Class Syllabus for The Magic of Teaching Creatively
Have you ever wondered why many children are so much more creative than adults? What happens to us when we become grown-ups? How can you become a more creative teacher? In this class, you will participate in activities to increase your own creativity, explore how adding creative activities in the classroom are brain-friendly for your students and leave with a bag full of ideas.
This professional development workshop is taught by Sally Shaver, who provides continuing education and related classes to Iowa teachers.
The Magic of Teaching CreativelyActivity Objectives
| * | Participants will list the benefits that brain research supports in the use of creative activities in the classroom. |
| * | Participants will participate in and develop activities and lessons to enhance their own creative thought process and how this relates to their teaching style. |
| * | Participants will be able to create activities they can utilize with their students which will facilitate creativity. |
| * | Participants will explore and learn about the following creative activities that could be utilized to teach academic concepts: puppetry, drama and clowning, music including song writing, dance and movement activities, creative writing and journaling, storytelling, magic and illusions, technology such as creating videos and sound recordings |
| * | Participants will take the Keirsey Temperment Sorter inventory of 70 questions which will determine their own Myers-Briggs personality profile and see how this relates to their own creativity. In addition, participants will explore how personality styles affect creativity. |
Syllabus
| Day 1I. Introductions and ice breaker activity 1. Find Your Partner 2. Quick Draw Math 3. How are you currently facilitating creativity in your classroom?A. Participate in several creative group activities 1. Create a group rap, poem or song that enhances language arts 2. Cooperative activity that enhances math skills 3. Watch video on creativityB. Explore brain basics and right vs. left brain and creativity and our brains 1. Basic parts of the brain and what they do. Right vs left side and the importance of cross-lateral activities. 2. What does the research say about how the brain processes creativity? 3. GardnerÕs Multiple Intelligences and creative thought processLunch Break II. Discuss creativity in children vs. adults A. Thoughts and research on creativity in children. What happens with creativity in adults? Explore how creative teachers think about lessons and activities. Watch video about creative teaching from the Disney teacher’s of the year. III. Activities to facilitate creativity 1. Puppetry Basics and practice. Application for academic teaching HOMEWORK—Participants will take the Keirsey Temperment Sorter inventory of 70 questions which will determine their own Myers-Briggs personality profile. Sally has the hard copy of this 70 question test. Day 2 I. Discuss Keirsey Temperment Sorter inventory and how our personality type relates to creativity and how this relates to teaching and administrative styles II. Continue Activities 3. Use of music and creating songs,poems and raps 4. Creative Dance 5. Creative Writing and Journaling activities Lunch Break 6. Storytelling and creativity Watch Shari Lewis Video on storytelling Participants will practice storytelling and improvisation by working in small groups to recreate some familiar fairy tales 7. Magic and Illusions 8. Art Projects 9. Humor in the classroom Discuss and brainstorm how effective teachers utilize humorÑSally will demonstrate with simple props and sayings how teachers can use humor in their classroom. Participants will do an improvisation exercise and work in small groups to develop ideas to “lighten up” their classrooms. III. Conclusion and Evaluations |
