Excellence in Education
PRACTICAL
WAYS
TO
FOSTER
CREATIVITY
IN
THE
ELT
CLASSROOM
TRINITY
COLLEGE
WORKSHOPS
2016
LOLA
THOMSON-‐GARAY
The
challenge
in
the
second
language
classroom
is
the
limited
level
of
the
second/foreign
language
when
trying
to
apply
acOviOes
that
trigger
and
foster
creaOvity.
However,
students
of
any
age
come
to
the
classroom
with
great
creaOve
potenOal.
The
laRer
creates
the
opportunity
for
teachers
to
come
up
with
creaOve
acOviOes
that
develop
higher
order
thinking
skills
in
their
students.
These
acOviOes
develop
two
types
of
skills:
Cogni've
skills:
hypothesising,
quesOoning,
observing,
comparing
and
contrasOng,
and
imagining,
among
others.
Metacogni've
skills:
reflecOng
and
evaluaOng.
Excellence in Education
FOUNDATIONS
OF
CREATIVITY
1. CreaOvity
doesn’t
happen
in
a
vacuum.
There
is
always
something
that
sOmulates
the
generaOon
of
people’s
original
thinking.
2. CreaOve
thinking
arises
from
the
emoOonal
quality
of
children’s
engagement
and
involvement
in
an
acOvity.
This
leads
to
a
state
of
flow
in
which
children’s
aRenOon
is
focused
on
a
personalised
goal
and
they
feel
moOvated
to
achieve
a
parOcular
creaOve
outcome.
3. Students
need
a
framework
in
which
to
develop
creaOve
thinking
skills,
and
which
delimits
the
scope
of
an
acOvity
and
allows
sts
to
focus
on
their
ideas.
4. CreaOvity
gives
the
opportunity
to
play
with
ideas
freely
and
spontaneously.
5. CreaOvity
involves
disciplined
thinking,
curiosity,
aRenOon
to
detail,
and
effort.
6. CreaOvity
is
fostered
by
the
development
of
a
growth
mind-‐set,
in
which
students
(children)
are
encouraged
to
believe
that
they
can
improve
their
performance
and
achieve
beRer
outcomes.
7. Rather
than
insisOng
on
language
accuracy
and
correcOng
every
mistake,
students
should
be
encouraged
to
use
and
acquire
language
in
a
natural,
creaOve
and
memorable
way.
Excellence in Education
Big
C
and
small
c
of
crea'vity
Crea%ve
learning
outcome,
Crea%vely
construc%ng
and
students
create
content
communica%ng
meaning
in
everyday
interac%on
Making
videos,
creaOng
Gesturing,
miming,
posters
and
presentaOons,
reformulaOng
giving
opinions,
creaOng
riddles,
creaOng
poetry
and
stories.
The
seven
pillars
of
crea'vity
All
about
me
acOviOes
Student
selfies
Excellence in Education
Crea%ve
games
Excellence in Education
JUMP
TO
THE
BOARD,
WRITE.
1.
Divide
the
class
into
two
groups/teams.
2.
Sts
sit
on
the
floor
(2
rows).
Students
name
their
teams.
3.
Divide
the
board
into
two
halves
(one
per
team).
Assign
a
points
monitor,
and
one
student
that
will
rub
the
sentences/words
off
the
board
(usually
the
one
at
the
front
of
the
line)
4.
Assign
a
number
to
each
of
the
students
in
the
teams.
5.
Student
1
from
team
A
will
play
against
student
2
from
team
B.
6.
Sit
at
the
back
of
the
room.
Have
a
set
of
flashcards
prepared
(vocabulary
items
or
structures
that
need
revising)
7.
Place
two
pieces
of
chalk
on
the
floor
(in
front
of
you).
8.
Start
the
game:
Show
a
flashcard.
Give
students
a
minute
to
check
if
they
remember
the
word/phrase/structure.
They
can
whisper
to
each
other
what
the
vocabulary
item
is,
and
check
on
spelling
(in
the
same
team).
