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I believe this drop in creativity is being caused by the increase in technology in the daily lives of developing children. Children no longer understand how to be bored and use their imagination due to the high volume of tablets and cell phones in the world around them.

As a current Middle School teacher, I hope to be able to provide activities for my students that are tactile and do not require their computers or any technology at all. I also plan to assign projects about various subjects but leave it up to my students how they wish to present their information. This will allow the students to creatively present their ideas in a way that is most convenient for them.

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Pruning is a crucial step in human brain development that occurs during adolescence. When the brain is pruning it is eliminating gray matter, which is the dendrite connections between brain cells, thus leading to a more fit brain for each individual person. The process of pruning occurs in a wave like motion from back to front of an individual’s brain and occurs over the ages of five to twenty. Due to the pattern of pruning that occurs many adolescents have issues with mood regulation because the portion of the brain that regulates mood is found at the very front of the human brain. Pruning can both positively and negatively affect neuroplasticity in a child based on which sections of the brain are being repeatedly used. If the adolescent is active in school, sports, or music programs the neuroplasticity of the brain is positively changed.

Myelination is a major step in human brain development because the process increases white matter in the brain. This allows for a quicker transmission of nerve impulses between cells and makes the brain more efficient. The process of myelination creates significant changes in the limbic system, which is the part of the brain that regulates self-control. Adolescents often have issues with decision making, emotions, and risk-taking behaviors because of this. However, myelination positively affects the brain's neuroplasticity because it causes an improved connection between cells, thus making changes to the brain quicker.

Neurogenesis is important in human brain development because it is the creation of new brain cells. Neurogenesis works hand in hand with neuroplasticity because the creation of new brain cells allows for the rewiring of the brain's natural circuitry. Rewiring of the brain occurs throughout human’s lives but is most heavily observed during adolescence, due to the increase of neurogenesis. If learning disorders are not present for a child, neurogenesis contributes positively to mood and affective state thus leading to positive behaviors for the adolescent.

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In the future I hope to be a middle school social studies teacher. As we have learned throughout the course so far an important aspect of middle school is preparing the students to be active members of society. One of the major aspects of middle school social studies is understanding the United States government and how the political system works. In order to teach this in a way that allows for creativity as well as an increased understanding of the subject matter I would introduce an election game to my students. Throughout this activity the students would pair up with fellow classmates and create their own political party. Each group will be responsible for creating their own philosophies, party names, political ads, slogans and posters, and even debate one another's groups. After each activity the class will vote on their favorite groups project, while being unable to vote for themselves, in order to simulate a real election in the United States. Although this project will not be directly identical to the American election system it will give student’s an interesting opportunity to express their individual creativity, work in a group setting, learn about the American political system, and learn the importance of casting a vote.

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In the middle school classroom I believe QR codes could be used a multitude of ways. As seen above, I created a QR code that links to a video explaining the origins of Thanksgiving that could be used in a middle school history lesson. QR codes could also be used in homework assignments in order to quickly direct students to where you need them to be. QR codes essentially eliminate the need for students to directly type in lengthy URLs to access webpages. This is especially helpful when students are using mobile devices in the classroom.

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Google Docs can easily be used in the middle school classroom for many reasons. It allows students to collaborate from virtually anywhere with the same formatting and documents for each student. It also allows the teacher the chance to check in and edit students papers in real time when granted access and editing privileges. It is essentially a sleeker, more efficient way to collaborate on documents and assignments with peers in the class and around the world.

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Flipgrid can be used in a multitude of ways in the middle school classroom to facilitate conversations and discussions between students. It is also would be incredibly useful as a way to have students complete activities like bellringers or exit slips.

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I personally prefer Kahoot over Quizziz, but both applications are incredibly useful and could be used for many activities in a middle school classroom. I would use Kahoot in order to help students review for tests or also share about themselves in a fun icebreaker activity.

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After viewing my results I was surprised to see how I was lower than the average person in regards to perspective. I personally view that as one of my stronger skills and I think I am capable of viewing situations from multiple situations. I wasn't surprised by my high score in persistence, however, because I am a perfectionist and I often exhaust all options in order to find the best solution for issues as they arise.

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Summarizing and note taking

The process of summarizing and note taking is incredibly important for young adolescents to understand and learn how to complete independently. The process of summarizing and note taking teaches adolescents to delete information that is unimportant, substitute information, and keep information being taught to them. This also teaches adolescents to analyze the information being taught to them and gives them the chance to put the information into their own words. The process of note taking, and summarizing can be difficult to teach and if not completed correctly by students it can lead to difficulty on both assessments and assignments. In the future I plan to teach my students the correct way to take notes and summarize information that I am presenting to them when I teach in lecture style. I plan to teach lessons about note taking to ensure they are taking efficient notes that can help them in the future.

Reinforcing effort and providing recognition

The process of reinforcing effort and providing recognition is incredibly important for academic success and the self-esteem of adolescents. By recognizing students for their efforts, it allows the child to be recognized and congratulated regardless of their intelligence or high scores. This process of recognizing and reinforcing effort also assists at-risk students and provides the encouragement necessary to continue completing assignments and remaining engaged with their schoolwork. Although teachers can be aware of their students and their mindset it is impossible to properly identify and recognize effort in each student. This could lead to frustration with students who are not being properly recognized on a consistent basis, so I would strive to make all my students feel seen. For example, in my classroom I would recognize my students for things like being prepared, turning in assignments on time, or completing work in class without being distracted.

Cooperative learning

The process of cooperative learning is when the classroom is divided into small groups in order to achieve the learning goals presented to the students. By splitting students into smaller groups students are encouraged to collaborate to complete assignments, assessments, or to learn material for the day. This could potentially lead to issues between students and give students the opportunity to get off task if not properly monitored by the teacher. As a teacher I would use these groups to have students complete group assignments or group quizzes and allow them the opportunity to collaborate and socialize in a monitored setting.