Creation is the act of producing something that hasn’t been seen before from the knowledge already amassed from lessons learned and experiences gathered. In this age of accelerated technological growth, kids have access to many tools and resources that were not available in the past. Sadly enough, this advantage has not translated into increased creativity for these kids.
However, with proper training, kids can become creators, rather than just consumers only. Although the current educational system is designed in such a way that kids will be able to take in a large amount of information, they aren’t allowed to express their creative abilities when they consume this information. As a result, the level of creativity among kids is far less than desired. Here are some tips on turning kids from consumers into creators.
Challenge Your Students
When teachers challenge kids in the classroom, it helps the students to become creators. At the beginning of a class period, challenge them to create something from the knowledge gained from previous classes, then assess them, and provide feedback. Towards the end of the period, challenge them again to come up with something new and completely different from what they know, or did before, it doesn’t matter what it is.
Maximizing Class Time
Never use the entire class period only to teach. Teaching all day will only make your students consume passively and forget everything they learned before the next class. A good way to enhance students’ inventiveness is to keep them engaged, for example, through a series of practical exercises designed to make them create something new but relevant to the present subject matter. Whatever it may be that you are teaching them, make sure they create something from it.
Teamwork and Feedback
Socializing among students is important and necessary for better academic performance. Encourage your students to socialize and exchange information and ideas. Have them create something for their friends, seatmates, or someone they wouldn’t usually talk to. Try to encourage the quiet ones to get out of their shell by dividing them into groups to create something together; you can monitor their class dynamics and obtain feedback from their activities.
Inter-class and Intra-class Competitions
Ask them to challenge their friends and classmates by having competitions where they showcase their creations. Encourage them to create something that will be of benefit to someone around them, maybe a friend or a parent or even the teacher.
Independent Work
Allow your students to create something new, to improve on the old with every assignment or classwork given to them. By doing this, you are creating in them, an awareness that allows them to think outside the box and push forward in their time and space.
Conclusion
With the tips above, we can help kids to realize that their ideas are achievable, not just distant future dreams that may or may not be. When children begin to think in terms of creation, they move from being mere consumers to avid creators who would rival professionals with years of experience because they can imagine things in an unrestricted way.
