Welcome to my journey as I seek to understand and learn how to teach creativity in the classroom. My husband is in the US military and I accompany him on his assignments. I have taught in the US, Germany and Kenya. During my eight years in the classroom, I have taught from pre-K to 8th grade with a focus on reading.
I've also been a stay-at-home mom to my three wonderful children, who inspire me daily with their uninhibited creativity. We enjoy traveling the world and have only one continent left to visit! Using a little bit of creativity, hopefully we will find a way to the seventh!
Thanks for visiting!
Kara Benton
I've also been a stay-at-home mom to my three wonderful children, who inspire me daily with their uninhibited creativity. We enjoy traveling the world and have only one continent left to visit! Using a little bit of creativity, hopefully we will find a way to the seventh!
Thanks for visiting!
Kara Benton
Can creativity be taught? I used to believe, there are just creative people out there. I am not one of them. While some of us exhibit creativity more than others, it can be taught. Creativity, to me, is the ability to think beyond what is the norm and reach for an idea that is new and unique. These ideas can be used to create, invent, and solve problems.
Sir Kenneth Robinson defines creativity as ,"The process of having original ideas that have value":
Sir Kenneth Robinson defines creativity as ,"The process of having original ideas that have value":
I grew up with an accountant mother. There was always one linear perfected way of doing things. It wasn't until later in my adult life, that I began to even thing about the ingrained ways of doing things that I had developed. I began to push myself to try new ways of thinking. Now, learning about creativity, I see that it is something that I need to encourage in my students.
Sir Kenneth Robinson (Yes, I know - two things on one page, but he is great! Check out the video below.) stated, "All kids have tremendous talent and we squander it ... ruthlessly." My philosophy towards creativity in the classroom is to help children recognize the creativity that they are born with. Alongside, I must provide an environment for them to further develop this creativity and help it grow.
You may find your self saying, "Why all this talk about creativity? What is wrong with the system of education that we have in place? I made it through, and I am just fine." Let's have a look at happens when creativity is not fostered:
Sir Kenneth Robinson (Yes, I know - two things on one page, but he is great! Check out the video below.) stated, "All kids have tremendous talent and we squander it ... ruthlessly." My philosophy towards creativity in the classroom is to help children recognize the creativity that they are born with. Alongside, I must provide an environment for them to further develop this creativity and help it grow.
You may find your self saying, "Why all this talk about creativity? What is wrong with the system of education that we have in place? I made it through, and I am just fine." Let's have a look at happens when creativity is not fostered:
What would you prefer for yourself? What would you prefer for your child? As we head deeper into the 21st century, Puccio, Mance, Switalski and Reali cite, "Children who are in school today can expect to have more than 11 different jobs between the ages of 18 and 42. ... In the foreseeable future, more than half of us will work in jobs that do not exist yet." In order to prepare my students for the fast-paced changes that are coming for them, I need to teach them the skills and tools to successfully solve the problems in their future. Nurturing creativity and teaching creative problem solving will help them in the world ahead of them.
"Creativity allows us to imagine and then to create the kind of world we will live and work in - that is, to initiate change." (Puccio, Mance, Switalski and Reali 20)
"Creativity allows us to imagine and then to create the kind of world we will live and work in - that is, to initiate change." (Puccio, Mance, Switalski and Reali 20)