Creative teaching
Creative teaching is an open and inspiring approach for encouraging students to explore and
innovate in order to develop their ability to create and think. Creative teaching applies flexible and
appropriate techniques so that classes are fun and interesting. Its ultimate purpose is to encourage
students to develop their creative skills. In creative teaching, teachers are the inspirers, navigators,
and sharers of knowledge.
Below are detailed explanations of creative teaching strategies.
1. Asking: Teachers design question scenarios by providing divergent and convergent
questions to guide students through the thinking process.
2. Thinking: Teachers encourage students to freely associate on the given questions.
Students take their time to seek creative solutions.
3. Doing: Teachers use various methods to allow students to seek solutions in
activities and take appropriate actions.
4. Evaluating: Teachers and students work together on the criteria definitions and
assessment process. They learn to respect each other. Creative thinking is brought
into their practices.
Some of the examples of creative teaching are:
Replace: Whether the original object can be replaced with another object.
Combination: Whether the original object can be combined with another object into
single object.
Addition: Whether the original object be added to something else.
Change: Whether some characteristics of the original object, such as meaning,
color, sound, and form, can be changed.
Alternatives: Any other, non-conventional utilisations.
Removed: Whether the original object can be condensed and refined.
Re-arranged: Whether a rearrangement of the original sequence is possible.
Children who are doing something retain 75 to 90 percent of what they
learn as compared to 5 to 10 percent of what they hear or 20 to 30
percent of what they see. Creative teaching methods enhance the
benefits of activity learning.
Creative play and artistic activity are important to children’s overall
development. Preschoolers typically enjoy creative activities that
allow them to express ideas and feelings. These activities also help
them develop fine and gross motor skills.
The preschool years can be one of the most creative times in a child’s life. While
your child’s imagination is still developing, drama, music, dance and visual art:
foster creativity
help your child express her feelings
help develop her motor skills
give her a chance to try out her problem-solving and thinking skills
shed new light on existing situations, and help her find new ways of
looking at things.
Drama
Preschoolers use songs, dress-ups, art materials, language and movement
to express feelings, experiences and ideas. Sometimes your child might prefer
to tell stories alone – at other times, he might enjoy it more if you join in.
Your preschooler will often use new songs and stories as the basis for her play. This
might involve quickly switching roles – one moment she’s a queen eating bread and
honey, and the next you’ve got a little cow jumping over the moon!
Preschoolers often get completely involved in stories. For example, when you read
your preschooler a story, you might notice him moving his arms, legs or face,
mimicking what’s happening in the story.
Visual art
Preschoolers love to express themselves and their ideas using crayons, paints,
playdough, clay, scissors, glue and paper.
Your child will begin making basic shapes, and might enjoy experimenting with
texture, space and colours in pieces of art. For example, preschoolers will often
draw houses with shining suns above them – this is because this picture is made up
of very basic shapes, including a square house, triangular roof and round sun.
Music
As with art materials, preschoolers use musical instruments (including their own
voices) to express feelings and ideas.
Your preschooler will usually be able to recognise and name favourite songs,
and sing parts of them fairly accurately. You’ll quickly come to learn his
favourite nursery rhymes off by heart! Singing along also helps children understand
the differences between fast and slow, long and short, and loud and soft.
Dance
Your preschooler will show that she’s developing control of her body by
moving spontaneously to music. Your child might also express feelings of sadness,
happiness, joy or excitement through movement.
