subject: Creative Classrooms [print this page] Creative Classrooms Creative Classrooms
Creative classrooms are designed to be spaces that encourage creative thinking. The goal is first to understand what students want from their learning experience and then build an environment that will inspire them. A report by Dr. Catherine Burke examines the effects of creative learning spaces. Her paper focuses on the below.Advocates of creative learning believe that it opens up the possibility of thinking differently and can stimulate different approaches to teaching and learning.It used to be that boys and girls were separated in schools. Even if they had classes together, they were often divided for things like sport. Today there are still a lot of single sex schools. Many believe that girls learn differently from boys, especially in their younger, more formative years. For this reason it is thought to be advantageous to separate them. Moreover, in middle school years, boys and girls can be quite a distraction to each other. Creativity tends to be left for subjects in the arts, however new ideas surrounding innovative learning encourage making the time and space available for problem-based project work that moves trough the steps of defining an issue, objective, niche and then modelling a solution and creating and marketing a product. It is possible to create conditions in which creativity is more likely to thrive. That might include, the physical space that you're in, the accessibility to resources, or the teachers that are leading these classrooms. There are a few ways to create spaces for creativity:1. Changing the physical environment: Breaking the mould of what a school should look like, can have a strong effect on the imaginations of the students in it.2. Changing environment can also reduce the reliance of the classroom itself to learn.3. Choose a classroom within a school and empty it. Then together, in a group, decorate the space to make it more creative. 4. Use the space available to you in creative ways. A wall can be more than a wall, it can be a projection screen, a mural or something to climb. 5. Think about what is needed to make your learning space complete. Is furniture required? If so, what kind? Maybe all you need are a few chairs or an easle, or comfortable mats to sit on the floor.Diving classroom time between indoors and outdoors is another great way to stimulate the imagination. Getting outside can open up a whole new side to our imaginations. Interacting with ones environment is a great way to get hands on learning experiences.
