Cultivating Curiosity

Book description

Give your students a leg up and improve learning outcomes with this revolutionary, hands-on approach to teaching

In Cultivating Curiosity: Teaching and Learning Reimagined, distinguished educator and author Doreen Gehry Nelson inspires anyone yearning to break away from formulaic teaching. Told from dozens of powerful and personal perspectives, the effectiveness and versatility of the Doreen Nelson Method of Design-Based Learning described in the book is backed by years of quantitative and qualitative data.

You’ll learn how applying this cross-curricular methodology can transform your K-12 teaching practice, regardless of changes in content standards. The book includes:

  • Discussions about how to launch creative and critical thinking in your students
  • Explanations of the methodology’s 6 ½ Steps of Backward Thinking™ that invigorate the teaching experience and dramatically improve learning
  • The inception of the methodology and the experiences of K-12 teachers who practice it in their classrooms.

Perfect for K-12 educators seeking a methodology that consistently engages students in applying what they learn, Cultivating Curiosity is also an ideal resource for teachers-in-training, administrators, and post-secondary educators.

Table of contents

  1. COVER
  2. TITLE PAGE
  3. COPYRIGHT
  4. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  5. FOREWORD
  6. FOREWORD
  7. INTRODUCTION
  8. SECTION ONE: Creative Thinking by Design
    1. CHAPTER 1: NOT ARTS AND CRAFTS
    2. CHAPTER 2: SHAPING THE METHODOLOGY
      1. THE CONCEPT OF CHANGE AND NON-SPECIFIC TRANSFER OF LEARNING
      2. JARED'S STORY
      3. THE GENESIS OF THE STUDENT-BUILT CITY
      4. PARALLEL WORLDS
      5. LESSONS ALONG THE WAY
      6. THE SMITHSONIAN
    3. CHAPTER 3: THE CITY
      1. THE VERSATILITY OF THE CITY
      2. IN THE CLASSROOM
      3. IN THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM
    4. CHAPTER 4: THE METHODOLOGY
      1. AN ON-RAMP TO CREATIVE THINKING
      2. TAPPING INTO TEACHERS' INNATE CREATIVITY
      3. THE 6½ STEPS OF BACKWARDS THINKING™
      4. KICK-STARTING THE MAKING OF AN INTEGRATED CURRICULUM
      5. 3D RED TRIANGLES: A POWERFUL TOOL FOR MEMORY RETENTION
      6. CURRICULUM INTEGRATION CHARTS
      7. LONG-RANGE PLANNING BOARDS
      8. ESSENTIALS OF THE DOREEN NELSON METHOD OF DESIGN-BASED LEARNING
    5. CHAPTER 5: OWNING AND REUSING INFORMATION
      1. APPLE COMPUTER AND THE VIVARIUM PROJECT
      2. EXPANDING THE VOCABULARY FOR INVENTION
      3. THE HEART OF THE MATTER: THE WEIZMANN INSTITUTE, ISRAEL
    6. CHAPTER 6: IN A NUTSHELL
      1. THE DOREEN NELSON METHOD OF DESIGN-BASED LEARNING IS NOT ABOUT …
      2. THE DOREEN NELSON METHOD OF DESIGN-BASED LEARNING HAS RIGOR. IT IS NOT ABOUT …
  9. SECTION TWO: Goodbye to Formulaic Teaching
    1. CHAPTER 7: “I'M NOT CREATIVE”
    2. CHAPTER 8: A RETURN TO THE SANDBOX
    3. CHAPTER 9: BREAKING OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE
    4. CHAPTER 10: IT TAKES COURAGE
    5. CHAPTER 11: WHEN ADMINISTRATORS GET IT
    6. CHAPTER 12: TRY A LITTLE TRICKERY (IT WORKS)
    7. CHAPTER 13: “BUT I ALREADY DO THIS”
    8. CHAPTER 14: A LEARNING COMMUNITY OF TEACHERS (COHORT GROUPS … FOOD MATTERS)
    9. CHAPTER 15: THE IMPORTANCE OF “WHY”
    10. CHAPTER 16: TRUST
  10. SECTION THREE: Developing a Design-Based Learning Classroom
    1. CHAPTER 17: ORGANIC CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE
      1. ROLE-PLAYING
      2. MOVING THE FURNITURE
      3. CLASSROOM-IN-A-BAG
      4. A STUDENT-CENTERED CLASSROOM
    2. CHAPTER 18: MAKING CURRICULUM PHYSICAL
      1. LONG-RANGE PLANNING BOARDS IN DEPTH
      2. THE EVOLUTION OF THE PLANNING PROCESS
      3. ACTIVATING A YEARLONG, STORY-DRIVEN CURRICULUM
    3. CHAPTER 19: THE HISTORY WALL
      1. THE HISTORY WALL IN THE CLASSROOM
  11. IN CLOSING
  12. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  13. INDEX
  14. END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

Product information

  • Title: Cultivating Curiosity
  • Author(s): Doreen Gehry Nelson
  • Release date: September 2021
  • Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
  • ISBN: 9781119824169