Creativity in Education

What does creativity in education mean? It not only implies an original approach towards tackling the same old lessons on the part of the teacher but also an attempt to foster and stimulate the natural inborn creativity that every child possesses and which often dies a slow death on exposure to the stultifying routine school generally means.

There is a marked difference between children in an environment in which they feel free to express themselves and where they are rigidly controlled. If you happen to observe a group of children at play, you will immediately notice how naturally and spontaneously their creativity is expressed.

In fact they display an extraordinary ability to improvise and will even create their own toys and playthings, often out of waste objects. Yet the same children, once they enter school and are compelled to conform to set patterns and modules, seem to lose that spontaneity and inventiveness and become reduced to mere learning machines, taking pride in reproducing perfectly what is fed to them by way of lessons.

Creative education means a two way interchange
What am I expected to do, the teacher might well ask? There is a set syllabus which has to be completed within a given time. Coping with large classes, the burden of the curriculum, the pressure to produce good results-how much room does that leave for creative teaching?

The truth is that if the approach to interpreting the curriculum for the students is creative, children will actually learn faster and retain better. It will be easier to hold their attention and even trouble-makers will be drawn to give their best.

It does require, however, a certain amount of patience, sustained interest and enthusiasm on the part of the teacher-educator, commitment to students and also the ability to put in hard work.

Creativity is encouraged not merely by introducing a few activity-based lessons but by first of all providing a suitable environment. And one of the biggest threats to the latent creativity of a child is fear of the teacher.

If she or he appears to be a stern figure of authority, waiting to penalise those who give the wrong answer, rather than a friendly guide who is going to lead one through the magic portals of learning and knowledge, all initiative will be suffocated.

So the first attempt should be to put the students at their ease and let them feel free to approach the teacher with their thoughts and ideas. The distance between teacher and taught should be reduced by displaying tolerance, understanding and sympathy.

And though the infamous martinet of yesteryears is disappearing from school classrooms, many children feel intimidated by a person who is in a position to control their actions so completely.

Freedom of expression is the second most important step towards nurturing creativity and this will automatically follow if the teacher does not adopt an authoritarian stance. When views which are contrary to established belief are expressed in class, the first impulse is to dismiss them.

However, every point of view should be considered objectively, sympathetically and without adverse comment. A non-judgemental approach on the part of the educator lets even the most timid child express herself or himself without fear.

At the same time if the school atmosphere encourages uniformity rather than originality of approach, creativity cannot thrive.

Creative education stands for the spirit of constant enquiry
Children should learn that there can be several answers to one question, not just one which is adjudged correct and is considered the last word.

If a divergent point of view is considered sensitively on its own merits, instead of being penalised with a reprimand or by having marks cut, original thinking will be encouraged.

Of course, there is no denying that there will be questions which permit only one correct answer but wherever there is room, attempts should be made to allow different trends of thought. Thus the formation of simplistic and rigid thought patterns will be avoided in a child.

Courtesy by: http://www.parentssquare.com/school/teaching/features.asp?StoryId=teaching-8&StoryName=Creativity+in+Education