What Story Are You Telling? A Case For Creativity in the Classroom

This year, Dr. Fuller and I have been collaborating on a YouTube series called Learning NOW in Barrington 220: One-minute Spotlight, a set of videos highlighting great examples of teachers effectively integrating technology into their instruction. Each week, we travel to a different classroom to observe, record footage, talk to students, and interview teachers. We then edit and publish a video on the Learning NOW YouTube channel. The experience has allowed me to visit many classrooms at all levels and flex my creativity muscle more than it has been flexed in a while.

Since we both produce videos for the series, it's important that we calibrate our formatting, style, and the specific shots for each video. Sometimes we will visit the same class at the same time and collect our own assets to use for the video. It was after one of these shared visits a few weeks ago that I realized one of the most important reasons for allowing students the space and time to be creative in their work. Dr. Fuller and I had both visited an elementary class for a literacy lesson that had students using iPad to record themselves reading so the teacher could later listen to each one. We each created our own versions of the video and watched them to see which one we would release for that week's episode. As we sat down to play each video Dr. Fuller quipped, "I can't wait to see what story you are telling."

A student at Lines Elementary engages in a creative activity
using Logitech Crayon on iPad.

What I realized in that moment was that although we had visited the same class, and the teacher and students were doing the same thing, we both came out with different stories. The story I was telling was shaped by my own experiences. It was shaped by the things I am most passionate about in learning, by my expertise in some areas and inexperience in others. As I moved around the room I was drawn to things that interested me and I failed to notice other things because they didn't seem important to me in the moment. Dr. Fuller had the same experience. His video was different than mine because his experiences and knowledge prior to making his video were different than mine. What emerged was two versions of the same experience. Seeing his video allowed me to see that class in a very different way. Our discussion afterward caused me to broaden my thinking, challenge my assumptions, and deepen my understanding of what I had observed.

Our students deserve this same type of experience. When we provide the chance for each student to put their personal spin on what they are learning it deepens their understanding. This is made more powerful by having the chance to share their story with others. Research and common sense tell us that we learn better when we are able to attach new learning to prior knowledge and experiences. This attachment is strengthened when we get a chance to build that connection for ourselves. Giving students the space and means to creatively develop these attachments based on their own life experiences ensures that new learning will develop deeper roots and stretch farther beyond the isolated lesson.

As you try to give your students more space to be creative, it's important to keep a few things in mind.

1. Start small.

One of the biggest obstacles to developing room for creative expression in most classes is the feeling that creativity involves a massive project that requires days, weeks, or months. You can start small by introducing the opportunity for creativity at any time in an existing lesson. The obvious way to do this is to allow some student choice in how they communicate their understanding. If the assessment for a learning session is a written assignment, why not allow students some alternatives like a video or photo essay? A less obvious way to create room for creativity is at the beginning of a lesson. Perhaps there is room to allow students some choice in what content they select. Often we balk at this idea because we are beholden to standards that don't seem to encourage this. But if the learning target is a skill or process target, there may be room for alternative choices.

2. Prepare to feel uncomfortable.

Any time I have tried something outside the conventions of "business as usual" in my class, I have felt the urge to bail on it 10-15 minutes into the lesson. I asked myself, "What were you thinking?" or, "They're not getting it, go back to the lecture," or I experienced other self-doubting sentiments. If you plan ahead and allow yourself to push through these thoughts, it is likely that the experience will be a good one. I've seen many teachers who were anxious to try a new approach because they felt the need to be the infallible expert to their students—that somehow, if a lesson doesn't work, their students would think less of them. Actually, this couldn't be further from the truth. Students respond positively to teachers who are modeling what real learning looks like, and that will likely involve failure. I have found that students connect with a teacher who is willing to be vulnerable and doesn't appear to have all the answers.

3. Expect students to push back.

As uncomfortable as you may be with this, your students may be more so. If they've been asked to "do school" for any number of years, they might really struggle when asked to think for themselves and make choices about their learning. Students who have been conditioned to show up, do what the teacher tells them, and get the grade will look at you like you're crazy or groan and roll their eyes when you first introduce a new idea. Recently, in a high school science class, students were asked to create a children's story that explained cellular respiration. As the teacher explained the assignment, she saw that students were defaulting to basic stories on familiar formats. She really had to push them to get them to be creative. By the end, students were using Green Screen apps to shoot videos, writing songs, and creating many other outstanding projects. The students clearly enjoyed the experience and are now more prepared for this the next opportunity. Resist the urge to bail on a creative idea simply because your students push back. Students may simply be doing what they have been conditioned to do. If you recondition them, they will likely become better at creative expression.

4. Create a routine for creativity.

The more opportunities you provide for creativity in your class, the more comfortable you and your students will be with it. If you try this once and never go back to it because you feels like it failed, you will be missing current and future opportunities. You and your students need time to develop this as a habit. It sounds counterintuitive, but the more routine that creativity becomes, the more creative your students will be, and the more willing they will be to stretch themselves.