Strategies for Developing
Creativity and Critical Thinking
What is Creativity?
• Is it a desire to explore and learn in different
ways?
• Creativity can be expressed in every discipline.
• And the teacher desiring to provide a forum for
creativity is constantly exploring new ways to
teach and learn.
• Here are a few strategies for incorporating
creativity into your lessons.
Creativity
• Interactive Journaling
• The Hats
• Walking Tour
• Graphic Organizers
• The Frayer Method
Interactive Journaling
Ask students to bring a 8 by 11 inch spiral
notebook with a least one hundred pages. Each
page will be divided into two sections. The left
side of the notebook page is reserved for student
processing of the information recorded on the
right side. Students may be asked to draw maps,
think of a time when . . ., summarize in a
sentence, create a graphic organizer . . .
The Hats
Collect an assortment of prompts for students to
hold or wear, i.e., hats. Assuming the persona of
the historical figure the student then gives a
presentation.
Walking Tour
Form groups made up of the same number of
students as there are charts posted around the
room (4 charts means there should be 4
members in a group). Have group members
number off and send one person to
each chart. Students form new groups
at the charts and then react to the
information.
The Frayer Method
The Frayer Method is a visual organizer that
helps learners separate critical attributes from
interesting information about a concept. I’ve
used this in teaching secondary math
vocabulary.
Be Creative in Providing for
Critical Thinking Opportunities
Critical Thinking
• Corners
• Ticket to Leave
• Mosaic of Thought
• Reciprocal Learning
• Think Alouds
Corners
Pose a question that has multiple answers. Give
students time to consider their own thinking
about the topic, than have them move to a
corner of the room that has been designated as
the meeting place of all those holding the same
opinion or view. In the corner meeting places
students may discuss why they think or believe
the way they do.
Ticket to Leave
Hand out index cards toward the end of an
instructional period, have students write one
higher order question that is related to the topic
on the card. Explain that tomorrow’s warm-up
prompt will be selected from the “tickets.”
Students hand you the “tickets” as they leave
class.
Mosaic of Thought
Students are taught three kinds of connections.
1. Text to self
2. Text to text
3. Text to world
When students speak and write about these
connections, we can evaluate the level of their
reasoning and intervene as necessary.
Reciprocal Learning
This process is designed to help the student
develop expertise with the thinking and process
skills of predicting, clarifying, questioning, and
summarizing. The teacher and a student take
turns being the “teacher.” in this way the
classroom teacher is able to model
metacognition and the student “teacher”
practices the process.
Think Alouds
A think aloud is a strategy in which the teacher
assumes the role of a student “thinking aloud”
about how to comprehend
a passage or how to work
through complex or
confusing problems.
Make a Plan
• Choose one strategy and use it in your
planning every month.
• Get feedback from the students as to its
effectiveness.
• Celebrate your own creativeness.
• Have fun.
• Joy in learning is contagious.
The End
By Rose Gamblin