When
you
see
they
are
ready,
call
out
a
number.
E.g.
5.
9.
The
5s
in
both
teams
have
to
grab
the
piece
of
chalk
and
jump
to
the
board
to
write
the
word(s)/phrase/structure,
etc.
correctly.
10.
When
ss
finish
wriOng
the
word,
they
have
to
jump
back
to
you
and
say
it
out
loud
(to
check
on
pronunciaOon,
etc.).
11.
Give
a
point
to
the
team
that
finished
wriOng
first,
and
correctly.
The
rest
of
the
group
can
help
the
person
who
is
wriOng
on
the
board.
E.g.
To
revise
compara5ves
and
superla5ves,
show
2/3
flashcards
and
an
adjec5ve.
Students
have
to
write
a
sentence.
To
emphasize
collaborative
learning.
To
revise/consolidate
vocabulary
items
and
structures.
To
work
on
spelling.
To
tire
them
out
J
Excellence in Education
CHANGE
SEATS
IF
YOU
(To
learn
how
to
play
as
a
whole
class,
to
introduce
and
revise
structures,
to
work
on
pronunciaOon,
to
give
lower-‐ability
students
the
opportunity
to
talk)
1.
Sit
students
in
a
circle
(no
tables).
2.
On
the
board:
write
the
structure
you
want
them
to
revise,
or
you
want
to
introduce.
went
to
the
cinema
yesterday
Change
seats
if
you
ate
pasta
+
last
week
saw
a
movie..etc.
last
weekend
last
summer…etc.
3.
You
start,
stand
in
the
middle
of
the
circle
and
say:
E.g.
“Change
seats
if
you
went
to
the
cinema
yesterday”
Students
get
up
and
change
seats,
you
sit
down
and
one
student
is
leh
without
a
seat.
4.
Now
it
is
that
student’s
turn
to
say:
“Change
seats
if
you
ate……”,
and
so
on.
5.
Encourage
students
to
change
the
verbs
and
the
objects
(pasta,
tennis,
etc.)
and
the
Ome
expressions.
STOP!
(To
revise
spelling
of
words
and
vocab,
to
introduce
new
vocab,
to
emphasize
collaboraOve
learning)
1.
Divide
the
class
into
groups
of
three.
Mix
the
abiliOes.
2.
Give
students
1
hand-‐out
with
a
grid
on
it
(one
per
group).
They
can
draw
their
own,
too.
Excellence in Education
Total
Name
Place
Animal
Colour
Object
Verb
Adjec%ve
Points
3.
Write
a
leRer
on
the
board.
4.
Students
have
to
complete
the
grid
with
words
starOng
with
that
leRer.
5.
When
one
group
finishes,
they
have
to
shout:
STOP!
Everyone
stops
and
starts
comparing
the
words
they
wrote.
1.
If
a
word
is
repeated
3
Omes
or
more
(3
groups
have
wriRen
the
same
word),
the
group
gets
25
points
for
that
word.
2.
If
a
word
is
repeated
twice,
the
group
gets
50
points.
3.
If
the
word
is
repeated
0
Omes,
the
group
gets
100
points
for
that
word.
6.
Students
can
ask
you
how
to
say
some
of
the
words
they
want
to
write
in
English.
Write
the
new
words
on
the
board
(add
them
to
your
vocabulary
bag
*).
SNAP
DRAGON
(To
emphasize
pair
work,
to
encourage
speaking
in
English
in
pairs,
to
encourage
creaOvity,
to
follow
instrucOons,
to
revise
language)
Make
a
Snap
Dragon
in
class
(one
per
student).
You
can
make
a
big
one
for
yourself.
Ask
children
to
colour
the
squares,
and
write
quesOons/instrucOons,
draw
vocabulary
items,
etc.
under
the
squares.
Excellence in Education
1)
Play
as
a
whole
class
(TPR).
Ask
students
to
sit
in
a
circle
on
the
floor.
Ask
them
(or
one
student)
to
spell
a
word
(e.g.
window).
