5 Ways To Keep Your Students Inspired and Creating.
When you are working with a group of students, keeping them inspired, motivated and creating can be a challenge. In the classroom, there is so much focus on following instructions, preparing for tests and completing assignments, that finding the right time and the right situation to allow students to express their creative side is difficult.
A new book by Neal Bascomb, called The New Cool delves into this very topic. The book takes a look at how creativity and interactive learning can motivate and energize both the students and the teachers. The author discusses his time following a group of high school seniors in California. The students worked with several different teachers and mentors to build a working robot for an international competition. The author learned a lesson that so many teachers already know; that is, that when kids are engaged and inspired, there isn't much they can't accomplish.
If you have been looking for a way to bring that sort of creativity to your classroom, here are 5 ways to inspire and energize your students:
- Do the work right alongside them – When students work on a project with their parents or teachers, it allows both parties to be equal in reaching the goal. When you change from being the one giving the directions to being an ally, the entire experience changes. And who knows, you may even learn a few things and have some fun while you're at it.
- Encourage hands-on projects – There are many different styles of learning. Some students do better when they write out notes to review later, others absorb more by listening to a lecture and still others need to read the information in order to really understand it. Hands on projects allow student to learn in all of these ways, plus they get the chance to add all of their senses to the exercise. So, get your students building and creating.
- Provide lots of raw materials – Keep materials on hand that will inspire creativity. Confetti, Play Dough, modeling clay, glue, pipe cleaners and even googly eyes can be the start of an amazing project. If you have all of these supplies on hand, it will be easier to just pull them out when you are looking for a fun activity. A rainy day small group project will allow students to practice important skills like teamwork, critical thinking and abstract thinking.
- Focus on the effort not just the outcome – When working on a creative project, be sure to encourage and praise students during the activity, not just for the finished product. Although you want to be sure to praise the job well done, keep in mind that it is the process of being creative that you really want to reinforce.
- Encourage your students to break out of their shell – Especially when you are working with middle school or high school students, there is a tendency for them to want to stick with what they think is “cool”. Unfortunately, participating in a classroom activity and taking a leadership role often doesn't seem very cool. Challenge your students to follow their interests without thinking that it somehow makes them lame. It is a risk to break from the herd and do something creative, so be sensitive to this mindset and try to encourage a spirit of togetherness in order to overcome it.
What other ways have you tried to get your students involved, engaged and inspired? How did they work? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comment section.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for EducationJobSiteBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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