When we think of creativity, it’s rather counter-intuitive to associate the thought with limitations. In fact, limitation is a word with quite negative connotations in terms of innovation. But in actual fact, creative limitations can often prove beneficial in creating good work. Try writing a short-story this second. Difficult? Try limit your short story to six words. Again, seems counter-intuitive, but bear with me. Ernest Hemmingway is attributed with creating one of the most profound short stories of all time in just six words:
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
Even if we don’t know the exact details, it’s a story worth telling, and example of how creative limitations can produce such captivating results. So how are we limited as teachers? And how do these limitations help us be creative and innovative in our approach to teaching?
As I’ve said in a previous entry, we may need a major overhaul in our education system, maybe not. But as teachers on the ground, that’s something we don’t really have a lot of control over. What we can control is how we work within the guidelines of the “creative limitations” that we are given: the curriculum.
There are endless ways that we can be creative as teachers, as well as facilitate the creative process for students, in line with the current curriculum. Reorganising classrooms, using ICT, assigning open-ended projects or giving students control over their learning are just some ways that teachers can avoid the linear teacher-reads-from-the-book method.
Inside Education 