TIP #72: 7 Habits of Highly Creative Classrooms
What is a highly creative classroom?
A highly creative classroom is a learning environment that cultivates creative skills, curiosity, and a growth mindset. It empowers students to think critically, solve problems, and express themselves in unique and imaginative ways. It fosters creativity, imagination, and innovation in its students.
Highly creative classrooms tend to have certain things in common. While each creative classroom will be unique, you’ll find these 7 habits in many of them. Which of these habits might benefit your students?
1.) Highly creative classrooms ask open-ended questions.
Open-ended questions promote inquiry-based learning, a process that helps students make their own connections about what they’re learning. Open-ended questions invite students to explain or elaborate their position on a topic, rather than giving a single correct answer.
So instead of seeking specific right or wrong answers, try having discussions with high level questioning. This helps students gain a deeper understanding of what they’re learning than they would by simply memorizing answers.
For example, you might ask, “What similarities (or differences) do you notice in these two paintings?” Or, “What do you think is the most important feature in this drawing, and why?”
2.) Highly creative classrooms use “think time”.
When asking questions, allow students a few moments to think before calling on them for an answer. This will not only give more kids a chance to contribute, but also yield richer, more varied responses.
For teachers, it’s easy to rush this process. We either know the answer or at least we’ve had some time to think about it. But it’s different for someone hearing a question for the first time. Every student can benefit from having “think time”… try it and see!
3.) Highly creative classrooms encourage students to verbalize their decision-making process.
Have kids “think out loud” to explain how they came to a certain conclusion, answer, or decision. Not only can students gain more clarity by talking through their thought process, but others can also learn by hearing it.
Some students may feel self-conscious doing this at first. But as they hear their peers sharing their thought processes, they’ll become more comfortable with sharing their own. Their confidence will grow with practice.
4.) Highly creative classrooms offer a positive environment.
Students need a physically and emotionally safe space to feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of judgment.
Be a role model for the behavior you want to see in your students. Remember that kids are observing everything – from the words you say, to your facial expressions, to your body language. Let them see you as a person who is kind, patient, respectful, and growth-minded.
The way kids treat each other is equally important when it comes to creating a safe classroom environment. Have clear protocols in place for addressing bullying or any conflicts between students.
5.) Highly creative classrooms encourage risk taking and turn mistakes into opportunities.
How kids view making mistakes can have a lifelong impact on their learning. Students should feel free to take risks and test different options without being paralyzed by the fear of “getting it wrong”.
Many great discoveries started out as serendipity while working on something completely different. Without risk-taking and some occasional mistakes, there would be a lot fewer of these happy accidents. Stoic philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I couldn’t agree more!
When you model a healthy attitude toward your own mistakes it will shape how your students feel about theirs. Sharing your mistakes (especially in real time!) helps kids to see mistakes as avenues for learning and growth, rather than something to fear.
Humility, honesty, and the ability to laugh at yourself are additional by-products of a healthy attitude toward making mistakes. Don’t miss an opportunity to share your mistakes and even have some fun with it… your students will love it!
6.) Highly creative classrooms cultivate collaboration and teamwork instead of comparison.
Encouraging collaboration and teamwork will go a long way toward creating a positive classroom culture. In contrast, comparison will breed resentment, competition, and division.
Group projects and activities are great ways to promote collaboration. The challenge is ensuring that team members contribute equally. No one should feel like they did more work than the others.
Collaboration helps students develop social skills and learn from each other. It also builds a sense of camaraderie that makes learning fun.
7.) Highly creative classrooms provide opportunities for reflection and review.
There are so many ways to encourage students to think about what they’ve learned. Try to add in some kind of review each day. Simply asking students to name one thing they learned that day can yield some interesting responses!
Leave it open to include any new experience they had – even on the bus, at their locker, or in the lunchroom. Do a quick “brainstorm” of everything they learned or new experiences they had. Write their answers on the board, so they can both hear and see all the responses. This should only take a minute or two.
Once students expect this quick review is coming, they’ll begin to have responses ready at the end of the day. Having this review fresh in their minds also helps kids report back when their parents ask, “What did you learn today?”
Highly creative classrooms prepare students to be creative thinkers and problem solvers who can adapt to an ever-changing world. They empower students to use their creativity to make a positive impact on their lives and on the world around them.
an inspiring quote
“If you have good habits, time becomes your ally. All you need is patience.”
~ James Clear
A single good habit, practiced consistently, is like compound interest… it pays off exponentially over time. So imagine the effect that SEVEN good habits would have, especially in a classroom setting where many students benefit.
I love the idea of time as your ally. So often it can feel like time is working against us, but not when it comes to good habits. In this case, it’s like time is working with you to help your students grow. Good habits + time is a winning combination and worth having patience for!