4.4 Challenges to taking a creative approach
Teaching creatively is not easy. You must be prepared to take risks and risk failure. You have to create an environment where students feel able to do the same. Risks may include giving greater autonomy to students, working in ways unfamiliar to them, or allowing them to deviate from your own intended learning objectives (see Fowler, 2013).
Activity 7
In Activity 6 you identified creative ideas that you could use in the MFL classroom. In order to implement these successfully you will need to think about how the students will respond and if there are any classroom management issues that you will need to consider.
Using the ideas you noted from Activity 6, complete Table 3 following the example in the first row.
When identifying classroom organisational or management issues in the fourth column, ask yourself the following questions:
- What kind of environment will be needed? Will I need to change the layout of the classroom or move outside the classroom environment?
- What resources will I need? How will they be used?
- How will I support the students?
- How will I manage the timing?
- How will I ensure that the overall aims of the learning sequence are achieved?
| Creative activity | Possible student response | Possible effect on student learning | Possible classroom organisation or management issues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create videos about the local area | Students will be drawn into the learning process through their own knowledge of where they live | Students will be motivated to engage on a deeper level with the topic | How many pupils in a group? What equipment will be needed? Where will recording take place? |
Since time, effort and risk are required to adopt creative teaching strategies, teachers also need to know how and when to be creative (see Beghetto and Kaufman, 2013) – including how to manage students and activities at each stage of this process.
However, teaching creatively will not only motivate students, but will also encourage their own creativity and keep you stimulated as a teacher. Creative teaching strategies can also help to promote positive student behaviour through increased motivation and greater student involvement in the activities.