How to nurture your students’ creativity

The teacher plays a significant role in unleashing the creative potential of students. Many people overlook the importance of creativity in the teaching/learning process. However, several researches have revealed that nurturing students’ creativity always has a positive impact on their academic performance. Let us see why creativity is important in teaching and learning.

• Creativity enables students to express themselves in a better way, thereby improving their linguistic knowledge and skills.
• Most of the time, various comprehension strategies leverage creative and innovative ways of expression.
• Creativity often adds zeal and zest to a boring lesson.
• Creativity enhances self-esteem.
• Creative activities can result in improved communication and cooperation between students and teachers.
• Creative activities create a cognitive learning environment in the classroom.
• Creative thinking is an important real-life skills, which students must develop.

Now the question is how a teacher can develop his/her students’ creative bent of mind. Here are some suggestions for teachers to consider.

• Use innovative ideas to make every topic you teach exciting. For example, you can encourage your students to draw a picture on the topic you have recently taught in the classroom. It will not only boost their creative quotient but also improve their understanding of the topic.
• Project-based learning and hands-on learning methods are quite effective in nurturing students’ creativity. When students work on a project or activity, they get an opportunity to unleash their creative potential, thus making the project/activity a big success.
• In language classes, various assignments—such as essays, autobiographies, poems—go a long way in making students think out of the box, thereby infusing creativity in them. Similarly, during maths and science classes, creative learning methods can be followed to disseminate knowledge as well as enable students to think creatively.
• Last but not the least; digital learning methods and tools are another important mode to enhance students’ creativity. Replacing the age-old chalk and talk methods, these tools and methodologies help students not only to get a better grasp of the subject but also to boost their creative potential.

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