{"id":4549,"date":"2012-10-20T13:52:50","date_gmt":"2012-10-20T13:52:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eltchat.org\/wordpress\/?p=4549"},"modified":"2012-10-20T13:52:50","modified_gmt":"2012-10-20T13:52:50","slug":"how-important-is-creativity-in-the-classroom-eltchat-summary-10102012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/2012\/10\/20\/how-important-is-creativity-in-the-classroom-eltchat-summary-10102012\/","title":{"rendered":"How important is Creativity in the Classroom? #ELTchat Summary 10\/10\/2012"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>First of all I\u2019d like to thank everyone who chose this topic\u2026my topic\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/eltsquared.co.uk\/wp-includes\/images\/smilies\/icon_smile.gif\" alt=\":)\" \/>\u00a0I have regularly suggested topic over the last year or so but this was the first one that people actually selected (and as the first choice) so thank you very much. Right on with the summary.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"Wordle: #ELTchat creativity in the classroom \" href=\"http:\/\/www.wordle.net\/show\/wrdl\/5849986\/%23ELTchat_creativity_in_the_classroom_\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.wordle.net\/thumb\/wrdl\/5849986\/%23ELTchat_creativity_in_the_classroom_\" alt=\"Wordle: #ELTchat creativity in the classroom \" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This choice was inspired by two articles One by Hugh Dellar (warning it is long!) warning about \u201ccreativity\u201d in the classroom \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/hughdellar.wordpress.com\/2012\/09\/17\/the-curse-of-creativity\/\">the curse of creativity\u201d<\/a>. The other was from the Guardian teachers Website called \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/education\/2012\/mar\/13\/creativity-in-language-classroom\/print\">let creativity into the language classroom<\/a>.\u201d From the title you\u2019d probably guess that these articles are very different but were there any similarities and what would the ELTchatters make of all this?<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve chosen to exercise my creativity and so present the summary in two formats. One is long form and similar to what I have done in past summaries using direct quotes and referencing the individuals involved (under certain categories) this can be found at the bottom. The other is a screencast presentation with some key quotes and thoughts. The video is\u00a0relatively\u00a0short at only 7 minutes long.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"fitvid3167\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uWcVM07vytU\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>First there was some general checking if people had read either or both of the articles. This wasn\u2019t helped by some of the confusion over the links in the poll and the length of Hugh\u2019s article (guess it just goes to show there is a reason all those \u201cblog experts encourage people to keep their blog posts short\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>After which we had people asking to make a\u00a0<strong>snap decision.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1>Creativity or not!<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li>@Shaunwilden I\u2019m somewhere in the middle on this topic. Depends on your Ss age\/ needs \/ purpose for learning English.\u00a0 #ELTchat (<strong>@elawassell)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>#eltchat For me I guess it\u2019s about principled creativity (bit like principled eclecticism)! (<strong>@teflerinha<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>T creativity and S creativity both key elements in the classroom methinks #eltchat (<strong>@antoniaclare<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This seamed to be the main vibe that seamed to emerge as we progressed but let\u2019s return to that later.<\/p>\n<h2>We soon moved on to \u201cWhat is creativity exactly\u201d<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>What do we define as creativity here?\u00a0 #ELTchat (<strong>@elawassell<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>there\u2019s a wonderful quote \u201cgood artist steal, great artist copy\u201d language is like that a lot #eltchat (<strong>@MrChrisJWilson<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>#eltchat I quite liked the point that creativity isn\u2019t completely linked to originality [this was a point made in the article that when people talk about creativity it is about being original] (<strong>@MrChrisJWilson<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li><strong>@elawassell<\/strong>\u00a0added to this saying \u201c#ELTchat @MrChrisJWilson \u2013 @carolread made this point very clear in her talk about creativity @ IATEFL PL conf. That was eye opener for me.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Creativity is merely a plus name for regular activity (which) becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better #eltchat [this was a quote of John Updike] (<strong>@TheTeacherJames<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>@MrChrisJWilson agree. IMO, creativity often hinges in finding interesting ways to present dry topics that need to be covered, etc #eltchat (<strong>@ESOLCourses<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>@elawassell So creativity in this case is you choosing the right approach for the class #eltchat (<strong>@Shaunwilden<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>I think Ts can be creative just by trying something new, doing things differently.