In this module we explore creativity in teaching. Cremin (2009) mentions two aspects: creative teaching, and teaching for creativity. They are similar, but are they mutually exclusive? I feel that we can be creative in our teaching, without necessarily fostering creativity in our students. But is it possible to get our students to be creative without being creative ourselves?
For me, I associate teaching for creativity more in the arts. If you are good at drawing or music, or dancing, you are a creative person. And you teach for creativity when you teach art. I don’t teach art. I teach religion. Which, taught incorrectly, could be anti-creative. But truly, creativity is not exclusive to the arts. Any time you make something that didn’t exist before, you create something. So that if you build a bridge made of spaghetti in Science class, or design a counting game in Math, you are also being creative. In this book (which I hope our library purchases, as the link to it was posted in social media by our assistant principal), it takes teaching for creativity a step even further:
Real-World Projects: How do I design relevant and engaging real world learning experiences?
From the introduction, it is clear that this book advocates creative teaching in order to teach for creativity. But not only that, it seeks to harness the learners’ creativity to tackle real world challenges and effect real change in their communities. The possibilities are exciting! We often hear of graduates who pass school with flying colors, but are having difficulties in real world working environments. They can’t seem to decide things on their own. They want answers and solutions and advice from everyone. Real world projects in school do not only teach for creativity, it prepares them for the kinds of challenges they will tackle when they leave formal education. They will also be directly using the lessons and skills they learn from academic classes in practical and creative ways, thus solidifying learning through practical application.
In creating real world projects for our students, I think teachers will have to exercise A LOT of creativity. If each project is unique, how will the system of grading be fair and differentiated at the same time? How will the teacher guide the students in a myriad of projects with countless numbers of challenges along the way? How will the teacher ensure that learning is focused on the learning goals, and not on all the many other details that the students have to tackle in reaching the goal? How will the teacher scaffold for all the different projects that the students come up with?
Given the many challenges these sorts of projects may pose for a teacher who attempts to teach in this way, I think it is worthwhile to explore the possibility of this, and find creative solutions in collaboration with other teachers who may want to make these projects integrated assessments over a range of different subjects. With more teachers and mentors helping the students, their creativity could be unleashed on the community, their school projects will benefit others, and they will be better prepared to face real world challenges they will face outside school.
Cremin, T. (2009). Creative teachers and creative teaching (Chapter 3). In Wilson, A. (Ed.). Creativity in Primary Education (2nd ed.). Southernhay East, Exeter: Learning Matters, pp. 36–46.
Learning to Teach 