Open
and
close
the
snap
dragon
six
Omes
(window
has
six
leRers).
Read
the
instrucOon
under
the
square:
“Clap
three
Omes”,
and
so
on.
2)
Play
in
pairs.
Ask
students
to
write
quesOons,
TRUE
FALSE
statements,
draw
vocabulary
items,
etc.
under
the
squares.
Students
play
in
pairs.
E.,g.:
Student
A:
Say
a
word.
S
B:
sharpener
S
A:
S-‐H-‐A-‐R-‐P-‐E-‐N-‐E-‐R
(spells
the
word
and
open
and
closes
the
dragon
nine
Omes)
Choose
a
colour.
S
B:
blue.
S
A:
(Reads
out
the
message/quesOon,
or
shows
the
picture
under
the
blue
square.
Student
B
has
to
answer,
and
they
take
turns).
VOCABULARY
BAGS
Keep
the
labels
with
new
vocabulary
from
previous
lessons
in
a
bag
or
envelope.
(to
consolidate
vocab,
for
conOnuous
evaluaOon,
to
encourage
independent
learning
skills).
1)
Play
BINGO.
(groups
of
three)
Ask
students
to
take
9
words
from
the
bag,
and
to
place
them
on
their
desk.
Give
them
a
couple
of
minutes
to
remember
the
meaning
of
the
words.
Meanwhile,
take
a
note
of
the
words.
Ask
them
to
place
the
word
cards
in
a
3X3
arrangement.
Start
the
BINGO
game.
Give
the
definiOons
of
the
words,
students
have
to
guess
the
word,
and
flip
the
word
card
over.
You
can
also
make
a
drawing
on
the
board
to
illustrate
the
meaning,
or
spell
it.
2)
Odd
one
out.
(group
work)
Ask
students
to
take
5
words
out
of
the
bag,
and
choose
the
odd
one.
They
will
try
to
find
similariOes
among
the
words.
3)
Classifying.
Ask
students
to
classify
the
words
into
categories:
acOon
words,
nouns,
vocabulary
sets,
adjecOves,
etc.)
When
working
with
adjecOves
ask
students
to
find
the
opposites.
4)
Make
a
word
search
for
the
other
team.
(group
work)
Ask
students
to
take
8
words
out
of
the
bag.
Give
them
a
10X10
empty
grid.
They
have
to
make
a
word
search
exercise
for
the
other
group.
Ask
them
to
draw
pictures
at
the
boRom
of
Excellence in Education
the
page
to
illustrate
the
meaning
of
the
words.
They
can
also
write
a
list
of
the
words
the
others
have
to
find.
5)
Make
a
crossword.
Same
idea
as
above,
but
in
this
case,
students
have
to
write
the
definiOons
of
the
words
as
clues.
Start
with
a
word
that
serves
as
a
base:
6)
Miming
and
guessing
games:
Pair
work.
HOPSCOTCH
(To
revise
vocabulary,
to
pracOce
number
sequences)
1)
Use
tape
to
make
hopscotch
squares
in
a
row
on
the
floor
(squares
from
1
to
8).
2)
Place
a
flashcard
in
the
top
leh
corner
of
each
square.
(use
blue-‐tack)
3)
Students
take
turns
throwing
the
bean
bag
onto
one
of
the
squares.
4)
They
jump
and
hop,
and
“on
the
way
back”,
they
have
to
pick
up
the
bean
bag,
and
say
the
word,
make
a
sentence,
etc.
(according
to
the
flashcard).
5)
Everyone
counts
together
while
one
student
is
jumping.
Swap
the
flashcards
for
other
ones
if
necessary.
CAN
I
HAVE…?
(To
revise
vocabulary,
to
pracOce
funcOonal
language)
1)
Divide
the
class
into
two
teams.
Excellence in Education
2)
Give
students
A
an
envelope,
and
a
list
of
the
objects
they
have
to
put
in
their
envelopes
(one
per
child).
3)
Give
students
B
picture
cards.
