Welcome to the first ELTeCs session this academic year

1. Welcome to the firstELTeCs session this academic year

2. Today’s session is about Creativity in the Classroom

3. Outcomes: To gain a greater awareness of what creativity is, its features and the implications for the classroom. To have hands-on experience of language learning activities with transitions. To discuss the ELTeCs programme

4. Creativity in the Classroom What is creativity? Why is creativity important?

5. What is creativity?

6. What is creativity? Did you think your colleagues answered these questions the same way as you did? People hold very different views of creativity. Some think they aren’t creative at all and it is only the privileged and artistically talented, who can be considered creative. Others think that to cook a good dinner is already a clear sign of creativity.

7. Why is creativity important? • Language use is a creative act. • Compensation strategiesuse creative and often imaginative ways of expression. • Some people cannot learn at all if they are not allowed to be creative. • Most people become more motivated, inspired or challenged if they can create something of value.

8. Why is creativity important? • Creativity improves self-esteem. • Creative work in the language classroom can lead to genuine communication and co-operation. • Creative tasks enrich classroom work • Creative thinking is an important skill in real life.

9. Am I ever creative? Have you ever found that you wanted to do something but you did not have the right tool / material to do it, and then you found some way of using another object / material and managed somehow? E.g. You opened a bottle or a tin without a bottle or tin opener or substituted an ingredient in a recipe with another ingredient. Have you every changed an activity in your course book or a resource book to match the needs of a particular group you teach? YES? There you go, you are creative!

10. Do I ever get my students to do anything creative in my lessons? Do you ever get your students to speak about, write about, draw about or mime what they think? Do your students say things in the foreign language they never heard or read? Do you ever get them to think about rules, problems And how things and language work instead of just telling them? Do you sometimes give them tasks where there is no one possible answer and the answers will vary from one learner to another? YES? There you go, your students have opportunities to think creatively in your classes already!

11. Features of Creativity • Imaginative • Purposeful • Original • Of value

12. We need to give the activity a purpose that is something outside practising a certain language point.

13. Systemic impact We need to organise the learning process in a way that gives time, space and freedom to learners so that they can use their imagination and originality.

14. We need to make evaluation an integral part of the creative process.

15. What is the essential, indispensable component of creativity?

16. Creative thinking guru, Roger von Oech: “Creativity is transforming one thing into another.”

17. 1 Transforming personality

18. 2 Shifting points of view

19. Changing the degree of freedom

20. 4 Transition from the known to the unknown

21. 5 Shifting genres or media

22. 6 Transitions between the whole and its parts

23. 21 October ELTeCS meeting with potential trainers • 25 November ELTeCS 2 • 23 December ELTeCS 3 • 20 January ELTeCS 4 • 17 February ELTeCS 5 • 17 March ELTeCS 6 • 14 April ELTeCS 7 • 12 May ELTeCS 8

24. Are you interested in being one of the trainers at a future ELTeCs session?

25. If your answer is Yes, please come to the meeting next Wednesday with some ideas on what you could include in one of the following sessions:

26. Creativity in the Classroom Project work (e.g. magazines/ radio) Drama/ music/ visual arts Creative writing Authentic materials Exploiting your coursebook Creativity outside the classroom (learners) Communication games and activities ICT/IWBs