In today’s lecture we explored creativity. Csikszentmihalyi said that the first step towards a more creative life is the cultivation of curiosity and interest. Creative individuals do not have to be dragged out of bed; they are eager to start the day, go out and explore the world and see what they can discover. (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996)  Piaget said, “the principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done – men who are creative, inventive and discoverers.” (Piaget, 1953) We as future teachers must help shape individuals in our class this way by giving them opportunities to use their imagination and be creative, from even quite constrained circumstances and resources. Curriculum for Excellence takes a creative approach to getting children to solve problems along pathways that the teachers know. It is like going on a journey with no limits to learning. All children are different and learn in different ways, some are more creative than others and all have different ways of being creative whether it be through art, music, drama, IT or music. “A team of individuals with different backgrounds find faster and better ways of solving a problem than a team in which everyone has similar training and, thus, similar modes of thinking.” (Oskin, 2009)

 

We explored another music resource which we could use in the classroom called ‘Charanga.’ It is an online resource which is good because most schools have access to an ICT suite so they will all get the opportunity to use it.

“Many class teachers lack confidence in their ability to teach music”, but this online resource gives you step-by-step guidance on how to use it. (Mills, 2009, p.5) There are set lessons and resources from Primary 1-7 which are all downloadable and printable.

This is good because IT in schools may not always work, so if this happens the lesson does not have to be changed. This resource allows children the opportunity to be creative by making up their own rhythms and singing along to songs. There is also a freestyle section where you can experiment with different instruments and music. Improving the confidence of future teachers is important to ensure children are given every opportunity to be creative with music.

 

In our visual arts workshop, we explored Emotional Learning Cards using Taylor’s Model of Assessment. These allow you the opportunity to use your imagination and figure out what you think may be happening in the picture. Children enjoy being imaginative and making up stories, therefore this would be a good resource to use in the classroom. They could open so many discussions about feelings, future, their opinions on certain issues etc. We as future teachers must have a tolerance for ambiguity, the deepest learning comes from trying to figure out what is going on rather than just being told, thus allowing them to be creative and evoke a higher level of thinking. “This child’s interests and curiosity will motivate him to communicate and so he will use language to generate his own ideas and then to express them. He will begin to take an active part in promoting his own skill of thinking.” (Tough, 1980:4)  We worked in pairs examining an emotional learning card and answering some questions from Taylor’s Model of Assessment.

A lot of learning comes from these images and there are lots of hidden messages behind them. If children are struggling to come up with an answer, ask questions in different ways until they can, do not just give it away. Allow them the opportunity to think and be creative.

References

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996) Creativity – Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, New York: Harper Collins

Mills, J. (2009) Music in the Primary School Oxford: University Press.

Oskin, B (2009) reported the work of Professor Scott Page in The New Statesman Bringing it all together.

Piaget, J. (1953) The Origins of Intelligence in Children, International Universities Press.

Tough, 1980 in Griffiths, F. (2010) Supporting Children’s Creativity Through Music, Dance, Drama and Art, Creative Conversations in the Early Years, London: Routledge