Effective teachers tap into creativity no matter what the subject

Creativity is the process of coming up with a new idea that has some value to someone or something.  Sir Ken Robinson defined creativity as being a process, being original, and having value.
It is unfortunate that creativity has become so attached with the Arts.  This has made it hard to even begin to envision how we can encourage creativity in science or math settings.  One day in class we were talking in a group about some approaches to teaching that would encourage creativity. My group was full of future English and Social Studies teachers, and they were able to come up with a bunch of ideas that would encourage and promote creativity in their classrooms.  However, i found it very hard to come up with a few ideas for Science and Math.  My first idea was having a "review" project, where students could use whatever approach they wanted to create a review package throughout the course.  For example, a student could have made a scrapbook with pictures, definitions, etc. or created a video that contained course content and explanations, etc. In high school, i don't remember doing anything like this, or having choices in what we were able to do to get our final marks.  I like writing tests because i like reading textbooks (weird, i know) and i can usually do well on them. But we all know that there are the students who have test anxiety, or just don't test well on this kind of assessment.  In my science classes, i want to be able to provide alternative assessment options to my students, so that they can learn the material in a way that works for them.  Of course, there will be final assessments throughout the term, but there should be other options for grade accumulation.
Creativity can also be used in physical education classes.  When i was running a sports camp last summer, i gave groups of 8 athletes certain equipment and space restrictions, and they had to come up with a game that pertained to the topic of the sport that they were assigned (getting to open space, deking, diving, etc.).  The groups were given about 10 minutes to come up with the game, 5 minutes to play the game themselves, then they were split (like the jigsaw method) into new groups and taught their new teammates.  My coworker and i were amazed by the types of games that they came up with...things that we would never have considered.  We recorded the games, used some throughout the camp, and modified others for future use.  It was amazing being able to experience all of the different perspectives of ideas that we had defined before the day began.
My biggest issue with physical education today is that it is supposed to be about teaching strategies for having a "healthy and active lifestyle," but for the most part, i really don't think this is happening.  What happens to the students who do poorly in one sport, a few sports, or all the sports that we teach in a 2-3 week unit?  It is unlikely that they are having fun  and chances are they will never participate in those activities again unless they are harangued to do so. I believe that providing opportunities where students can make their own games and have fun while creating and playing them is crucial to promoting lifelong activity. When students realize that games can be fun, and that they aren't restricted to the "final product" (ie. full match of soccer, basketball, 6v6 volleyball, etc), i have seen that they are much more likely to participate and continue being active afterwards.
As i become a more practiced teacher, i think that finding creative options and promoting creativity in the classroom will become easier to explore and implement. It will come through my own experiences, input from others in the field (and elsewhere), and from my students....they are the ones that know themselves the best!


PE and Gender Equity

Effective teachers care for their students

In my own experiences, the most effective teachers are those who care for their students, while still providing structure within the classroom.  This is a broad term, but for me, it includes knowing my students, listening, having fairness and respect, motivation, and reflection. It is important to know your students both in a classroom setting and in a community setting.  Knowing the learning styles and educational needs (and adapting your teaching styles to accommodate) of each student is critical for academic success.  However, it is also, equally, important to be aware of conditions that may affect behaviour and performance in school, such as your students' personalities, interests and dislikes, and personal situations.  As PE teachers, I think that we can be sucked into the sports world too much, and forget about other student interests, such as art, music, or drama. Deducing this knowledge early in the school year is important for the establishment of meaningful relationships with your students.

The ability to listen has always been one of those attributes that has been deemed important by our parents, teachers, friends, coaches, etc. An effective teacher is able to listen with sympathy and compassion and show that they are interested in the student's life through gentleness, patience, and encouragement.  The complement to this is communication that is tactful and honest; but a teacher must also be aware of their own limitations and refer the student to another teacher or school staff that can provide the support that they are looking for. 

One time I was asked about the importance of respect, and how someone gets respect from someone else.  I truly believe that respect is a two-way street. When you show respect to another, they are much more likely to show it back. This can be through treating our students as adults (when appropriate) by providing options and decision making opportunities, working with the students rather than for them, acknowledging good behavior and work, and creating safe environments where student input and success is encouraged. This also ties into fairness that we show to our students.  The idea that “all teachers are political , whether they are conscious or not” (Patrick Shannon) is important to have in the back of the mind.  We will all have the star students, or those who try really hard, and so on, but it is a matter of continuing to treat all students equally. 

I think one of the most challenging parts of teaching will be trying to motivate students.  This relies greatly on the knowledge of our students, as some kids are motivated intrinsically while others are motivated extrinsically. The recognition that some of the students that are more quiet in class doesn’t mean that they are not participating, it just may be their demeanor and should not be forced into uncomfortable situations.  However, I think that a major part of motivation is providing students with reasonable challenges that they can accomplish, as it can encourage students to become more engaged in the subject.  On the flip side, I think that as a teacher, we have to be interested and enthusiastic about what we are teaching; if we think it is boring, the students probably will too!

As we were discussing in class, an important part of being an effective teacher is being reflexive.  Being able to identify what is working and what is not working is important for developing your own teaching style and providing the best opportunities for our students to learn.  With reflection should come change or adjustments to our teaching practice, and what worked with one class may not work with all of our classes.

Throughout the years that I have been a student, I have found that the most effective teachers are those who go beyond the subject content of the class.  It is the teachers who show an honest interest in what you are doing and how you are accomplishing these tasks. That being said, it isn’t always necessarily about material beyond the classroom, as an interest in the course work and mastery understanding is also key to effective teaching. As a future teacher (and coach) I hope that I am able to create these meaningful relationships with my students so that they can accomplish all that they strive for and not PRESSURE them onto another path. Like in the movie The Blindside, if you really want to flip burgers, that’s fine with me, I will do what I can to help you get there…