How creative are you as a teacher?

If we were to make a shopping list of skills and content, creativity doesn't often get to the top of the list in a classroom for some teachers. Research today is showing that thinking creatively is an essential quality to have as a teacher and to develop as a student. So, what is creativity and how do you apply it in the classroom with your students?

Creativity is the power of imagination, and is also a way to develop special talents. It is seeing something in a new way, and finding a different way to solve problems. Without creativity, don't you think that life would be a little boring. Many things in the world might just stay the same. If you really think about it, thinking creatively helps us to be all that we can be.

How do you practice creativity with your students?

Students are motivated to learn when certain creativity factors are present. Think of ways they can tie their learning to their personal interests. This will give them a sense of autonomy and control over their task, and they feel competent in the work they’re doing. Creative projects can easily meet all three conditions. 

Find out what interests your students and what they're good at. Give them opportunities to learn and practice, so their talents will get better and better. Teachers who frequently assign classwork involving creativity are more likely to have higher-order cognitive skills — problem solving, critical thinking, making connections between subjects — in their students. 

Creativity supports the emotional development in all of us. Think about a new creative process you have used. There's some trial and error now isn't there. Those moments of failure, or as I call them, "those learning moments", can build resilience and teaches us to push through those difficult moments to reach success. Allowing your students the freedom to explore and learn new things will develop their creativity.

As a teacher find ways to also build  confidence in your students, to encourage them to explore new ways of learning - trusting that they have what it takes to handle whatever happens. For example, ask your students to reflect on something new they would like to try. 

Activities with Creativity 

Source: The Virtues Project Educator's Guide by Linda Kavelin-Popov

• Write a poem or make up a song. Create a dance.
• Ask students to describe a problem they know about. What would be a creative way to solve it. With this activity first define what the meaning of creativity is. 
• Draw a picture of yourself doing something creative (dancing, singing, painting). 
• Name three people in history who have done creative things that have made a big difference in our lives today. 

At the end of the day, it's one thing for your student's to be able to sit in front of a computer screen. But it’s another to have creative thinking and  conversations and engage in learning. It all comes from developing a creative mindset in your students, and also in yourself as an Educator.