“Creative thinking inspires ideas. Ideas inspire change."
- Barbara Januszkiewicz
In the education field, ideas and change are kind of our “thing”, right? And creative thinking is abundant in young minds, but to keep creative thinking inspiring ideas and change, creative thinking must be nurtured. By building the capacity of students to think creatively, we can help them become more motivated and engaged learners. Creative thinking, which strengthens problem solving skills, helps students become better prepared for life beyond the classroom. As Laura Preble, author of the article “Teachers Must Encourage Student Creativity”, puts it: “Ultimately, creativity not only improves those pesky test scores, but it also contributes to what should be our ultimate goal as educators: inspiring students to become curious, engaged, and interested in the world around them and within them.”
- Barbara Januszkiewicz
In the education field, ideas and change are kind of our “thing”, right? And creative thinking is abundant in young minds, but to keep creative thinking inspiring ideas and change, creative thinking must be nurtured. By building the capacity of students to think creatively, we can help them become more motivated and engaged learners. Creative thinking, which strengthens problem solving skills, helps students become better prepared for life beyond the classroom. As Laura Preble, author of the article “Teachers Must Encourage Student Creativity”, puts it: “Ultimately, creativity not only improves those pesky test scores, but it also contributes to what should be our ultimate goal as educators: inspiring students to become curious, engaged, and interested in the world around them and within them.”
What is Creativity? What is Creativity Not?
Creativity is not just for the arts. It is not just for the right side of your brain. It is not something that some people have and others never will. It is something that spans across all content areas, utilizes both the left and right sides of the brain, and it is something we are all capable of. We have to believe this for ourselves, and then help students understand this so that they can begin, or start again to believe that they are creative thinkers. Helping students understand that creativity is accessible to them - that every idea doesn’t have to be some spectacular one-of-a-kind revelation - will encourage them to be more engaged and motivated in creative thinking activities.
What Does Creativity Look Like in the Classroom?
Once students believe that they can be creative, there are many different ways adults can cultivate creative thinking with students. Here are some key recommendations from Sparking Student Creativity (Drapeau, 2014):
- provide a safe environment
- support unusual ideas
- provide choice
- utilize creative strategies and techniques
- encourage multiple solutions
- incorporate novelty
- provide constructive feedback
- model creative thinking
- utilize hands-on, small-group, problem-based learning
For more detailed, in-depth recommendations, these are some great resources are:
Another great resource is your fellow All-In! team members! We’d love to hear from anyone willing to share. What are some ways, big or small, that you encourage creativity in or outside of the classroom?
- Teaching for Creativity: Two Dozen Tips from the Center of Development & Learning
- The Creativity Roadmap: a tool from Sparking Student’s Creativity that “guides the process of intentionally integrating creative instruction with content”
- Librarian Approved: 30 Ed-Tech Apps to Inspire Creativity and Creation from KQED’s MindShift
- 20 Ideas to Promote More Creativity in Your Classroom from Fusion Yearbooks
- Developing Students' Creative Skills for 21st Century Success from ASCD’s Education Update
- 10 Hands-on Exercises to Spark Student Creativity and Innovation by Charles Wood, Ph.D
Another great resource is your fellow All-In! team members! We’d love to hear from anyone willing to share. What are some ways, big or small, that you encourage creativity in or outside of the classroom?
Blog post written by:
MK Morrison, Associate Project Manager
MK Morrison, Associate Project Manager
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