Wise teachers offer curriculum opportunities that are rich in creative thinking. They plan their curriculum based on the interests of the gifted students and provide for independent learning, inquiry, original work, and experimentation. The classroom should be rich in resources and materials so that students can experiment and pursue creative ideas.
Here are a few suggestions for fostering a creative learning environment:
- Teach children to appreciate and be pleased with their own creative efforts.
- Be respectful of the unusual questions, ideas, and solutions children naturally want to share.
- Show children that their ideas have value by listening to their ideas and considering them. Encourage students to test their ideas by using them and communicating them to others (making sure they get the credit).
- Give credit for self-initiated learning, too much “drill and kill” and repeat learning can squelch a creative learning environment for the gifted child.
- Provide learning opportunities for children without threats of immediate evaluation/assessment. Learning for learning’s sake. Accept honest errors and risk taking as part of the creative process.
- Provide guidance and facilitate learning, establishing creative relationships with gifted children.
For more suggestions, read The Environment Conducive to Creativity. Click on the daisy to access the article. When you have finished reading, continue with the course content.Creative students also benefit from opportunities to make choices regarding their classroom environment. In one elementary classroom, rules were not assigned by the teacher; instead, students were asked to brainstorm and prioritize rules that felt were important for the class. The next video shows the follow-up activity that reinforces their choices of rules.
In preparation for the activity, the teacher had students generate a list of actions that could be performed in front of the class. The teacher typed each action on a separate piece of paper and added sequence clues. For example, "After the person hops around the chair on one foot three times..." Students were left to listen and follow directions. Click on the daisy to launch the video. When you have finished viewing, continue with the course content.