Strategies for Developing CreativityAnd Critical Thinking

Myrna SkeenProfessor TorresSecondary Teaching Methods6 March 2017

Creativity is found in all areas of life and is not limited to the arts,

to geniuses, or to the talented. Creative thinking should be structured

into the curriculum andencouraged through open-ended challenges.

Lang and Evans 2006

Let’s look at some ideas for encouraging creativity

Encourage students to explore their environment

Have them use all of their senses and combinationsOf senses. Have them describe the things they

Find interesting. Let them discover how to look at thingsWith fresh eyes.

Lang and Evans 2006

Encourage students to become interested in many things.

Vary activities, take students on field trips, bring in speakers,

and use media to help students “stretch their minds.”

Lang and Evans 2006

Provide school time to encourage creativity

Structure activities or exercises that require originality or problem solving.

Have students suggest new uses for old things.Make frequent use of brainstorming and creative activities.

Let them know that creativity is sought.

Lang and Evans 2006

Help students believe they can learn to become more creative.

Few inventors, scientists, or artistswere very creative at first.

Reward students who show evidence of creativity, and reward improvement.

Lang and Evens 2006

Teach students what is involved in creativityHelp them learn that creativity is influenced

by the types, number,and originality

of alternatives produced.Train students to use specific thinking skills

and inquiry and problem-solving processes and how to transfer knowledge of

these into new situations.Lang and Evans 2006

“To become critical thinkers, students need

Instruction on what is involvedin doing critical Thinking,

interesting content, opportunity to practice

It, and assessments of their attempts at critical thinking” (Lang and Evans 2006).

Let’s look at some ideas you can use to Encourage your students

to be critical thinkers.

Comparing

Comparing activities lead students to additional insights and awareness.

As a result of many experiencesin making comparisons, students learn

how to observe perceptively and compare before drawing conclusions.

Lang and Evans 2006

ObservingWhen we are observing, we can

make visual observations of data. Observing also can involve

listening, touching, or smelling. The sense evidence used

must be checked for accuracy. Students must be made aware of the

possibility of distortion and thus

false inference and misinterpretation.

Lang and Evans 2006

ObservingContinued

We want perceptiveness, acuity, and accuracy. Reporting is needed for the accuracy

of observation to be checked. Observing should lead to more

accurate data on which to base conclusions, and to greater understanding.

Like any other skill, practice is required for proficiency.

Lang and Evans 2006

ClassifyingClassifying involves examining an assortment of items

and sorting them into related groups.Each grouping is given a name.

When they are classifying, students can process data mentally

and organize them systematically.Ability to classify helps us bring order into our lives.

Lang and Evans 2006

Imagining

For imagining, students are asked to let their minds travel to whatever vistas they can invent,to create freely and to exercise that

part of the mind that often goes untapped. In imagining there is a release from rules and regulations

and unbinding from data.

Lang and Evans 2006

ImaginingContinued

Divergent thinking is promoted. Imagining leads to creations and

inventions; it brings humor, joy, spontaneity,

and beauty into our lives. A feeling of accomplishment and

enhanced self-concept can result from this rich inner resource.

Lang and Evans 2006

Criticizing

Criticizing lets students use a higher level of cognition and

sharpen the thinking skillsthat will improve the quality of their lives.

Lang and Evans 2006

ReferencesLang, H. R., & Evans, D. N. (2006). Models, strategies, and methods for effective teaching . : Allyn and Bacon, Inc.