Context
This student drew a detailed picture of an underground mine and wanted to share it with his class. He knows a lot about mines as he plays Minecraft and his dad works in the mining industry internationally. When he shared his picture with the class, he also reflected upon where he gets his ideas.
Illustration
Student Reflection Video
Teacher Observation
He is aware of his creativity (“I have a creative mind”) and clearly values it. But where his ideas come from is a mystery to him. He says it’s a “secret” but knows that’s not quite the right analogy:
“I have a really creative mind. And what’s behind all this, it’s just a big secret…like I just…it’s not like a secret in my family…I could tell anybody but…maybe in the future…”
He is a very self-aware child who senses, but is puzzled by, the workings of his unconscious mind and where his ideas come from.
I can get new ideas in areas in which I have an interest and build my skills to make them work.
I generate new ideas as I pursue my interests. I deliberately learn a lot about something by doing research, talking to others, or practicing, so that I can generate new ideas about it; the ideas often seem to just pop into my head. I build the skills I need to make my ideas work, and I usually succeed, even if it takes a few tries.