Explore creative teaching strategies that inspire and engage students. Learn how to foster innovation in the classroom and make learning more effective.

When many of us think of “creativity” we envision an artist with a paintbrush or a musician in the studio. While these examples certainly fit the bill, creativity goes beyond the arts. All subject areas can support and benefit from creative thinking and problem-solving. From math to physical education to meeting the needs of students in special education, the challenge, enrichment, and satisfaction of out-of-the-box thinking can be found throughout the school campus.<h2>Inspiring Classroom Innovation</h2>Creative thinking is more important than ever in the classroom and beyond. Original thinking and the ability to problem-solve are valued by innovators, employers, and decision-makers alike. It is becoming more and more apparent that this sort of thinking deserves a much higher priority in education than it has received in the past. Dede (2010) explored the numerous ways an emphasis on “21st-Century skills” has forced educators “to systematically examine all the tacit beliefs and assumptions and values about schooling that are legacies from the 20th century and the industrial age.” Of course, we want to help our students prepare to be independent and successful after graduation, but, as Peter-Szarka (2012) observed, “today’s education should prepare children for a future that we do not know.” While it isn’t possible to predict the future our students will live in, we can work to provide them with skills and knowledge that apply to many situations and possibilities, with creative thinking being just one of those skills. So how can we encourage creativity and problem-solving in our classrooms?Luckily, researchers have begun exploring best practices to help guide educators who want to bring creativity into their teaching. Beghetto and Kaufman (2014) suggest some starting points:<ul><li>Integrate creativity into daily lessons and activities</li><li>Offer students opportunities for choice, imagination and exploration</li><li>Be mindful of the motivational messages conveyed through classroom practices</li></ul> It is important to consider how classroom practices impact learning since they are often unconscious or simply habits we’ve perpetuated. One example is using early recess or another fun activity as a reward for completing assigned work. While this may seem like a way to motivate students, it can sometimes send the message that the work itself isn’t rewarding and is just something to ‘get through’ to get to the ‘fun’. Baloche (2005) encourages educators to “consider ways to celebrate learning with students and celebrate learning in ways that the learning itself is the celebration that is shared by all the students and the teacher together.” This means developing meaningful and engaging learning experiences that students will find rewarding, rather than relying on extrinsic rewards.When bringing creativity into your everyday teaching, it doesn’t have to mean every lesson is an explosion of paint and paper. It could simply involve allowing ways for students to deepen their learning by exploring solutions to real-world problems through project-based learning (PBL). An example shared by DuPriest (2017) involved students figuring out prize payouts for their carnival game based on probability. The students were still doing math and exploring probability, but the elements of authenticity and choice added a motivating layer of context and creativity.A few more suggestions from Beghetto and Kaufman include:<ul><li>Approaching creativity and academic learning as more than just an end goal in itself, and</li><li>Supporting and modeling creativity in the classroom.</li></ul> When supporting creativity, it is important to remember that part of creative thinking is questioning norms and experimenting with new perspectives. Fostering a safe environment, where mistakes are a part of learning, is a good way to allow for this. When teachers model the creative process and demonstrate how to work through a mistake, students can learn to be comfortable with their own mistakes as a part of that process rather than a roadblock. While it may be challenging at first, the reward of encouraging student creativity and problem-solving will surely help set them up for success no matter what the future holds.If you’re looking to explore more about fostering creativity into your classroom, here are some great resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.creativitypost.com/article/creativity_and_special_needs_learners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">	Creativity and Special Needs Learners</a></li><li><a href="https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/creative-thinking-esl-classroom/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Unleashing the Power of Creative Thinking in the ESL Classroom</a></li><li><a href="https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/articles-and-how-tos/articles/educators/skills--assessment/inspired-classrooms/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Seven Ways to Cultivate Creativity</a></li><li><a href="https://www.waterford.org/education/how-to-mix-creativity-and-stem-education/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How to Mix STEM Education and Creativity in the Classroom</a></li></ul><h3>References:</h3><ol><li>Baloche, L. (2005). Developing cooperative contexts for creativity. Creative Engagements: Thinking with children, 53-60. <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&amp;type=pdf&amp;doi=d8e6cb035d1e21a1a357ee2c0189ce29f7f13e4d " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&amp;type=pdf&amp;doi=d8e6cb035d1e21a1a357ee2c0189ce29f7f13e4d </a></li><li>Beghetto, R. A., &amp; Kaufman, J. C. (2014). Classroom contexts for creativity. High ability studies, 25(1), 53-69. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/James-Kaufman-2/publication/263286614_Classroom_contexts_for_creativity/links/00463536297336b73d000000/Classroom-contexts-for-creativity.pdf " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.researchgate.net/profile/James-Kaufman-2/publication/263286614_Classroom_contexts_for_creativity/links/00463536297336b73d000000/Classroom-contexts-for-creativity.pdf </a></li><li>Dede, C. (2010). Comparing frameworks for 21st century skills. 21st century skills: Rethinking how students learn, 20(2010), 51-76. <a href="https://allchildrenlearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Dede_2010_Comparing-Frameworks-for-21st-Century-Skills.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://allchildrenlearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Dede_2010_Comparing-Frameworks-for-21st-Century-Skills.pdf </a></li><li>DuPriest, D. (2017). Creativity in the Classroom. neaToday: March 16, 2017. <a href="https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/creativity-classroom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/creativity-classroom </a></li><li>Péter-Szarka, S. (2012). Creative climate as a means to promote creativity in the classroom. Electronic journal of research in education psychology, 10(28), 1011-1034. <a href="https://ojs.ual.es/ojs/index.php/EJREP/article/download/1547/1897" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://ojs.ual.es/ojs/index.php/EJREP/article/download/1547/1897 </a></li></ol>

Fostering Creativity in the Classroom: Innovative Teaching Strategy

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