Filipino students have one of the weakest creative thinking skills in the world, based on a newly launched global benchmarking test by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). At Hope Horizon, we believe we can do something about this issue.
What is Creative Thinking?
Creative thinking is a crucial skill that empowers students to approach problems from diverse perspectives, analyze multiple viewpoints, adapt ideas, and arrive at innovative solutions. This type of thinking is often referred to as “divergent thinking,” as it encourages students to explore a wide range of possibilities rather than converging on a single, predetermined answer.
Teaching Strategies
To encourage creative thinking among students, consider the following methods:
- Designing Learning Activities: Engage students in activities that foster creativity, such as open-ended questions, creative writing prompts, or building challenges.
- Teaching Various Skills: Offer opportunities to learn new skills like problem-solving, coding, visual arts, or other creative pursuits to broaden their horizons.
- Encouraging Out-of-the-Box Thinking: Encourage students to take risks and explore unconventional problem-solving approaches.
- Sharing Ideas: Create a safe space for students to share their ideas openly, fostering collaboration and diverse perspectives.
- Providing Feedback: Offer constructive feedback that helps students improve their creative ideas and provides different angles for solving problems.
- Role-Playing: Use role-playing to help students step into different perspectives and develop innovative solutions.
- Project-Based Learning: Engage students in real-world projects that encourage them to apply their knowledge creatively.
- Open-Ended Activities: Provide activities with multiple solutions, allowing students to explore and find their unique approach.
- Cultural Inclusion: Expose students to diverse perspectives and ways of thinking, which can spark new ideas and approaches to problems.
- Rewarding Creativity: Recognize and reward students for their creative ideas, whether through verbal praise or tangible incentives.
- Direct Instruction: Teach creative problem-solving models and processes, such as fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration.
- Games and Activities: Incorporate games and activities that encourage creative thinking, such as “avoid the letter e” or other creative-based exercises.
By incorporating these methods into your teaching practices, you can help students develop their creative thinking skills and foster a more engaging and innovative learning environment.