\u00a0 They don\u2019t need to be \u2018artistic\u2019 #eltchat (<strong>@antoniaclare<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Need 2 remember that little \u2018c\u2019 creativity is the small things we do every day, how we approach a prob, arrange flowers, cook a meal#eltchat (<strong>@antoniaclare<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>@antoniaclare\u00a0 creativity can also be a way of thinking about things I think too (like using mind-maps and lateral thinking) #eltchat (<strong>@rliberni<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>@theteacherjames @MarjorieRosenbe @Shaunwilden my idea of creativity is delivering lessons in ways that motivate &amp; engage learners #eltchat (<strong>@esolcourses<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Is creativity just trying sth new and different? #eltchat (<strong>@MarjorieRosenbe<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After 26 minutes\u00a0<strong>@teacherphili<\/strong>\u00a0asked a round up question \u201cDid we get a definition?\u00a0 Making materials from scratch? Adapting CB matrl? Originality? A cluster of skills to fashion a product? #ELTchat\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>How are teachers creative in class?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>I find that ideas come to me while I am teaching and I try them out on the spot. If they ork I try to remember them for future. #eltchat\u00a0<strong>(@MarjorieRosenbe<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>@MrChrisJWilson If it\u2019s done well\u00a0 creativity shouldn\u2019t be a task in and of itself. It should come fairly naturally. #eltchat\u00a0<strong>(@TheTeacherJames)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>(@MarjorieRosenbe)\u00a0<\/strong>Shared a creative activity \u201cSoap opera. Sts think of small problem they had, tell so who changes a detail, tells next sts etc till T stops it. #eltchat rest in next\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Reteaching is creative. If some learners dont get it the first time find new and different way to present material. #eltchat (<strong>@MarjorieRosenbe<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why should we be creative?<\/h2>\n<p>My key quote \u201c@theteacherjames\u00a0 isn\u2019t language a creative thing anyway? #eltchat\u201d by<strong>\u00a0@rliberni<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>#eltchat It\u2019s important to be creative for both you and your students..but being effective and principled more important still. (<strong>@teflrinha<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>#eltchat By principled I mean that T has reason for activity other than it\u2019s creative or fun<\/li>\n<li>Which lead\u00a0<strong>@shaunwilden<\/strong>\u00a0to lament \u201c@teflerinha Arh that good phrase \u201cI\u2019m doing this cos it\u2019s fun\u201d #eltchat\u201d<\/li>\n<li>I personally think we need to build it into the course or programme as well as the day to day #eltchat (<strong>@rliberni)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>@Shaunwilden @GemL1 Agree. Creativity can add to motivation. I have been doing workshops on engaging activities. Also creative. #eltchat (<strong>@MarjoriRosenbe<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Teaching in Saudi, I had to be \u2018creative\u2019 with CBs due to their very dry, \u2018uncontroversial\u2019 topics #ELTchat (<strong>@teacherphili<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>@Julian_LEnfant think it\u2019s sumtimes more important for Ts to try &amp; b\u00a0 creative if always use a CB to keep classes varied #eltchat (<strong>@GemL1<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>@theteacherjames I would say that if we don\u2019t tap into sts\u2019 creativity, then real learning is unlikely to happen #eltchat (<strong>@Antoniaclare<\/strong>) [perhaps\u00a0eluding\u00a0to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bloom's_Taxonomy\">blooms taxonomy of learning<\/a>]<\/li>\n<li>@Shaunwilden\u00a0 it is a current buzz word yes &#8211;\u00a0 in all edu #eltchat\u00a0<strong>(@rliberni<\/strong>) an interesting point as<a href=\"http:\/\/sirkenrobinson.com\/\">\u00a0Sir Ken Robbinson<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.squidoo.com\/stop-stealing-dreams\">Seth Godin<\/a>\u00a0et al are certainly promoting teachers to be more creative and original. Which lead\u00a0<strong>@CeciELT<\/strong>\u00a0to ask \u201c@MarjorieRosenbe @rliberni Is the buzz around teaching creatively or teaching our SS to be creative with the language? #eltchat\u201d and that \u201c\u00a0Maybe it\u2019s the buzz word because we\u2019re trying to move away from trad teaching? #eltchat\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Perhaps\u00a0<strong>@MarjorieRosenbe<\/strong>\u00a0hit the nail on the head when she said \u201c@theteacherjames Do we need to justify it? If