Notes from reading “Creative Teaching – Teaching Creativity” (2007) by Aud Berggraf Saebo, Laura A. McCammon, Larry O’Farrell
Authors quoting: Lucas, B. (2001). Creative Teaching, Teaching Creativity and creative learning. In A. Craft, B. Jeffrey & M. Leibling (Eds.), Creativty in Education. London – New York: Continuum. )
“Creativity is a state of mind in which all of our intelligences are working
together. It involves seeing, thinking and innovating. Although it is often found
in the creative arts, creativity can be demonstrated in any subject at school or in
any aspect of life.
Authors paraphrase of: Fisher, R., & Williams, M. (Eds.). (2004). Unlocking Creativity: Teaching Across the Curriculum. London: David Fulton Publishers:
…” the processes of creative evolution consist of generation, variation and originality. To create is to generate something, to be productive in thought, word or deed. But generation is not enough. Variation and differentiation are needed. Creativity does not repeat itself; it always contains something original and new… Many creative breakthroughs occur through intuitive insight, when a problem is intuitively seen in a new way or from a fresh viewpoint. …The challenge for schools and social institutions is to shift the focus of education onto the development of a population that is capable of thinking and taking new initiatives, not merely repeating what past generations have done. They must be equipped for a world of challenge and change.
four points to check whether a lesson has stimulated the
students’ creative thinking. Are students
• applying their own imagination?
• generating their own questions, hypothesis, ideas and outcomes?
• developing skills or techniques through creative activity ? and
• using judgement to assess their own or others creative work?
The most important keys to individual creativity, says Fisher (2004) are:
Motivation – which is the key to creativity. The things we want to do, we feel
passionate about; they engage us and are fed by internal encouragement.
Inspiration – which means being inspired by oneself or by others, getting fresh
input and lots of knowledge and stimulating curiosity by being more observant
and asking more questions.
Gestation – that is allowing time for creative ideas to emerge. We need time to
think things through on conscious and unconscious levels. Creative insights
often result from processes that are unconscious and lie below the level of
awareness.
Collaboration – because we normally are more creative when we have others to support us. The learning environment in school needs to open up for ideas to be created, examined, shared and tried out, and for this we need creative partners.”
Authors paraphrase of: NACCCE. (1999). National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education : All our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education. London: DFEE.
“Teaching creatively occurs when teachers use imaginative approaches to make learning more interesting, exciting and effective, while teaching for creativity takes place when forms of teaching that are intended to develop young people’s own creative thinking and behaviour are introduced… Creative teaching is regarded as a key component in all good teaching, but it does not guarantee that the children are developing their own creative potential.”
Ayelet Lazarovitch 