyond that of an educator, it is imperative to support teachers with high quality resources that can inspire creativity in the classroom. Teacher creativity is often stunted by rigid curricula and scripted lessons. In the event that teachers are given freedom to develop their own lessons, sifting through available resources can be a daunting task. The idea that teachers must create all their lessons from scratch is akin to reinventing the wheel on a daily basis; educators should be compelled to develop original lessons that can be shared so that teachers build on and draw from each other’s ideas.

While teacher forums and lesson plan databases already exist, Creative Practices focuses on areas that are underrepresented and marginalized in the curriculum. Important components are transparency and searchability, and a reliance on peer review to promote high quality. In addition, Creative Practices emphasizes progressive methods that, although proven to induce student motivation, remain absent from too many classrooms on account of education’s general resistance to change (see Larry Cuban). This forum is no substitute for staff meetings and development, but should enhance the teaching profession through increased collaboration across schools and districts. It is the aspiration of Creative Practices to grow a grassroots movement through CUNY’s institutions of teacher education. Professors of education are encouraged to invite their students to contribute ideas to the group.

II. Core Beliefs

Creative Practices is a direct result of my own experience as a beginning music teacher. In my nascent career, I have spent a good deal of time seeking out resources to implement pedagogical methods and multicultural content that are not widely available. Though this has spurred the development of many original lesson plans and activities, I am convinced, through collaboration with colleagues, that teaching practices in general can be aided by an easily accessible and transparent network that provides student-centered resources. Thinking back on my own experience as a student, it is clear that most of my teachers did not have access to a teaching network nor these types resources. The internet affords such access with ease.

Central to my core beliefs is the fact that schooling is the most profound social institution. As such, I am dismayed that the content and methods employed in most schools fail to nurture critical thinking and an awareness of the most pertinent issues affecting our society. It is my hope that schools are reoriented towards humanistic goals that promote a rich and harmonious relationship between people and the environment. These convictions are shaped by the central role of music in my life and development, my exposure to alternative forms of education, a disaffection towards the over-consumption and greed associated with unfettered capitalism, and my experiences with impoverished populations in this city and across continents.

My core beliefs dictate that education should not be commodified nor standardized. Currently, content and curricula are, for the most part, organized by for-profit institutions that forever seek a larger market share. Education, however, is a right, not a commodity. As such, the dissemination of educational resources should be free. While this may not be particularly appealing to publishers and authors, the liberation of educational resources from the regulations of copyright and profiteering impulses would benefit a wide range of students and would merely necessitate the harnessing of extant teaching practices.

-Andrew Aprile