Ways To Naturally Promote Creativity In Schools
Whether you believe it or not, creativity is just as important, and should be part of the teaching of math and science!
Just as writers on Medium tend to keep writing notebooks with every idea under the sun, the same idea fits with students, young and old, a notebook where they can quickly pen ideas, and come back to them at a later date.
We often think we will remember ideas we had, but rarely do, so that is the idea for having a ready reference.
I got this idea many years ago after reading about Leonardo da Vinci and his numerous notebooks, all filled with meticulous notes that in so many ways helped the arts and engineering worlds.
Imagining the sketches that this renowned artist had, machines and costumes, and descriptions, I wondered how much latent talent in my students, might be expressed within the confines of a notebook that could be as private, or content-sharing as one would choose.
Who knows? Perhaps one or more students could realize a dream with the liberty to be themselves. In safety comes empowerment!
It was worth a try!
I could never have imagined how quickly and easily the idea would take off, not just for the most able, whatever that happens to be, but for all students.
Not only that, but the notebooks became a form of enticement, clickbait, for want of a better term, for good behavior, and for working hard, and attentiveness.
Listen well, contribute, make suggestions, take risks, encourage, support…the ultimate rewards for so much was time on your own, to draw, or write, make plans…just anything at all. This was kind of like a personal diary, one that nobody would be checking up on.
It’s interesting to note that when you free children up to be themselves, amazing, often surprising things, do happen!
The Da Vinci-style notebooks were nothing to do with the curriculum we were following, by the way.
Instead ideas might be inspired at times, by something in the news, or whatever students were drawn to, allowing for divergent thinking, artistic creations, questions about things that drew interest, drawings, cartoons…so many things.
Within a week, the results astounded me. Had you walked into my classroom, you would have been struck by the intent, the calm, and the busy atmosphere.
Is there a lesson here?
I would have to say the level of creativity, productivity, and engagement, exploded.
It was the best, cheapest, and fairest way for students to realize their potential!
Creativity is everything in education. Without it, learning lacks soul.
Let me share with you, one of my favorite little stories that really brings home the issue of allowing for spontaneity, and therefore, creativity.
It was Anna’s first day at her new school. She was nervous, very nervous. Her dad was in the army and they had moved around quite a bit, resulting in her having to embrace new schools, new friendship groups, and different teachers.
Every time she left one school, a little bit of her confidence was left behind.
But on her first day at her new school, she had a feeling that everything would be fine.
The teacher had prepared a fun lesson for the new term.
‘This morning,” she said, “we are going to have fun. I want you all to draw a picture.”
“Great!” thought Anna. “I love drawing. I’ll show everyone what a great artist I’m going to be one day.”
And for a few moments she allowed herself to imagine all the different things she could draw in order to impress her class.
What would it be…a ballerina, her new home, her family? She could draw all of them if she wanted. She and her sister were both ballerinas, so that would fit in.
She got out her brand-new coloring pencils and was just about to start when the teacher said.
“But wait. I don’t want this to be any sort of picture. Today we are going to draw a flower.”
Well, flowers were something that Anna was very good at drawing. Things weren’t so bad after all. She thought about her very favorite flowers, violets. She could draw lots of them and put them into a little bowl. The teacher would be impressed. She was just about to start when the teacher stopped the class. She had other plans.
Very carefully she drew a red rose, a single rose with just one stem…a green stem.
In her enthusiasm, Anna had already drawn the tiny faces of the violets and in her head she had imagined the perfect bowl to wrap around them.
“Now,” said the teacher. “Now it is your turn. See if you can draw a rose just like mine.”
Anna was so disappointed. She didn’t really care for roses, and the teacher’s rose was not that good anyway. But she was a diligent little student, so she drew a rose, not her best drawing, but just as good as her teacher’s.
And so, the next few months were spent emulating her teacher’s daily artistic efforts.
Anna was beyond sad.
Even more worrying she doubted her talent. Her teacher never ever commented on her work.
But one day her parents explained to her that they had to move yet again. Anna wasn’t excited. Moves were scaring her more and more. But she didn’t say much. Schools were schools. She just had to remember to do exactly what the teacher asked. Things would be alright.
And that first morning in her new school was very much like the one in the school she had left.
But this time she wasn’t afraid. She would know what to do.
“Today,” said the teacher excitedly, “we are all going to draw a picture. So get out your pencils, and draw.”
The teacher busied herself in the classroom, after which she walked around the room, commenting on each child’s efforts.
When she came to Anna’s desk she noticed that her paper was blank.
“Don’t you like drawing?” she asked.
“I do,” said Anna, “but I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to draw.”
“I see,” said the teacher. “But have a look around. Everyone is drawing different pictures. Can you do that?”
Anna nodded. and very carefully she drew a single red rose, with one green stem.
Make no mistake about it. Creativity is vital for success in the 21st century! And we as teachers are at the coalface of change, far removed from the factories of the 20th century!
We must be. We’re not preparing students for entry to university, or for any one job.
Rather we’re helping them aboard the tram of the brave new world, which, by the way, runs at breakneck speed.
Today’s students have to be confident in their ability, to demonstrate creativity, to work synergistically, and be ready for the challenges that lie ahead.
So how do we do that?
- Dare I suggest that student notebooks could be a starting point?
- Find ways to inspire student creativity. Yes, even in the overcrowded curriculum, this is vital. You can manage this by practicing what I call, ‘content crossovering’ which basically means you marry one key learning area with another whenever it is at all possible. Language and the arts, spring to mind. But also, think about where your students can feel more inspired? On a hard classroom seat, or out in nature? Your choice! try a change of sceneryand see where ot takes you.
- You have a classroom challenge…about space…or tidiness… Throw it out to the wider community, that is, your students, to solve. You will be blown away by what they come up with!
- What about one hundred days of making? This is not new, but new to me. I wish I’d personally thought about it, to be honest. This surely will inspire creativity, sometimes in the simplest of ways…song in the shower anyone?
- Teach a craft! Some years ago, in term four, I asked the children to bring in a craft bag for Christmas. We were going to learn several crafts and save them up to be given to family members for Christmas. One very shy boy fell in love with cross-stitch, and every morning at eight o’clock, he’d be at my classroom window, hoping to be allowed in. His work was delightful, and precise. Over the term he managed to make something for each member of his family, but on the last day, he arrived at school, ready to wrap his gifts, only to find they had been stolen. I don’t know which one of us was more upset. So here’s what I did!
- I asked the students to come up with some ideas to find a solution to the the problem, by writing suggestions about ways the Christmas bag might be found and returned. There was to be no checking in bags, and the ways had to be innovative. From memory we had, assuming it had been taken by a class student: - leaving the bag at the back door of the student’s home - asking the tuck-shop manager to store it - posting it to the school - writing a sadness poem about the incident
There will always be problems to solve, solutions to be found, ideas to get things started, all occurring within the confines of the classroom.
See these as opportunities in the moment, afford them the time necessary, and you will have a whole group of creative students, bent on being more so.
So for you, the teacher:
BE the Will.
Find the way.
Make the time.
At work, and play!
