Creativity in the classroom

​Art: the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

​There is something to be said about art. Now I am not talking about art that has all students producing the same type of art. You know, the kind of art that is hanging up in the hallway outside our classroom doors? Educators in the early childhood world would call that “teacher made art.” No, I’m not talking about that kind of art. I’m talking about art that allows students to show their personality.
 
I’ve always been one for allowing students to express their personality through their art. I have also always been a fan of “creation stations.” Or in our classroom we called it, “The Imagination Box.” It’s a box filled with any kind of scrap art material we could get our hands on. That type of free art allows students to create whatever kind of art they want. In this use of art, all at once, I had a lemonade stand, an astronaut and a tree being created in my classroom during playtime. "The Imagination Box” encouraged all my students to create what they were passionate about because there were no expectations placed on the materials inside that box. 

​Now I cannot deny that it isn’t nice to have art in your hallway that all looks somewhat similar. Because I do have my students produce that kind of art. However, I only give them a theme and materials - my students handle the rest. One example of this type of art is our, “Go, Away Big Green Monster” display…

Our display was all about monsters but each monster was uniquely different. Each student had the opportunity that day to express their own personality through their monster. So when I look at art and creativity, I appreciate the teacher being the facilitator. Robert Schirrmacher describes the teacher as being the facilitator by these points:

• A teacher supplies the theme. 

• A teacher introduces new materials at the art center.
• A teacher extends or builds upon an existing activity or suggests a new technique.
• A teacher poses a problem.
• A teacher extends art into other curricular areas. 
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When students are given the opportunity to explore art on their own, they can create more than we ever imagined for them. It’s through their own exploration, and teacher guidance, that they find out how to express their inner creativity. Through the experience they learn how to draw a monster or how to create an astronaut. It’s hands-on learning that is meaningful to them.
 
Last fall I had seen a student created mural of a flower garden online. In the picture, you could see it was displayed on the wall and it just looked so cute. So I asked my students what they thought about creating a flower garden. They were all for it. Here is a short video that shows them planning and creating…

​With all of them working together, it was better than I ever imagined. 

Until next time,
Jackie