Chapter 8 Response to: Creativity and Classroom Skills

by April

I think you must be right in thinking that your self-efficacy is low when it comes to creativity. Perhaps if you broaden your understanding of creativity it would help. The only thing creativity is, is creating something new, on purpose. Creativity doesn't have to be art, it can be ideas. It can be writing. I do think people can be born with some natural talent in an area along with interest in that area, making it easier for them to be creative. But just because you can't draw like your brother, doesn't mean you can't create.

And it's okay if you need inspiration. Whenever I need to come up with something new I'm always keeping my eyes open for things that can spark my creative thinking.

In terms of teaching, think about that video we showed during our presentation. There's a part about "fanning their flame" with a picture of a candle. Like you said, we can be annoyed by non-conformist, curious behavior which often leads to creativity or we can embrace it and encourage it. We can fan our students creative flames. Part of that, I think, is providing a safe place for kids to share ideas and express imagination. By providing them with opportunities to explore new possibilities and modeling imaginative thinking, I think we can help students develop creativity. They might not all turn out to be Picasso but they might come up with innovative ideas for the world of business or politics or science or perhaps even education.