Creativity

1. Creativity

2. STARTER

3. What is the brain? WRITE a description of the brain! My brain is…

4. Children thinking about their brains… “My brain is like an anthill, with millions of tiny passageways. There is always something going on in my head. The ants in my mind never seem to rest. I just hope there aren’t any anteaters!”

5. Children thinking about their brains… “My brain is like a naughty puppy. It never seems to do what I want it to. If I’ve got maths homework to do it wants to read a comic or watch TV. But like a puppy it can be trained.”

6. Children thinking about their brains… “My brain is like a massive forest. It’s full of amazing ideas. But some of these ideas are like shy animals, they hide away in the forest. I don’t think we can ever really understand how our brains work.”

7. Objectives ~ What is creativity? ~ Why promote creativity? ~ A definition of creativity ~ Encouraging creativity ~ Practical Applications ~ Reflection

8. What is creativity?

9. What is the recipe for a happy class?

10. Ingredients 1 pinch of sharing ½ cup of confidence 1tbsp of enjoyment 6 tsp of cheerfulness 5oz of communication ½ kg of good looks 1lb of cheerfulness 250g of co-operation 10g of behaviour 1kg of discipline 1 really nice teacher (grated) 500ml of kindness Method Mix the confidence, communication and co-operation together in a large bowl. Add the enjoyment, the cheerfulness and the good looks to the mixture. Bake the cake at 200°c in a round tin 15cm deep and 45cm in diameter for 1 week. Once the cake is baked, take it out of the oven and sprinkle the teacher on top. The cake makes 10 helpings. My recipe for a happy class

11. What does creative learning look like? • Students actively and emotionally engaged • Opportunities to learn in different ways • Opportunities for informed choice • Time to explore in depth • Time to reflect on learning and improve • Connections made between subjects, ideas, school and home life • Questioning encouraged

12. Creativity ~ habits of mind • Curiosity: having an enquiring mind • Flexibility: lateral thinking • Willing to think the impossible • Confident to try things out, take a chance, risk it! • Being able to handle uncertainty - coping with difficulties and setbacks, persevering and being able to learn from failure • Being self critical: able to distinguish own contribution from personal worth

13. Why promote creativity?

14. Creativity: why promote it? The curriculum should enable pupils to think creatively and critically, to solve problems and make a difference for the better. It should give them the opportunity to become creative, innovative, enterprising and capable of leadership to equip them or their future lives…

15. Promoting creativity… • Leads to more rigorous and critical thinking • Objectives are achieved more readily • Increases motivation, deep concentration and engagement • Improves relationships • Develops the talent of the individual • Develops skills for adult life – adaptability, coping with uncertainty and change

16. How do we tackle creativity in the classroom?

17. Questions • How can we learn to exercise creativity in all that we do? • How can we organise and plan for creativity in all learning? • Do we need to restructure aspects of our teaching? • How can we establish a culture where creativity flourishes? • What support and expertise do we need? • How can we distribute involvement, ensure ownership and collective responsibility for the process?

18. A definition of creativity

19. Creativity: a definition … always involves thinking or behaving imaginatively and …. Overall this imaginative activity is purposeful, that is directed to achieving an objective … this imaginative activity is fashioned … these processes generate something original and…the outcome is of value in relation to the objective All our Futures: Creativity and Culture in Education (DFES, 1999)

20. GROUP the statements… Why promote it? What does creative learning look like? Creativity: habits of mind Questions we may ask! TASK

21. Encouraging creativity

22. Creative processes • Questioning and challenging • Making significant connections • Envisaging what might be • Playing with ideas, keeping options open • Applying learning in new ways and contexts • Evaluating ideas and actions

23. Questioning and challenging What questions and challenges would you set for this Reading text? Hier soir, après le collège, j’ai regardé la télé, j’ai fait mes devoirs, j’ai mangé et après j’ai promené le chien. Puis j’ai joué aux cartes avec mon frère. Creative processes

24. Creative processes Making significant connections MAKE a list of significant connections you would expect pupils in Year 7 to be able to make.

25. Creative processes Envisaging what might be In what ways can you encourage “creative” Writing in Year 9?

26. Creative processes Playing with ideas, keeping options open Year 8 have learned vocabulary, phrases and sentences about mealtimes – DEVISE a pair-work speaking task!

27. Creative processes Applying learning in new ways and contexts Year 7 are able to describe themselves and others ~ SET a homework task!

28. Creative processes Evaluating ideas and actions What questions would you ask to get pupils to reflect on their performance in Listening?

29. Practical Applications

30. Practical Applications • Take responsibility for learning • Learn with and through others • Pursue new ideas, solve problems • Persevere, adapt ideas and learn from mistakes • Question, speculate, hypothesise, rehearse ideas and experiment • Make connections and interpretations between ideas, areas of learning, subjects, people, places and things

31. Close One thing I will do… ~ for my next lesson… ~ in a week’s time… ~ by the end of term…

32. Contact Simon Cox Head of MFL Bishop Ullathorne School 024 76 414515 simoncox64@hotmail.com