Creative thinking in teenage
students varies from one individual to another. Some teenager students appear
to be gifted creative thinkers, while others do not seem to be as creative or
are not creative most of the time.
Most teenage students need teachers who are
able to stimulate their creative thinking.
Understanding what creative
thinking is may help teachers to encourage teenage students to be or become
more creative.
What is creative thinking?
The freedictionary.com defines creativity as the “ability to produce something
new through imaginative skill” and gives the examples of “a new solution to a problem, a new
method or device, or a new artistic object or form” and refers to “a
richness of ideas and
originality of thinking.”
Brainstorming is an excellent
way for teachers to encourage creative thinking in teenage students. On an
individual basis, a teenage student can write down any number of words or
phrases that come to mind. Simply expressing them in writing can lead to
building new thoughts and creative ideas with them later.
Brainstorming in groups works
well with teenage students, especially when everyone is encouraged to
contribute words or phrases and to expand their horizon of creative, collective
thought. Linking of words and phrases can lead to new creative ideas, as well.
This kind of mapping works well in terms of encouraging teenage student
thinkers to increase their creativity.
Creative thinkers have always
paved new pathways in every generation. The teenage students of today may
become the creative thinkers of tomorrow, if encouraged to do so.
At times, teachers have
contemplative students who remain silent or are very quiet, most of the time.
There is the possibility that these students are potential, creative geniuses,
even though they are hesitant to speak out or discuss their creative thoughts
or ideas in a classroom setting for fear of ridicule from others who are more
outgoing or outspoken. Being aware that not every teenage student will
understand the creative ideas of others and that some students may be jealous
of others who are more creative is important.
Teachers can often mentor or
find mentors for potentially, creative teenage students, and thus, encourage
them to be more expressive in terms of their creativity. When the creative
efforts of teenage students receive acknowledgement, they are more likely to
develop their creative skills further. There is the reality that every teenage
student has the potential to become a creative genius, given the right
atmosphere in which to work. In other words, when there is evidence of
potential creativity, providing an appropriate teenage student environment is
important. Creativity can be stifled in the wrong environment.
Literature, poetry, art and
music will help to stimulate creativity in teenage students. Exposure to
creative works of the past by creative geniuses in these realms can help
encourage teenage students to become more creative.
Competitions between teenage
students give added incentive to their creativity. Credits, awards and recognition
encourage teenage students, though too much acknowledgement can be
embarrassing to some.
Creative teenage student accomplishments, acknowledged as
such by their teachers in front of other students, can encourage them and
others to develop their creativity.
Creativity usually reveals a
healthy, teenage student mind, although there may be instances of negative,
destructive creativity. Encouraging teenage students to express positive,
constructive creativity will lead them to become more proactive in this
regard.
No comments:
Post a Comment