4)
Students
B
stand
in
different
places
around
the
classroom.
Students
A
walk
around
the
classroom
asking
for
the
objects
from
Students
B.
5)
Student
A
has
to
ask
student
B
for
an
object.
6)
PracOce
and
model
before
the
game
starts.
Write
the
language
on
the
board.
S
A:
Can
I
have
a
pencil,
please?
S
B:
Sorry,
I
don’t
have
a
pencil.
S
A:
Can
I
have
an
apple
please?
S
B:
yes,
here
you
are!
S
A:
Thanks!
(and
so
on)
**You
can
use
the
word
cards
in
the
vocabulary
bags,
and
ask
students
to
draw
the
picture
cards.
**
Make
sure
there
are
enough
picture
cards
for
everyone.
FORFEIT
(To
recall
familiar
vocabulary,
to
carry
out
small
tasks,
to
develop
self-‐
confidence)
Forfeit
cards
are
cards
that
include
instrucOons
to
revise
any
language
the
children
know.
E.g.
Count
from
80
to
100,
name
eight
animals
that
live
in
the
jungle,
etc.
1)
Ask
the
children
to
sit
in
a
circle.
Divide
them
into
pairs.
2)
Place
the
FORFEIT
cards
face
down
in
the
center
of
the
circle.
3)
Start
the
game
by
naming
a
lexical
set:
e.g.
animals.
Write
one
word
from
the
set
in
a
small
piece
of
paper.
Students
take
turns
to
say
a
word
that
belong
to
the
lexical
set.
E.g.
crocodile,
snake,
etc.
As
soon
as
a
pair
says
the
word
you
have
wriRen
on
the
paper,
you
shout
FORFEIT!
4)
Ask
the
pair
to
take
a
FORFEIT
card,
read
the
instrucOon
out
loud
and
carry
out
the
task.
5)
The
pair
then
chooses
the
next
lexical
set,
and
the
game
starts
again.
6)
The
winner
is
the
pair
that
has
the
largest
number
of
FORFEIT
cards.
Excellence in Education
ENCHANTED
FOREST
(To
listen
and
follow
instrucOons,
to
give
direcOons,
to
build
up
trust
and
cooperaOon)
1)
Divide
the
class
into
pairs.
2)
Remind
the
class
of
the
funcOonal
language
to
give
direcOons:
go
straight
on,
stop,
turn
right,
turn
leh,
etc.
3)
Ask
one
pair
to
come
to
the
front,
and
assign
them
roles
of
traveller,
and
forest
guide.
Ask
the
rest
of
the
pairs
to
move
away
from
their
desks
and
“freeze”
as
if
they
are
trees
in
the
enchanted
forest.
4)
Blindfold
the
child
who
is
the
traveller.
5)
The
object
of
the
game
is
for
the
forest
guide
to
direct
the
traveller
through
the
enchanted
forest
without
touching
the
trees.
6)
If
the
traveller
touches
the
tree,
the
pair
are
out.
Then,
they
become
trees,
and
another
pair
has
a
turn
being
the
traveller
and
the
guide.
7)
You
can
have
two
pairs
play
at
the
same
Ome.
You
can
also
ask
the
“trees”
to
move
around
and
to
change
posiOon.
ALPHABET
CARDS
(To
pracOce
spelling,
to
revise
vocabulary)
1)
Divide
the
class
into
pairs.
Students
can
play
this
game
siqng
on
the
floor.
2)
Give
each
pair
a
set
of
the
alphabet
cards.
3)
Ask
the
children
to
use
the
alphabet
cards
to
make
words
(set
a
Ome
limit-‐5mins):
a.
As
many
words
as
they
can
from
a
lexical
set.
E.g.
animals,
colours,
etc.
b.
The
past
simple
form
of
irregular
verbs.
c.
The
characters
of
a
story.
d.
Show
a
picture
card,
students
have
to
make
a
word.
e.
Make
irregular
plurals.
f.
PLAY
ANAGRAMS:
i.
Students
work
in
pairs,
and
make
up
three/four
words.
