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Creative teaching, learning and innovation

Creativity and innovation in learning and teaching are important because they can help to develop learners’ ability to think and act creatively. In turn, this helps to encourage self-expression, motivation and increases satisfaction. However, defining creative teaching and recognising it in action can be challenging.

In 'Teaching Today' (1998) Petty describes creativity as:

  • inspiration - researching and generating ideas
  • clarification  - focusing on your goals
  • evaluation - reviewing your work and learning from it
  • distillation - deciding which of your ideas to work on
  • incubation - leaving the work alone
  • perspiration - working determinedly on your best ideas
  • evaluation - reviewing your work and learning from it.

The resources in this section are videos which we think have particular value in opening up discussion of what might constitute ‘creative teaching, learning and innovation.’

Use the videos to stimulate discussion around the meanings of the terms ‘creativity’ and ‘innovation’ as part of teacher education and professional development programmes, for example, by considering some of these questions.

To what extent do the teachers in these videos:

  • translate Petty’s spirit of creativity into reality?
  • establish an ethos which:
    1. fosters self-esteem and confidence?
    2. encourages and provides opportunities for risk-taking and innovation?
    3. encourages learners to see mistakes as part of their learning?
    4. values learners’ differences and uniqueness?
    5. tolerates a degree of untidiness, noise and spontaneity?
    6. encourages learners to think differently, rather than searching for the ‘right’ answer?
  • use learner feedback, peer support and reflection to strengthen their practice?

Resources for teacher educators

  - Getting the most out of these resources

Technical information

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