CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM

With reference to to last weeks reading, respond to the following:

What do you understand by ‘possibility thinking’

What are Roger’s conditions for fostering Creativity and how do you interpret them?

DISCUSS

Who would you describe as your creative ‘heroines and heroes’ who have enabled you to think differently

about aspects of the world?

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?'I define creativity as the entire process by which ideas are generated, developed and transformed into value. It comprises what people commonly mean by innovation and entrepreneurship.' John Kao, 1997

'Creativity is about liberating human energy.' Howard Gardner

'Creativity is the process of developing ideas that are original and of value.  Creative intelligence is dynamic, diverse and distinct.' Sir Ken Robinson 2001

OVER 60 DEFINITIONS

incorporates playfulness, curiosity, sensitivity, self-awareness, risk taking and independence.it's about making links between ideas as a habit of thought and looking at things in many different ways

• Involves thinking or behaving - imaginatively• This imaginative activity is purposeful; directed towards achieving an outcome• These processes must generate something original• The outcome must be of value in relation to the objective

QCA DfES 2006 p4

an integral aspect of learning and human development , present and outgoing in the daily interactions of any community. (Leach)

as much an attitude as it's a set of mental processes

WAVE 1 – PLOWDEN AND BEYOND

Recommended that children learn by discovery, taking an active role in both the definition of their curriculum and the exploration of it.

Creativity became associated with other approaches such as: discovery learning, child-centered pedagogy, integrated curriculum.

WAVE 2 - CURRICULUM BASED INITIATIVESNACCCE 1999‘fostering pupil creativity will contribute to the cultural development of society’

'all people are capable of creative achievement in some area of activity, provided the conditions are right and they have acquired the relevant knowledge and skills’

'Creative development' an Early Learning Goal in the Foundation Stage Curriculum (DfEE, 2000)It stated that ‘Creative Development’ encompasses, art craft and design and various forms of dramatic play and creative expression

'Creative thinking' a key skill in the NC (Dfee, QCA, 1999b, 1999c)Creativity is not the preserve of the arts alone but arises in all domain of human endeavour

Creativity, Find it! Promote it! (QCA, 2000).

• questioning and challenging• making connections, seeing

relationships• envisioning what might be• exploring ideas, keeping options open• reflecting critically on ideas, actions,

outcomes

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (2012) highlights the importance of “Creating and thinking critically” as a characteristic of effective learning. Children should:• Have their own ideas• Make links• Choose ways to do

things

WAVE 3 - EARLY YEARS OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Third wave offers the perspective that everybody is capable of being creative given the right environment (Jeffrey and Craft, 2001) The education of children must nurture the creativity which will determine their ability to survive and flourish in a chaotic world.

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

http://www.theguardian.com/education/video/2009/jun/16/a-z-creativity

5 CHARACTERISTICS

It combines five characteristics• using the imagination• a fashioning process• pursuing purposes• seeking originality• judging values

'Imaginative activity fashioned so as to produce outcomes that are both original and of value' NACCCE, 1999, p29

THE MAIN MESSAGES

• Creativity is about generating ideas or producing things and transforming them into something of value. It often involves being inventive, ingenious, innovative and entrepreneurial. 

• Creativity is not just about special people doing special things. We all have the potential to be creative and creativity is a skill that needs to be developed. 

• Most individuals believe they are not very creative. Creativity, however, is an increasingly valuable commodity in the modern world. 

• The forming of collaborative, creative groups and partnerships helps to foster creativity.

Brief: to design an ‘innovative resource’ that could support the teaching and learning within your school. Examples of ideas that currently exist within the primary classroom…

CREATIVITY ACTIVITY

TEACHERS CAN HELP TO STIMULATE CHILDREN'S CREATIVITY BY

fostering the study of any discipline in depthencouraging the development of purposeful outcomes across the curriculumdeveloping children's motivation to be creativeoffering a clear curriculum and time structure to children but involve them in the creation of new routinesproviding an environment where children are rewarded for going above what is expectedusing language to both stimulate and assess imaginativenesshelping them to find personal relevance in learning activities

FOR NEXT WEEKBefore next session please read the following: Devereux, J. (2007) ‘Observing Children’, in Devereux, J. and Miller, L. (2007) Working with children in the early years. Oxon: Routledge.

Palaiologou, I. (2012) ‘The role of observation in the early years’, in Child Observation for the Early Years (2nd ed). London: Sage.

 

Hargreaves, L. and Wolfe, S. (2007) ‘Observing closely to see more clearly: observation in the primary classroom’, in Moyles, J. (2007) Beginning teaching: Beginning Learning in Primary Education. (3rd ed). Bucks: Open University Press.

Prepare notes for a group discussion on:What is the purpose of observation?