Video: Creativity in the Classroom ( in 5 minutes or less!)
In her video,
Catherine
suggests that
some schools
and teachers
employ
learning styles
that
don?t
challenge
students, the
equivalent of handing students a piece of paper
with a set of questions on it ? is the answer A, B or C
? this can condition children to think only within a
limited framework, not drawing from their own
creativity sensibilities.
As Catherine points out, whilst real world
challenges are not always open ended, they do not
rely on A, B or C answers but more on the
innovativeness of today?s youth. To foster creativity
in our students Catherine suggests that we tap into
their natural creativity and try to remind ourselves
and our students that we all have the potential to
be creative, and hopefully our students can be the
innovators of tomorrow.
Sir Ken Robinson, in his video titled ? Do Schools
Kill Creat ivit y?, elaborates on this idea, stating
that schools themselves are not doing enough to
develop creativity in students. We highly
recommend you watch his video above in which
Ken emphasises the need for schools to nurture
creativity, allowing students to reach their full
potential without fear of failure. Nord Anglia prides
itself on its unique approach to learning and the
ambitious ways we enable our students to be more
creative ? whether taking risks and failing, or
taking risks and succeeding, we want our students
to understand that they themselves have the
ability to deviate from their normal curriculum to
come up with ideas and processes which could
help not only their peers but those of future
generations, too!
TED Talk: Creative Thinking ? How to get out of the box and generate
ideas, by Giovanni Corazza
When we ask our colleagues, students or
employees to ?think out of the box?, we often forget
how challenging this can prove to be! Often our
natural safe place is to think ?inside the box?,
making decisions based on rational thought
process. Giovanni Corazza states that we need to
learn how to leave the box, where to go and how to
get back inside.
Why should we leave our comfort zones in the
name of creativity, risking our reputation in the
process? We have spent years learning what other
people have thought, discovered and created; this,
combined with personal failures and successes
make up the area of our mind in which we live: our
comfort zone. We need to understand that the
inventions and ideas we encounter daily have
come from individuals who were once in the exact
same position as they are ? someone who was
living ?inside the box? and hadn?t yet taken that
first step towards leaving, or as Corazza terms it,
divergent thinking.
So, how do we take that extra step? All inventors
had to start somewhere, and some of the world?s
most creative minds failed many times before
becoming successful! Nord Anglia?s philosophy is
Be Ambitious, and this is exactly what we want to
be. So, let?s remind ourselves that there is no
shame in failure, and as the old saying goes ?if at
first you don?t succeed, try, try again?!