The document discusses strategies for developing creativity and critical thinking in the classroom. It identifies five strategies to develop creativity: 1) establishing an environment where students can freely share ideas, 2) allowing time for creativity, 3) incorporating art, music or culture into lessons, 4) giving students a starting point, and 5) offering assignment choices. It also lists five strategies for developing critical thinking: 1) questioning, 2) individual and collaborative learning, 3) illustrating concepts, 4) allowing time for reflection, and 5) discussion and debate. The document provides explanations and examples for each strategy.

1. Developing Creativity
and Critical Thinking
Daniel
MED 560
October 27th, 2014
Facilitator: Rachel

2. CREATIVITY
 Creativity is a principle of thinking and
producing.
 Creativity takes new, original, and artistic
ideas and turns them into something real.
 Creativity is the ability to see creation in
new ways.
 Creativity comes from patterns,
connections, solutions, and experiences.

3. Strategies to develop creativity in the
classroom:
1) Establish an Environment Where
Students are Free to Share Ideas.
2) Allow Time for Creativity.
3) Incorporate Art, Music, or Culture.
4) Give Students a Starting Point.
5) Offer Assignment Choices.

4.  It is important for teachers to form a safe,
comfortable classroom for students to feel
welcome about sharing thoughts, discussing
topics, and creating new ideas.
 Teachers must create an environment where
negativity is absent and positivity is strongly
encouraged.
 Students should not feel ridiculed or
embarrassed for thinking aloud and
expressing their thoughts.
Establish an Environment Where
Students are Free to Share Ideas.

5.  In today’s world, things are done quickly and
sometimes humans are in a rush.
 Time is valuable.
 Students need time to create new ideas and
thoughts.
 It is important that teachers allow time for
creativity to take place in the classroom.
 Students need time to assess a situation and
in order for the creative process to occur
time is extremely important.
Allow Time for Creativity.

6.  Teachers should incorporate art, music, and
culture into their lessons to develop
creativity.
 When art, music, and culture are integrated
into the curriculum, students become alive,
interested, and more motivated to learn.
 Creative energy begins to flow when students
are engaged and interested in the lesson.
 They begin to invest their efforts in the
meaning of the lesson and create new,
original ideas.
Incorporate Art, Music, and Culture.

7.  Teachers will find that when students are
given a starting point, the results of their
students’ work is new, original, and
imaginative.
 Generally, when students see what they
have to work with students, they are
more comfortable exploring and/or
discovering the content and material
involved in the lesson.
Give Students a Starting Point.

8.  Creativity begins by taking ideas and making
them reality.
 When students are offered assignment
choices, they generally rely on their
strengths to find new ways to solve a
problem or complete the project.
 Students will create wonderful pieces of work
when given the opportunity to choose how
their assignment will be completed.
 Teachers will have a variety of creative works
of art and grading them will be enjoyable.
Offer Assignment Choices.

9. CRITICAL THINKING
 According to Dictionary.com, critical
thinking is defined as discipline thinking
that is clear, rational, open-minded, and
informed by evidence.

10. Strategies to develop critical thinking
in the classroom:
1) Questioning.
2) Individual and Collaborative Learning.
3) Illustrate the Concepts.
4) Allow Time for Reflection.
5) Discussion and Debate.

11.  In order for critical thinking to take place,
teachers must activate prior knowledge.
 Students will feel empowered by what the
already know.
 Then, the teacher can lead students into
higher level, deep thinking questions
while moving up the Bloom’s scale.
 The higher the question the more
students must critically think.
Questioning

12.  Critical thinking requires discipline and
rational thought.
 First, teachers can allow students time to
formulate their own thoughts and ideas
individually.
 Then, allow students to discuss, analyze,
debate, and come to conclusions on topics
collaboratively in groups.
 It is important for students to teach one
another and elaborate on topics for them to
fully understand the content.
Individual and Collaborative
Learning

13.  When teachers illustrate concepts using
the experiences of the students, they find
their students are more engaged and
more invested in the content.
 Students will be able to apply the
concepts through their own experiences
using rational thought and proven by their
own familiarities.
Illustrate the Concepts

14.  Teachers must allow time for students to
reflect on what happens in the classroom.
 Being able to recall and rationalize the
their thoughts and ideas based on the
evidence provided in the lesson offer
students a chance to critically think.
 Students can make judgments,
assumptions, and conclusions during this
time of reflection.
Allow Time for Reflection

15.  Class discussions and debates lead to
students’ thinking critically.
 Rational thoughts and ideas are generated
by the topics related to the content
material.
 Furthermore, the discussion, or debate,
can be geared toward a central idea of a
student or around content-based topics.
 Monitoring and adding questions to the
discussion and debate are beneficial for
true critical thinking to happen.
Discussion and Debate

16.  Clifford, M. (2013, January 10). Innovation Excellence | 30 Ways To Promote Creativity in
Your Classroom. Retrieved from
http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2013/01/10/30-ways-to-promote-creativity-in-your-
classroom/
 Critical thinking | Define Critical thinking at Dictionary.com. (2014). In Dictionary.com.
Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/critical+thinking
 Landsberger, J. (n.d.). Teaching critical thinking. Retrieved from
http://www.studygs.net/teaching/crttch.htm
 Pearson Custom Publishing | Media Player [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls_1256499544/video/index.html?wf=1&item=1
 Teaching For Creativity: Two Dozen Tips | Center for Development and Learning. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.cdl.org/articles/teaching-for-creativity-two-dozen-tips/
 Sternberg, R., & Williams, W. M. (2003, January 1). Retrieved from
http://www.cdl.org/articles/teaching-for-creativity-two-dozen-tips/
 What is Creativity? | Creativity at Work. (2014, February 17). Retrieved from
http://www.creativityatwork.com/2014/02/17/what-is-creativity/
References