Two sides of a coin?
Creativity is the act of turning imaginative ideas
into reality. It is the ability to turn the hidden and even the obscure things
into brilliant results. Learning, on the other hand, is the acquisition of
knowledge or skills through study or experience. Although the act of learning is
active in humans, studies have shown that animals, machines, and even some
plants learn too.
Learning requires thinking so does creativity. It is
the enquiry into how your ideas can become productive that propels creativity
in us. It is important to note that creativity should be aimed at solving
problems. This is why some scholars have argued that addressing problems can only
be done when learning has taken place. To simply put it, it is only a mind that
"knows” that can "do”.
The importance of creativity in learning:
The process of learning for every child is uniquely
different. For some students, it's easier to learn things by abbreviating them,
for some, they assimilate better when the lesson being taught relates to
artistic expressions such as singing, writing, drawing, painting and so on.
Parents must understand how to make learning easier
for their children through creativity. Although the Nigerian educational system
has not been tailored to effectively adopt creativity in learning, tutors must understand
that there is a need to adopt the right method to improve cognition and
increased attention span in a learning space.
Creativity means envisioning things. We can only say education
has truly taken place when knowledge can be applied to real-life scenarios. The
basis of thinking about a picture in one's head and creating that same picture
is only achieved by merging creativity with learning.
Adopting creativity with learning is as good as
teaching a student an essential life skill. A skill that involves making the
best out of whatever situation on the ground and coming out with amazing
results. It teaches students how to manoeuvre whatever situations they find
themselves in. As I said earlier, for some, creativity comes naturally while
for some others, it has to be learnt.
Ways to be creative with education:
1. By incorporating practicals, projects and experiments.
Research
has shown that the practical aspect of things is as important as the
theoretical aspects of learning. Tutors should make a habit of teaching
students the practical aspect of things. After all, of what use is education
when the knowledge cannot be applied practically? When students are exposed to
the practical and theoretical aspect of learning, they understand how and why
things happen. Teachers and tutors must also ensure that the assignments and
projects that are given to learners also allows them to apply their creativity,
mirroring the lessons given in class.
2. Interactive Question and answer sessions.
There is a science to the
act of questioning. Tutors must make their classes as interactive as possible
while teaching. An engaging class
stimulates critical thinking, as well as creativity. For instance, studies have
shown a higher participation rate in mathematics class sessions because the
teacher incorporated an interactive word-problem class. The interactive
question and answer session is a useful tool in assessing students assimilation
and participation.
3. Incorporating technology.
There
is no doubt that technology is a major characteristic of 21st-century
education. Digital learning not only enables creativity but, it strengthens it.
Technology supports interaction, and interaction itself promotes learning.
Technology has made tools for brainstorming, infographics, digital
storytelling, and presentation available. Simply put, technology has provided the
means for creativity to thrive.
4. Decision making and mental consciousness.
Having
effective decision-making skills should be taught to young minds. The ability
to make effective decisions fosters creativity. This is very important in
making decisions concerning disciplines or career paths for the future.
Creativity allows students and young minds to fully appraise and understand
problems. It also aids in sifting through several ideas to consider the most
useful or suitable.
5. Organising Creative competitions.
Art
or science competitions should be organized to develop creative skills. These competitions
have 2 major importance. Firstly, the competitions help motivate observers
(including students). Secondly, some competitions help expose students to their
future career path at a very tender age. Some other times, the innovation and
creativity of a student could expose him to big firms and companies.
Finally, merging creativity and learning will result in greater coherence in different levels of education. Although, incorporating creativity into the traditional schooling system is somewhat controversial. However, the transformation is essential to the education system. Also, we should bear in mind that true creativity prepares students for a life beyond the classroom and their syllabus. Therefore, our education system must, in every way, prepare students for the reality of life.
