12 Classroom Creativities that Foster Education

You will agree with the fact that education should provide you with skills that will help you prepare for and face the challenges life throws at us. Gone are the days of traditional educational systems where students learnt lessons by rote. Not allowing them to think out-of-the-box, it was the age when teachers too were not equipped with skills that they could ignite the creativity in students.

With modernization, this drawback paved the way to include classroom activities aimed at improving the creativity of students. Teaching creativity as one of the subjects of study was made possible through a model of giving instructions to students with an intention to hone their creativity; a natural ability to thrive in a fast-paced and highly-competitive environment.

Here are such creativities that fosters education:

1. Teachers to come up with awards and rewards for creativity

Motivation is the first trick that can be followed by teachers. The onus is on the faculty to create a learning environment that not only recognizes creativity but also appreciates it. The school administration can declare awards to showcase the creative talents of students.

Every classroom which has students who provide creative solutions to real-world situations can be recognized and praised. This recognition will fuel the creative side of other students to follow suit. Here, you can create notice boards with the names and abilities of students who have come up with great school work and sing words of praise.

2. A Blend of Cognitive and Emotional Programs

What are the effective ways to teach creativity so that teachers can impart quality education to students? All in an attempt to provide holistic education to knowledge-seekers, it is through an amalgamation of emotional and cognitive functions that teachers can handhold students to tread the path of a creative lifestyle. Other abilities of students like mastering a musical instrument, developing a spatial awareness and bodily kinesthetic development can lay the foundation of a creative means to a comprehensive educational program.

3. Introduce a Host of Programs that can Develop the Creative Skills of a Class

Thinkquest and Odyssey of the Mind are some of the classroom programs that can be conducted by teachers who are inclined towards honing the creative talents of students. Becoming a platform to compete with the global fraternity of creative learners, it is through these well-designed programs that students from different parts of the globe can learn from the experiences of creative thinkers and learners.

4. Encouragement to Hands-On Learning

Quote unquote the famous maxim from Benjamin Franklin says: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” The underlying concept behind this thought is that students who are encouraged to tread the path of experimental learning can connect better with the subject when compared to simply lecturing from a text book.

If you are an English teacher, you can involve a group reading session. And every time you want to conduct such a session, you can pick one  different reader who will read out the contents of the text to the entire class.

Media and Designing students are at an advantage when they can skip theory and involve themselves with hands-on learning. If you are teaching a class about fundamentals of web designing, you can encourage your wards to use  websites like Wix and Squarespace. These are free website building tools that students can use  to develop their own websites revolving around a topic of their choice.

Math can be taught the innovative way by implementing practical ideas teamed with working models.. Infusing a sense of excitement to learning will make students  learn to solve problems related to speed and distance. This way, you as a teacher will be able to provide an innovative way to solve math problems through real-life examples.

5. The Use of Unconventional Learning Materials

Textbooks teamed with writing boards come in as traditional teaching tools. However, with technology impacting into every sphere of human life, you can promote the out-of-the-box thinking of your students by introducing them to innovative educational tools. Empowering students with TED Talks, Podcasts and Design Software, you can teach your kids to learn through audio-visual presentations.

When students listen to the TED talks delivered by role models and global leaders, they will connect with them better. Getting inspired by their life-stories, students who have TED talks as part of their educational curriculum will begin to enjoy the benefits of creative development.

Educational podcasts are handy tools that can be played in classrooms. You name a subject and you will find a matching podcast. Visual communication comes as another educational tool which makes use of design software to churn out innovative lesson plans for students. Through software-enabled visual communications, students can strengthen their fundamentals about a particular topic.

6. Class Discussions – A Practice With Many Benefits

Unnecessary chatter can be distracting not only to the teacher but also to a group of focused students who are all eyes and ears with the subject under study. Encouraging the entire class to become part of a meaningful discussion is definitely a challenge to every teacher. If your teaching strategy relies on such meaningful subject-oriented discussions, then it will be a favor to your students in the following ways:

• A discussion initiated by you will get your students to apply their reasoning skills and enables the entire class to think about the topic
• Effective listening skills are encouraged when the rest of the class is made to pay attention to a group of students who are coming up with ideas and suggestions about the topic
• Paving the way for a healthy competition, students will go extra mile in challenging their peers by outsmarting them with an innovative presentation of creative ideas

7. Multi-Format Assignments – A Proven Means to Keep Monotony at Bay

Sticking to hard and fast rules can be very stressful to students who wish to demonstrate their innovative minds to the rest of the class. Teachers who encourage multi-format assignments fuel the creative steak in kids, alongside allowing them to come up with creative ideas to showcase their knowledge. It need not be a monotonous essay writing assignment that can become the yardstick of their intelligence. You can encourage your class to submit their assignments in the form of presentations, speeches and documentaries.

8. Stress Busting Techniques Become Light-Hearted Learning Mechanisms

Topping the chart of options to create a positive learning environment, teachers who encourage  good sense of humor in classrooms are doing the right thing. that They can tackle stressful situations better only when students are encouraged to laugh and share relevant jokes in class

9. A Video Diary Allows Students to Peep Into Their Inner Selves

It’s all about the “three things” concept. Teachers, by the end of every term can encourage students to introspect the three things that went well, the three major challenges that they faced and the three things that call for attention and hard work. And these inferences can be presented in the form of an interesting video presentation for the entire class to watch, learn and enjoy. This simple yet effective exercise will permit students to take their learning journey seriously so that they can make the most of the education imparted in classrooms.

10. Education through Goal-Setting

Achievable and measureable goals are the biggest motivators in the learning curve of students. Teachers can encourage their wards to come up with a set of project or term based goals and write them down for everyone to see. A classroom notice board which displays the goals of every student will in turn serve as an empowering tool for others to tighten their belts. Once students are made to extend their efforts in the direction of reaching their goals, they will scout for creative means to finally arrive at the finish line.

11. Motivation Through Posters

A picture is worth a thousand words. In line with this famous adage, teachers who pin up motivational quotes on the soft boards of classrooms will be dealing with a bunch of students who constantly look up to such quotes. Inspiring them to perform better by the day, these motivational quotes will go a long way in shaping their creative instincts.

12. Team Building Strategies

Two brains are better than one. So true to this phrase, a class which thrives on the principle of team building can pave the way for creative thinking teamed with a strong sense of collaboration and communication. Allowing students to constantly interact with each other in pursuit of a common assignment or project work, they will experience a multitude of feelings. Alongside enjoying the thrill of success, they will also try to deal with failure in a better way. All these help them master the subject with a belief that they can bank on the combined efforts of their classmates.

Conclusion

A classroom which ranks high on creativity can make all the educational dreams of students a reality. All the above classroom activities can ensure that your students can hone their creative skills in the best possible manner. However, the onus is on the faculty to go the extra mile to encourage students to stretch their imagination through the above mentioned creative classroom strategies.