Fostering creativity in the classroom is key to finding the innovators, entrepreneurs, and artists among our students. Education must amount to more than grades and rankings, and so discovering a student’s ability to uniquely contribute to society is a noble goal.
The essence of creativity is to produce something new through experimentation aided by imagination.
It is often considered the domain of arts educators or practitioners, and may even be dismissed as the leisurely part of a lesson or the reward for working hard.
However, approaching creativity in this way is a fallacy that can be detrimental to teaching practice, disengaging students and depriving them of valuable self-discovery.
Creativity can be fun, but it should be something we regularly encourage in students and not an afterthought. Arguably, creativity has a place in every subject.
Educational activities with a creative element can be messy, and this may be a determining factor for teachers who share classrooms.
However there are ways to ignite creativity in students that are practical, and require minimal resources.
Igniting creativity does not have to involve expensive musical instruments or a plethora of art supplies. Even simple additions to your existing lesson plans can cultivate creative thinking.
What does pedagogy that promotes creativity look like? Here is the A to E of igniting creativity.
SOURCE: Igniting creativity in your classroom - it's easier than you might think
