When we talk about education, we talk about learning, we talk about application and we talk about innovations and bringing new ideas on the floor. With the ability to generate, create, or discover new ideas, solutions, and possibilities, we place creativity as an integral part of learning. Through creativity, we not only invite new ideas to accomplish but also keep up with the fresh ideas that keep coming our way through various minds on work. 

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge” ~ Albert Einstein

In the educational field, the concept of teaching creativity is not a novel idea, it has been there for quite some time. Moreover, with the advent of newer technologies, creativity in education has also grown multi-folds. Schools focusing on creativity- based learning are considered modern schools. Traditional learning which supports rote learning has become the thing of past. It is the duty and responsibility of the school Principal to embrace and include creativity in the school curriculum as a part of learning. We must continuously focus on creative methods to innovate the education system in school keeping in line with the requirements and demands of the competitive times. 

Create a classroom that recognizes creativity

Beginning with the smallest places to which the students identify with, classrooms should be where the creativity of students matches with their fellow students. Decoration of the classroom display board or bulletin board can help the students put on their creative hats and get to work using their cognitive minds. When the students bring in their distinct creative projects, they must be acknowledged and rewarded by the class teachers.  This helps the children thinking and articulating the things in different style. Creativity should not be kept limited to art-work only but we must give free environment to the children to be expressive to share their novel ideas. Through this we can enlighten and arouse their thinking skill so they can become good writers and thinkers in future. 

Encouragement to pursue novelty

The children must be encouraged to do better each time they express their ideas in the class, through their assignments, projects, or other participations in co-curricular. This encouragement works wonders for their creative enhancement. Even if they commit mistakes, they should not be reprimanded, instead they should be asked to make corrections, and patted for thinking out of the box. Sir Ken Robinson said it best when he said, “If you are not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” Give students time to ask questions. Make them inquisitive.  As a teacher design multidisciplinary lessons when possible. Language can be taught through music, art and drama. Poems can be recited on musical tunes. Geometry can be made interesting through art by using paint and brush. When child comes with class problems make a group of five or many children and involve them for solution. It will not only make the children feel important but it will enhance and develop their creative thinking skill too.  

Creativity builds confidence among students and teachers. Now a days we hear those old practices which today looks strange and burdensome are abandoned and rejected. New inventions are taking place. Because these new inventions have made our life easy and comfortable.

According to Collard, “Creative skills aren’t just about good ideas, they are about having the skills to make good ideas happen.” He suggests creative skills should include five major areas:

• – Imagination 
• – Being disciplined or self-motivated.
• – Resiliency
• – Collaboration
• – Giving responsibility to students. Have them develop their own projects.

Even when nobody supported Online classes full time, the devastating pandemic taught us otherwise. With several creative minds onboard throughout the world, the education system was revolutionized overnight and today we are bombarded with a number of solutions to choose from. The invention of vaccines, the home classrooms, working from home to help the economic system from falling apart, we have embraced creativity in all aspects. Today, various online programmes offered by prestigious universities, colleges and schools are available for students worldwide. Students are able to learn without any need to waste time in traveling, getting one on one academic solutions and what not. So many government as well as private sectors are coming forward to encourage children  with creativity like , INSPIRE Award, Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan, Labs are set up in many schools like Atal Tinkering labs and so on. 

When Benjamin Bloom identified taxonomy of the cognitive domain, he ranked synthesis (creativity) as one of the most difficult skills to master because a person has to use all the other cognitive skills in the creative process. Since, according to bloom, creating is the highest order of thinking, it should be in the forefront of all learning environment. When students create what they imagine, they are in the driver’s seat, leading us to a brighter future. 

The Author S.K. Sharma is the Principal of R.K. International School, Sarkaghat, Himachal Pradesh