something works for me I do it but it might not work for someone else. #eltchat\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<h2>Why shouldn\u2019t teachers be creative in the classroom<\/h2>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>@esolcourses @MrChrisJWilson #eltchat Yes, agree. Can be painful seeing T forcing stds to be creative (or trying anyway) (<strong>@teflrinha<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>#eltchat What I got from @hughdellar blog was that being too open with tasks can lead to ss going blank- constraints can be helpful (<strong>@teflrinha<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Playing devil\u2019s advocate, are ELT teachers over reliant on creativity &amp; not focused enough on the (hard) work? #eltchat @MarjorieRosenbe (<strong>@TheTeacherJames<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>@theteacherjames definitely think sometimes creativity can be seen as more important than a focus for the lesson #eltchat (<strong>@GemL1)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Does anyone else have a feeling many ppl relate being creative w\/ \u201cfireworks\u201d and a show \u2013 when it is not necessarily that? #eltchat (<strong>@ceciELT<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li><strong>@ceciELT<\/strong>\u00a0asked if there was anything as being too Creative and\u00a0<strong>@ShaunWilden<\/strong>\u00a0replied that he thought there was, where everything gets too complicated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Perhaps the best moment of the chat was a brief discussion and\u00a0reminiscing\u00a0about a sketch in which a couple who are EFL teachers are having breakfast cutting things up for a jigsaw activity. (thanks to @SophiaKhan4 and @teflrinha)<\/p>\n<p><strong>@antoniaclare<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>@ESOLcourse<\/strong>\u00a0had a discussion about how some teachers might think that they aren\u2019t creative (thinking artistic) but being creative isn\u2019t\u00a0necessarily\u00a0linked with\u00a0artistic\u00a0and that this can lead to statements like \u201cbut\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not creative, I can\u2019t do that!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>@rliberni<\/strong>\u00a0asked a brilliant question about how can a teacher being creative help students to be creative? Which unfortunately seemed to pass everyone by, perhaps you could add your thoughts bellow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Is creativity the reason some teachers go into teacher English abroad?<\/h2>\n<p>Before getting on to the \u201cshoulds and shouldn\u2019t\u201d of being creative<strong>\u00a0@julian_LEnfant<\/strong>\u00a0made the point that \u201c<em>#ELTchat Some teachers who follow CBs (100-120hr courses) feel their creativity is being suppressed, or they don\u2019t have time to be creative<\/em>.\u201d (a point also made in the articles above that teachers are attracted to English by the\u00a0possibility\u00a0to be creative themselves.) but\u00a0<strong>@teflrinha<\/strong>replied that time pressure and paperwork got in the way AND that she found coursebooks could be useful to bounce off and adapt, thus being creative. A point that\u00a0<strong>@Shuanwilden<\/strong>\u00a0agreed with.<\/p>\n<p><strong>@teacherphili<\/strong>\u00a0went further though and said that \u201cCreativity is something I guess most of us do or would like to do, but constraints (eg Ss must pass exam by \u2018x\u2019) get in the way #ELTchat\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What about \u201cprincipled creativity\u201d (trademark<strong>@teflrinha<\/strong>)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>@teflerinha Can you give quick definition of principed? #eltchat (<strong>@MajorieRosenbe<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Hugh\u2019s conclusion &#8211;\u00a0<em>\u00a0If it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it!\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Think it was mostly referring to coursebooks and not changing for sake of it #ELTchat (<strong>@teacherphili<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>#eltchat so if i\u2019m right we all believe in changing activities\/creating new ones but we need to have some reason behind our changes. right? (<strong>@MrChrisJWilson<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>I also mentioned the difference between complete overhaul and\u00a0Incremental\u00a0improvements<\/li>\n<li>@MrChrisJWilson #eltchat agree that creativity and pedagogy should not be in conflict; hence need to understand it. (<strong>@Marisa_C<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>@MrChrisJWilson\u00a0 yes, but fun or change of pace or relaxation could be valid reasons as well as pedagogical ones I think #eltchat (<strong>@rliberni<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>#eltchat As well as principles, I think structure is important too. Constraints can spark creativity more than too much openness (<strong>@teflrinha<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>everything in moderation\u00a0 #eltchat (<strong>@GemL1<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>To thine own self be true. Dont do sth because it seems creative but because it works at that time &amp; place. #eltchat (<strong>@MarjorieRosenbe<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Final thoughts: Creativity is good, but too much is as bad as none. #eltchat (<strong>@theteacherjames<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Addressing\u00a0<strong>@hughdellar\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0blog post in particular\u00a0<strong>@Marisa_C<\/strong>\u00a0said that it takes an extreme view based on extreme circumstances. Some CELTA trainees getting things wrong doesn\u2019t invalidate the whole idea in the same way that Trainees getting drilling wrong doesn\u2019t invalidate it.