Is creativity something you plan or something you embed in your lessons each day? There are small ways that we can encourage creativity and open learning in our classrooms.
1.) Encourage risks by letting students see you taking your own.
2.) Plan open ended activities that don’t hinge upon “One Right Answer.” Solve the problem on page 26 to learn how to add money is far less creative than saying to students “We need to fundraise for our field trip, what ideas do you have?” and then letting them carry out their project.
3.) Play music.
4.) Hang examples of your own creativity around the room.
5.) When you have ten minutes to fill, throw out a creativity challenge like “Use three sheets of paper and one piece of tape to design a machine that will help humans.” or “Choose any number and create a graphic to represent that number in some way.”
6.) Instead of asking “Fill in the Blank,” say “What you do think?”
7.) Have a “TTC” time in your class…. Time to Create!
8.) Show photos — like Goldfish in a Lightbulb — and have students Rally Robin with discussing captions that would fit the photo.
9.) Ask students… what do you like to create most of all. Have them write their answers on index cards and draw a random card each week when lesson planning and try to incorporate their idea.
10.) Get creative yourself. The best way to inspire creativity in your classroom is to BE CREATIVE. It’s contagious!
Post edited to add this great video shared by Rebecca on Hoagies Gifted…
