Lesson 2: How Do We Get Students to Be Creative?
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Welcome back, creative educators! In this lesson, we'll be viewing some easy methods for encouraging student creativity that can be adapted for any grade level. Get ready to take some notes – you'll want to remember these for later!
A Creative Break
In our previous lesson, we discussed ways we can develop our own creativity, as well as beliefs we can hold about creativity in our classrooms. So, naturally...we'll begin this lesson with another creative exercise. This is known as the Divergent Association Task. You can read more of the research behind it on their website.
How did you do? How do your results compare to the population? If you were surprised by them, don't worry – it was just one measure of creativity. However, it may be interesting to complete this task with older students. Or, you could have students come up with as many words as possible related to a specific topic of their learning, and analyze the similarities and differences as a class.
Now, there are several ways teachers can encourage student creativity within the classroom. By teaching for creativity, teachers create opportunities for students to develop their creativity naturally. Below, we’ll look at several examples of ways to promote student creativity, many of which require minimal effort and resources to implement.
STEAM Challenges/Collaboration
When conducting my research for this course, STEAM activities were a common recommendation for developing students’ creativity. They are versatile, and can be used to connect content through an interdisciplinary approach. STEAM challenges rely on experiential and experimental learning, which allow students to “think outside the box” (or inside the box, depending on the challenge prompt!). Many times, these challenges lend themselves well to longer, project-based learning units.
Here is a list of some interdisciplinary project ideas that could be modified or improved upon to meet any age level: Interdisciplinary Project Ideas
Some key benefits of STEAM (Bullard and Bahar, 2023; Zhbanova, 2019):
- The trial and error process helps students practice emotional regulation
- Development of time management skills
- Development of open-mindedness and new perspectives
- Hands-on learning allows for deeper understanding of content knowledge
- Creates a safe space for students to try different approaches, and not search for the “correct” solution
- Promotes teamwork and problem-solving abilities
"Da Vinci" Notebooks
The idea of “Da Vinci” notebooks began in a second grade classroom, where the teacher was inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s extensive notebook pages and how those helped him in his creative work. The teacher ordered notebooks for each of her students, with the intention that each student would be able to explore their learned knowledge, personal interests, or new ideas.
By the end of the year, students' notebooks were full: "One 2nd grader had designed and sketched a fleet of zombie-apocalypse vehicles. Another wrote poem upon poem, practicing techniques she'd learned earlier in the week. Another took insightful notes on her day-to-day observations of our classroom" (Cassani Davis, 2018). The teachers working in the classroom also kept their own Da Vinci notebooks, and noted how inspired they felt because of them.
This is a simple way for students to engage their own creative muscles that does not require a lot of time or effort. It could also create a sense of community among students by allowing them to share their ideas with others. For older students, consider adapting this idea so that students have ample time to brainstorm their creative ideas before beginning a project.
100 Questions Challenge
This activity asks participants to come up with 100 questions about the world around them, in a continuous stream of thought. It is surprisingly easy to come up with so many questions once you let your mind wander. By completing this activity, it can spark wonder in students that they might not otherwise have known about. Second and fourth grade students who participated in this challenge came up with questions surrounding sleep, various inventions, how things work, the past, and the future (Cassani Davis, 2018).
It could be another great brainstorming activity prior to beginning a research project or science project. Perhaps it could be used as an activity for students to question everything they wonder about a particular topic prior to learning about it. It could even be used as an assessment tool, to see how many questions students could come up with about what they have learned, as if they were in charge of creating the test questions.
More Simple Ideas
There are several other simple activities that can encourage students' creativity. Consider trying out some of these ideas in your classroom!
- Remember the 30 Circles Challenge we completed back in Unit 1? You could have your students give that a try for a stimulating brain break. Or, change the premise of the activity to fit your needs. How many mathematical equations can you come up with to get an answer of 36? How many adjectives can you use to describe a specific object? In doodles, how can you illustrate American history? The possibilities are endless!
- Instead of a written exit ticket, make it visual. Ask students to draw a cartoon or a comic to demonstrate their learning that day.
- Give students a limited set of materials and tell them to explain a concept using only those materials.
- Give students a range of options for demonstrating their learning, such as through a choice board.
For some more fantastic ideas, check out this resource: 20 Clever Student Engagement Strategies to Increase Creativity
Wrapping Up
Remember, teaching for creativity is all about finding ways to encourage students' creativity development. Simple changes that can be added into your daily classroom routines (such as exit tickets that allow for creativity) will be effective and engaging. Just be sure to showcase your creative side too!
To end our lesson, we're going to create a collective database that we can continuously return to for ideas about teaching for creativity in our classrooms. We'll be adding to another Padlet. Add your thoughts about what you learned in this unit. How can you teach for creativity in your own classroom? What can you do to support the creativity development in yourself and your students? Remember: To add a new post to the forum, click on the plus sign in the bottom right corner of your screen. Type your response, then click "publish." All responses are anonymous!
Thoughts About Teaching for Creativity Padlet
In our final unit, we'll be taking everything we've learned and putting it into practice, and discuss how the education system could better support teaching for creativity in the future. If you'd like to learn more about the research discussed in this unit, you can find those articles linked under the "Lesson Resources" heading below. Take a break, and I'll see you in our last unit!
Click here to go to Unit 4: Dreaming Up the Future
Click here to return to the Teaching for Creativity Course Homepage
Lesson Resources
American Federation of Teachers. (n.d.). Interdisciplinary project ideas. https://www.aft.org/education/igniting-fire/project-examples-resources-and-websites/interdisciplinary-project
Bullard, A. J., and Bahar, A. K. (2023). Common barriers in teaching for creativity: A literature review. Journal of Creativity, 33, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjoc.2023.100045
Cassani Davis, L. (2018, December 17). Creative teaching and teaching creativity: How to foster creativity in the classroom. Psych Learning Curve. https://psychlearningcurve.org/creative-teaching-and-teaching-creativity-how-to-foster-creativity-in-the-classroom/
Hunt, K. (2021, July 14). This simple word test reveals how creative you are, scientists say. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/14/health/words-creativity-test-scn-wellness/index.html
LiveTiles. (2021, April 7). 20 clever student engagement strategies to increase creativity. https://livetilesglobal.com/20-clever-ways-teach-creativity-classroom/
Zhabanova, K.S. (2019). Editorial: Developing creativity through STEM subjects integrated with the arts. Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Construction, 4(1), 1-15. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=journal-stem-arts