Creative Teaching and Teaching for Creativity

Source: CreativTeach.me website, date indeterminate

Creative teaching and teaching for creativity both are important—but they are different. In creative teaching, the teacher is creative. Creative teachers use their creativity to design innovative lessons, create stimulating classroom environments, and engage their students in interesting projects. But creative teaching does not necessarily guarantee that the students will have a chance to be creative.

… three keys to developing creativity in the classroom

• Key #1: Teaching the skills and attitudes of creativity entails explicitly teaching students about creativity.
• Key #2: Teaching the creative methods of the disciplines requires teaching students how individuals are creative in the disciplines they study. … Learning how creative scientists operate entails learning the kinds of questions scientists ask and the methods they use to investigate them. It examines the obstacles that can impede progress, the circuitous paths that can lead to success, and the skills necessary to conduct investigations. Parallel kinds of knowledge can be examined for any field in which creativity emerges. Learning to help students find and solve problems in the disciplines is a key way to integrate creativity into core content.
• Key #3: Developing a creativity-friendly classroom entails creating a classroom atmosphere in which seeking and solving problems is welcomed.