The 4Cs... part 3

**This is the 3rd post of a 3-part series discussing incorporating the 4Cs (creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration) in a 21st century classroom.**

In the past, when I would see the word “creative” used in the context of school, I always assumed that it meant artistic or having the ability to create pieces of art. Never was that word that I would have used to describe myself. I was the student in art that had complete meltdowns, ugly crying and all, because my drawing didn’t look like the example. As an adult, my art skills are limited to coloring within the lines in a coloring book or taking pictures with my phone and using a filter before posting it Instagram.

The more time I spend teaching and researching creativity in the classroom, the more I am exposed to the true meaning of creativity. I now know that being creative is much more than being able to sketch something. It is a true ability to use your understanding to take it a step further and apply this understanding to a different context.

There are several ways that teachers can incorporate and encourage creativity in their classrooms.

OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE AND EXPLORE

Free exploration is something that is often thought of when teachers think of a preschool classroom. You imagine students rotating through centers where they are able to try out different things. I know that in my classroom, I love to have free time where I encourage my students to explore and build with math manipulatives. It is amazing, that even during a 20 minute block of time, that they come up with some great creations! Occasionally, I will ask my scholars to write about what they've created and how they created it or I will have them write a story incorporating their creation.

I think that it is very important to expect students to create. This creating doesn't have to be cookie cutter. What one child creates might, and should, be very different from the next student. When we set the expectation that students will create and think outside the box, the students understand the importance of this creativity in being successful

INTERDISCIPLINARY UNITS

A great way to incorporate creativity to academics is to use interdisciplinary units. An example of an interdisciplinary unit is a "geometry and art" unit. Within this unit, students can use their understanding of geometry (two- and three-dimensional shapes) to create works of art. Scholars can also examine pieces of well known art for examples of specific geometric shapes and patterns that they found. 

SPECIFIC PROGRAMS

There are specific programs that can be used to help students build creative thinking skills. One of those programs is Odyssey of the Mind. While participating in OM, students are required to use their creative thinking skills to solve spontaneous problems that are given to them on the day of competition. They also have to find a creative way to present a 7-minute solution to a "problem" that allows them to draw on their acting skills as well. 

Another model for building creative thinking skills is the Parnes-Osborne Creative Problem Solving Model. With CPS, students are given a global problem to solve. They then generate ideas for solving the problem and come together to create a solution for this problem.

Thinking about integrating creativity into lessons is something that involves some creativity on the part of the teacher, but when things fall into place it is a wonderful thing.