How to foster Creativity in the classroom?

I could think about this forever, as a teacher. Being good at assessment and critiquing I will chew over it for days until happy I have chosen something that is really great and do what I intend it to do. In actual fact my focus is to allow a space in my teaching time that has no learning goal or assessable outcome. It's one focus is for students to just have a space to explore, try, reflect and find. Whatever it is, it is a unique expression of them and it is always GOOD.

For me, creativity is a place to just be.

I really like this thought by A. Nelson (2012)
* Most five year olds are totally confident they can sing, draw and dance
* Within three or four years this child, if they are typical, will experience a crisis of confidence
* They will no longer feel confident and creative.

We're kind of good in education to assess everything to help inform us of how to assist our learners to move to the next phase of learning/ benchmark of achievement/ level of skill attainment.... and this is good and helpful. But I do wonder in my educating if I need to be more sensitive to allowing creativity to permeate learning to give a full perspective on everything we learn as well as inspiring creativity for creativity learning spaces like sewing, textiles, art and drama. Creative spaces throughout the week, allow us to pull out of the depths of our being, our creativity that is not assessable, but a moment of exploration to inspire our minds for further learning.

My hope would be that in these spaces in our learning time throughout the education week, my students would begin to feel competent and creative.

CREATIVITY starts with doing. Brainstorm a few creative ideas or borrow someone else's to get going, then just do it! 

Useful links to explore the concept of creativity:

http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching-resources/classroom-practice/teaching-techniques-strategies/creativity/

http://es.slideshare.net/jted/creative-method-workshop-edition?related=1

CREATIVITY

Creativity happens when we can make CONNECTIONS with different  ideas, be prepared to DEVIATE from the norm or think outside the box and most importantly be prepared to ACTION our ideas into a creative masterpiece.

It’s not so much what you’re looking for but what you FIND - Ferran Adrià

Creative Orientation Activities
      to Inspire creativity in the classroom

1.Tangentagram *

2.  Shiny New thing*

3.   10 Uses

* From Jayson Theodore’s The Creative Method & Systems

http://es.slideshare.net/jted/creative-method-workshop-edition?related=1

1. Tangentagram

Using the three images, create a story.

# Include all three images in a story that follow from beginning to end.

Students with disabilities (ASD) or intellectual impairment may need to start with just three objects to learn what is required for this activity. I have tried this one and was really surprised what they came up with and was a brilliant task for their literacy development as well. I have found my students to become more CONFIDENT with their ideas because there is no right or wrong.

Starting with six items extends the thinking and interest of the story!

Tangent to the TANGENTAGRAM

Next time instead of pictures choose:

•Words

•Words and a made up word!!

Boat, Mr Magoo, pedal, flibbit,  opaque, DHMB (what does it stand for??)      

2. SHINY NEW THING

* Take three pieces of paper.

* On one write an OBJECT (what is it?)

* On one write a FUNCTION (what does it do?)

* On one write a DESCRIPTION (What does it look like)

* Create three piles, one for OBJECT, one for FUNCTION and one for DESCRIPTION.

* Break into teams of three or four

* Draw one paper from each pile so each group has one OBJECT,  FUNCTION and      DESCRIPTION

* Spend some time using all three attributes to describe a new invention then present your invention to the group.

3. 10 USES

Each person has one object – hold it, feel it, play with it

Come up with 10 uses for that object eg cup

  More “creative inspiring” ideas 

•Handwriting – Draw some marks on a piece of paper. Pass it to the person beside you and ask them to finish the picture. Add a new dimension and place a condition/context for the picture (something you use in Home Ec, can’t lift your pen, one hand)  OR

•Take a close up selfie of a part of your hand (knuckles, fingernail etc) or find one in a magazine. Extend the picture lines into something else or tell a story about what it could be.

My Home Ec Journey with Textiles

I've been teaching for 25+ years. While most of this time has been in special education, I have taught in TAFE and mainstream primary. My greatest passion is seeing others learn new things and teaching has been a great platform.

It sounds rather a cliché to say "everyone can learn" - the mantra of teaching pedagogy, but it is the core belief that has powered me on in teaching for so long. My best days are those when my students have that "Ah ha!" moment and you know you have unlocked another door to learning. This is particularly relevant in special education when learning can be hard.

Going with the "everyone can learn" mantra is the equally clichéd phrase, "learning is a life long process". I believe that immensely too as everyday in the past 25+ years, while having some common characteristics within the day, has had infinitely more new learning moments for me. Every student is different and learning styles involve this dynamic patchwork of patterns and combinations of learning that require me to revisit and relearn new ways of doing familiar concepts for each new student.

I've always been a interested in the creative arts, though not feeling particularly creative. I loved the opportunities at school and university to explore different techniques. As a mother, I bought my first sewing machine and made what I thought were clever clothes for my children. I sewed, dug veggie gardens and used what produce I could in my homemade cooking so my family would grow up "strong & healthy". In essence I had believed strongly in the value of being a home economist and this soon flowed into my teaching. I have been fortunate to have many opportunities as a teacher and teaching health/nutrition and basic hospitality skills has been my more recent adventure in education.

As such I  am heading in this direction. As part of this journey I attended a textile workshop as one unit toward Home Economics Teaching. It was an intensive... and intense it was. This blog is part of my journey, in particular my textile journey and continuation of learning as a life long process.