strategies for developing creativity and critical thinking

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1 Strategies for Strategies for Developing Developing Creativity and Creativity and Critical Thinking Critical Thinking Joey D. Footman Joey D. Footman University of Phoenix University of Phoenix MED 560 – Secondary Teaching Methods MED 560 – Secondary Teaching Methods Scott Brewer Scott Brewer October 27, 2013 October 27, 2013

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An aid to assist teachers in developing creativity and critical thinking in high school students.

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Page 1: Strategies for Developing Creativity and Critical Thinking

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Strategies for Developing Strategies for Developing Creativity and Critical Creativity and Critical

ThinkingThinking

Joey D. FootmanJoey D. FootmanUniversity of PhoenixUniversity of Phoenix

MED 560 – Secondary Teaching MethodsMED 560 – Secondary Teaching MethodsScott BrewerScott Brewer

October 27, 2013October 27, 2013

Page 2: Strategies for Developing Creativity and Critical Thinking

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Strategies for Developing Creativity and Critical Strategies for Developing Creativity and Critical ThinkingThinking

The information shared is an aid for The information shared is an aid for new faculty in implementing new faculty in implementing strategies for strategies for developingdeveloping creativity creativity and critical thinking. Please note and critical thinking. Please note that this does not represent a that this does not represent a conclusive list, rather a brief conclusive list, rather a brief collection of approaches that may be collection of approaches that may be of benefit. of benefit.

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Strategy #1 - CreativityStrategy #1 - Creativity

Do not always provide students with Do not always provide students with all the information. Require them to all the information. Require them to think, discover, apply, and create. think, discover, apply, and create.

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Strategy #2 - CreativityStrategy #2 - Creativity

Starting with the end in mind, or Starting with the end in mind, or backwards design is one way to spark backwards design is one way to spark creativity in your students. Once you creativity in your students. Once you realize what you want them to learn and realize what you want them to learn and be able to do, you then design meaningful be able to do, you then design meaningful learning tasks and assessments. Allowing learning tasks and assessments. Allowing students to provide input into possible students to provide input into possible tasks and assessments will foster tasks and assessments will foster creativity.creativity.

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Strategy #3 - CreativityStrategy #3 - Creativity

Encourage risk-taking. When Encourage risk-taking. When students do not feel restricted or students do not feel restricted or inhibited, they will often do some of inhibited, they will often do some of their best and most creative thinking. their best and most creative thinking. Teach them that it is not always the Teach them that it is not always the answer that is important, but the answer that is important, but the process by which they derived the process by which they derived the answer. answer.

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Strategy #4 - CreativityStrategy #4 - Creativity

Creativity is often sparked when Creativity is often sparked when students are able to make real-world students are able to make real-world connections that are relevant to connections that are relevant to them. When learning is real and them. When learning is real and relevant, student are typically more relevant, student are typically more inclined to be engaged and give inclined to be engaged and give attention to the work. attention to the work.

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Strategy #5 - CreativityStrategy #5 - Creativity

Integrating information technology is part Integrating information technology is part of 21of 21stst century learning. Today’s students century learning. Today’s students are digital natives, and being such means are digital natives, and being such means that they often times utilize technology in that they often times utilize technology in ways that their teachers would never think ways that their teachers would never think of. Teachers should capitalize on these of. Teachers should capitalize on these strengths and allow students to use their strengths and allow students to use their digital knowledge creatively. digital knowledge creatively.

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Strategy #1 – Critical ThinkingStrategy #1 – Critical Thinking

Start with lower-level questions as a beginning Start with lower-level questions as a beginning assessment. Doing so will allow students to move assessment. Doing so will allow students to move up on Bloom’s Taxonomy and build their up on Bloom’s Taxonomy and build their confidence while doing so. Activate students’ confidence while doing so. Activate students’ knowledge and as higher-level questions are knowledge and as higher-level questions are

presented, students will be required to think.presented, students will be required to think.

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Strategy #2 – Critical ThinkingStrategy #2 – Critical Thinking

Reading for understanding is Reading for understanding is important. Students cannot think important. Students cannot think deeply and critically if they do not deeply and critically if they do not truly know what a question is asking. truly know what a question is asking. Require students to read and re-read Require students to read and re-read before attempting to answer before attempting to answer questions and require them to prove questions and require them to prove their answers. their answers.

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Vary your instructional strategies. Vary your instructional strategies. Varying the ways students are Varying the ways students are provided information requires that provided information requires that they also vary their levels of thinking they also vary their levels of thinking when providing information back to when providing information back to you. you.

Strategy #3 – Critical ThinkingStrategy #3 – Critical Thinking

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Strategy #4 – Critical ThinkingStrategy #4 – Critical Thinking

Collaboration is a key component of an Collaboration is a key component of an effective classroom and makes for critical effective classroom and makes for critical thinking. Allowing students opportunities thinking. Allowing students opportunities to collaborate, communicate, and even to collaborate, communicate, and even disagree often provides varying disagree often provides varying perspectives and allows others to think perspectives and allows others to think reflectively on the ideas and ways of reflectively on the ideas and ways of thinking of others.thinking of others.

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Strategy #5 – Critical ThinkingStrategy #5 – Critical Thinking

Act as a facilitator. As a practitioner, while Act as a facilitator. As a practitioner, while you are full of knowledge, so are students. you are full of knowledge, so are students. Allowing them to share and apply their Allowing them to share and apply their knowledge helps them to be active knowledge helps them to be active learners, and allows you to be a facilitator learners, and allows you to be a facilitator of learning.of learning.

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ReferencesReferencesAnderson, L. W. & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and Anderson, L. W. & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and

assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York, NY: assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York, NY: Longman.Longman.

Pearson Learning Solutions, (2013). Encouraging high school students to think. Pearson Learning Solutions, (2013). Encouraging high school students to think. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from Retrieved October 25, 2013, from

http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls_1256499544/video/index.html?wf=1&item=1http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls_1256499544/video/index.html?wf=1&item=1