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<h2>What about the students!<\/h2>\n<p>One of the notable features of the Chat was the focus on teachers being creative and not about students being creative (or \u201ccreative\u201d). Perhaps this is the subject for another chat but there was some limited chat about students being creative.<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>@shuanwilden<\/strong>\u00a0commented about students creativity \u201c@rliberni To be honest I would rather the sts could use the language for themselves then be creative with it #eltchat\u201d\u00a0<strong>but added<\/strong>\u201c@rliberni\u00a0 though i would encourage creativity in the taking a risk and having a go sense #eltchat\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Sts get reward stickers from me when they find alternative answers to questions I set. Esp if I hadn\u2019t thought of answer myself. #eltchat (<strong>@MarjoriRosenbe<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Finally some little quotes about creativity for you.<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>#eltchat If you always do what you\u2019ve always done, you\u2019ll always get what you\u2019ve always got.\u201d Henry Ford (1863-1947)- trying new things gd.. (<strong>@teflrinha<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>We shouldn\u2019t forget that it takes a lot of hard work to be successfully creative. No art without graft. #ELTChat (<strong>@theteacherjames<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>I do like that idea of creativity being the act of making sth complicated seem\u00a0 simple.\u00a0 Is that not what a good T should do? #ELTchat (<strong>@teacherphili<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>a little creative quote \u201cPerfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.#eltchat (<strong>@MrChrisJWilson<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Some links<\/h3>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>@antoniaclare\u2019<\/strong>s scoop.it on creativity\u00a0http:\/\/t.co\/bBxgZJq3<\/li>\n<li><strong>@dbr_wn<\/strong>\u00a0asked for feedback on his presentation at KOTESOL next weekend regarding his framework for creativity\u00a0http:\/\/t.co\/yzojQwN1<\/li>\n<li><strong>@Cybraryman<\/strong>\u00a0plugged a link to his creativity page (in his only appearance in the chat)\u00a0http:\/\/t.co\/5xLH2DN4<\/li>\n<li><strong>HughDellar\u2019s<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/hughdellar.wordpress.com\/2012\/10\/11\/the-long-shadow-cast-by-the-curse-of-creativity\/\">\u00a0follow up comments<\/a>\u00a0(who made no\u00a0appearance\u00a0in the chat but read the transcript)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>About the Author<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" style=\"margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px;\" src=\"https:\/\/si0.twimg.com\/profile_images\/2346437004\/6sjdiu0etxpsah59i4hl_reasonably_small.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"128\" height=\"128\" \/>My name is<strong>\u00a0Chris Wilson<\/strong>\u00a0and I am a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language. I am currently teaching at Badajoz English in the City of Badajoz in Extramadura, Spain. Before that I was a teacher at International House Dnipropetrovsk for two years.<\/p>\n<p>During my time as a teacher I\u2019ve taught all sorts! From<strong>\u00a0Serious<\/strong>\u00a0Business men, to not so serious housewives, from elderly retirees\u00a0to new school\u00a0pupils\u00a0 From\u00a0motivated\u00a0and eager polylingusits to unmotivated teenagers (who barely speak in the first language let alone English!) And I love it!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First of all I\u2019d like to thank everyone who chose this topic\u2026my topic\u00a0\u00a0I have regularly suggested topic over the last year or so but this was the first one that people actually selected (and as the first choice) so thank you very much. Right on with the summary. This choice was inspired by two articles&hellip; <br \/> <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/2012\/10\/20\/how-important-is-creativity-in-the-classroom-eltchat-summary-10102012\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[31,33,73,85,101,120],"class_list":["post-4549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-summary","tag-coursebooks","tag-creativity","tag-learning","tag-materials-design","tag-professional-development","tag-teaching-methods"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4549\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}