Creativity

the ability to make new things or think of new ideas.

Creativity is defined as the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others.

In order to be creative, you need to be able to view things in new ways or from a different perspective. Among other things, you need to be able to generate new possibilities or new alternatives. Tests of creativity measure not only the number of alternatives that people can generate but the uniqueness of those alternatives. the ability to generate alternatives or to see things uniquely does not occur by change; it is linked to other, more fundamental qualities of thinking, such as flexibility, tolerance of ambiguity or unpredictability, and the enjoyment of things heretofore unknown.

Here are some ways teacher as educators can foster creativity in his classrooms.

1. Embrace creativity as part of learning. Create a classroom that recognizes creativity. You may want to design bulletin boards to showcase different ways of solving a problem, or creative solutions to a real world scenario.
2. Think of creativity as a skill. Creativity is a proficiency that can be taught. If we see it this way, teacher’s job as educator becomes to find ways to encourage its use and break it down into smaller skill sets. American psychologists tend to think of creativity as Big-C and Little C. Big C drives big societal ideas, like the Civil Rights movement or a new literary style. Little C concerns and solves the everyday problems. Both concepts can be included in our classrooms.
3. Use emotional connections. Research suggests that the best creativity instruction ties in the emotions of the learner.
4. Be aware during discussions. Those students who often asks questions go a bit outside the lesson. They are creative. Evaluate and validate their creativity.

1. Use a cultural artifact. Research from experimental social psychology finds that artifacts can enhance insight problem solving. Consider using an ordinary object, such as a light bulb used in the study or a historical artifact to have students think about living in a particular time period.
2. Establish expressive freedom. The classroom environment must be a place where students feel safe to share novel ideas. Allow for flexibility and create norms that foster creative approaches.
3. Allow space for creativity. Design some classroom space for exploration, such as a thinking table, a drama stage, a drawing table, or a space for groups to discuss ideas.
4. Give students time to ask questions. The creative teachers incorporate opportunities for students to ask questions. Intentionally design lessons that allow for wondering and exploration.
5. Encourage curiosity. Consider what is important to students. Student interest are a great place to start on what drives their own thinking tank. Find inspiration from their world. Creativity is intrinsic in nature.
6. Teach creative skills explicitly. Creative skills aren’t just about good ideas, they are about having the skills to make good ideas happen. Creative skills should include 5 major areas:

• Imagination
• Being disciplined or self-motivated.
• Resiliency
• Collaboration

Giving responsibility to students. Have them develop their own projects.