They
scramble
the
leRers
to
create
anagrams.
ii.
They
leave
the
anagrams
on
their
desks.
iii.
Ask
the
students
to
move
to
the
next
desk
(clockwise),
and
unscramble
the
words
the
other
pair
have
created.
Excellence in Education
MAGIC
EYES
(To
recall
vocabulary
items)
1)
Draw
a
grid
on
the
board:
2)
Place
a
word
card
in
each
space.
E.g.
You
can
use
the
words
they
have
just
learned
in
a
chant.
3)
Memorize
the
words
as
a
whole
class.
4)
Take
off
the
words
from
the
board,
and
check
if
they
can
remember
the
sequence.
STORY-‐TELLING
1)
STORY
WHISPERS:
(Aher
reading
the
story
and
working
on
comprehension
and
vocabulary)
a.
Materials:
two
copies
of
a
simplified
version
of
the
story
(one
per
team),
two
copies
of
the
same
text
with
the
sentences
cut
into
strips,
flashcards
of
the
parts
of
the
story.
b.
Divide
the
class
into
two
teams.
Ask
them
to
sit
in
a
line
on
the
floor.
c.
SOck
a
copy
of
the
story
at
the
back
of
each
line.
d.
Place
a
set
of
cut-‐up
sentences
which
tell
the
story
in
jumbled
order
at
the
front
of
each
line.
e.
The
child
at
the
back
read
the
first
sentence
of
the
story,
and
whispers
it
to
the
next
child
in
the
line.
When
it
gets
to
the
child
at
the
front,
he/she
selects
the
correct
sentence
from
the
cut-‐ups
and
places
it
in
order
on
the
desk.
Then
he/she
goes
to
the
back
of
the
line,
and
start
the
process
again.
f.
When
the
game
is
finished,
the
teams
compare
the
cut-‐outs
in
order
with
the
text
(at
the
back
of
the
line).
g.
Follow
up:
comprehension
quesOons.
2)
COVERING
KEY
WORDS
WITH
STICKY
NOTES
(to
recall
vocabulary
and
informaOon
in
the
story).
Excellence in Education
Excellence in Education
Using
quesOons
effecOvely
–
reading
comprehension
HOTS
Excellence in Education
Excellence in Education
Excellence in Education
7:
Cri%cal
Reflec%on
Excellence in Education
Websites
•
www.oxfordowl.co.uk
•
www.mindomo.com
•
www.screencast-‐o-‐maOc.com
•
www.quizlet.com
•
www.creaOvitygames.net
•
www.storybird.com
•
www.teacherspayteachers.com
•
www.classdojo.com
•
www.prezi.com
•
hRp://www.exquisite-‐minds.com/
•
hRp://www.discoveryeducaOon.com//free-‐puzzlemaker/index.cfm?
campaign=flyout_teachers_puzzle
Bibliography
•
A.
Maley
&
N.
Peachy.
CreaOvity
in
the
English
Language
classroom.
•
C.
Read.
500
AcOviOes
for
the
Primary
Classroom
–
Macmillan
books
for
teachers.
•
D.Davies,
D.
Jindal-‐Snape,
C.
Collier,
R.
Digby,
P.
Hay
A.
Howe.
CreaOve
Learning
environments
in
educaOon
–
a
systemaOc
literature
review.
•
H.
Soodmand
Afshar,
H.
Rahimi.
ReflecOve
thinking,
emoOonal
intelligence,
and
speaking
ability
of
EFL
learners:
Is
there
a
relaOon?
•
D.
Piffer.
Can
creaOvity
be
measured?
An
aRempt
to
clarify
the
noOon
of
creaOvity
and
general
direcOons
for
future
research.
•
C.
P.
Dwyer,
M.
J.
Hogan,
I.
Stewart.
An
integrated
criOcal
thinking
framework
for
the
21st
century.
•
J.
V.
WhiRaker.
Fostering
children’s
reasoning
and
problem-‐solving.
I
hope
you
enjoyed
the
session!
