Volume 02 Issue 12-2022
109
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
12
Pages:
109-124
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.968
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
ABSTRACT
In the dynamically changing world, educational settings are increasingly relying on employee creativity. By promoting
educators to generate creative ideas and products for the market, organizations can achieve innovation and maintain
competitive advantages (Shalley, Zhou, & Oldham, 2004; Woodman, Sawyer, & Griffin, 1993; Zhou & Hoever, 2014).
Considering the critical importance of creativity, practitioners are searching for ways to facilitate teachers’ creative
performance. However, existing knowledge on creativity predictors and drivers remains incomplete. To help teaching
organizations effe
ctively manage employees’ creativity, this course work aims to elucidate what predictors from
universities and teachers themselves can align to engender creative results.
KEYWORDS
Creativity, teaching, Educational setting.
INTRODUCTION
One of the effects of the growth of English as an
international language is an increase in demand for
skilled English language teachers at all levels in both
public and private schooling. Teachers who are
dedicated, well-qualified, have a strong command of
the English language, work effectively with their
Research Article
CREATIVITY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL EL TEACHING
Submission Date:
December 19, 2022,
Accepted Date:
December 24, 2022,
Published Date:
December 29, 2022
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ajsshr/Volume02Issue12-17
Rashidova Nodira Abdulla Kizi
Elementary School Teacher Of The 5th General Secondary School, Termiz City, Surkhandarya Region,
Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ajsshr
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 02 Issue 12-2022
110
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
12
Pages:
109-124
SJIF
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MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.968
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
colleagues, can engage, and motivate their students,
and are committed to helping their students achieve
are sought after by schools. They are, however, most
interested in persons who are good teachers. Paper I’d
want to focus on one of the many qualities that
distinguish excellent teachers: the capacity to educate
with a creative mindset. The concept of what it takes
to be a successful teacher is a complicated one,
because good teaching draws on a variety of attributes
that instructors bring to their classrooms, reflecting
the knowledge, abilities, and understanding they’ve
gained via their professional education and teaching
experience. In this paper, I’d want to look at one of the
many qualities that distinguish excellent teachers: the
capacity to teach with a creative mindset.
Creativity is a necessary component of thinking and
learning in all fields. There is a widespread belief that
creativity should be encouraged and nurtured in
educational settings (Williams, 2002). However, there
is still a lack of understanding about how to use
creative teaching effectively in the classroom. This
could be due to the complicated nature of creativity
And the lack of a uniform definition of “what creativity
is” or “what it signifies” in education or research
(Marksberry, 1963; Sternberg, 1999; Baker et al., 2001;
Friedel & Rudd, 2005).
Maley’s (1997) work in language instruction has
stressed an emphasis on creativity using texts derived
from a variety of literary and non-literary sources to
encourage creative thinking and foster the ability to
make creative connections. Levels of achievement in
second language learning have also been connected to
creativity. Many of the language tasks favored by
modern language teaching methods are thought to
release creativity in learners
–
particularly those
involving student-centered, interaction-based, and
open-ended elements
–
and are thus in theory ideally
suited to fostering creative thinking and behavior on
the part of learners.
It’s interesting to consider what makes a
teacher
creative. In some ways, creative teachers are
comparable to creative students. According to
Richards’ web post, innovative teachers have the
following characteristics: (1) creative teachers are
knowledgeable; (2) creativity in teachers necessitates
confidence; (3) creative teachers are dedicated to
assisting their students in succeeding; (4) creative
teachers are non-conformists; (5) creative teachers are
familiar with a variety of strategies and techniques; (6)
creative teachers are risk-takers; (7) creative teachers
strive for learner-centered lessons; (8) creative
teachers are reflective. Here are some of the author’s
personal thoughts on the attributes described above.
Teachers that are creative take in a lot of information
from several places. With all their knowledge and
efforts, they like experimenting with new concepts in
class to assist their pupils learn more effectively. They
Volume 02 Issue 12-2022
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
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VOLUME
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SJIF
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OCLC
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1121105677
METADATA
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Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
are unconcerned about being distinct from other
instructors’ beliefs or actions, or about “teaching as a
subversive
activity,” as Postman and Weingartner put
it in a classic work. They appreciate reviewing their
own teaching practices, such as notes (teaching
journals), student comments (typically by having them
jot on a piece of paper or filling out questionnaires),
videotaping, or feedback from colleagues (through
observation).
Creativity in language teaching
Creative intelligence seems to be a factor that can
facilitate language learning because it helps learners
cope with novel and unpredictable experiences.
Communicative teaching methods have a role to play
here since they emphasize functional and situational
language use and employ activities such as role-play
and simulations that require students to use their
imaginations and think creatively. So, what does
creativity look like in a language classroom?
Here is an example of a creative teacher at work. She
was confronted with the following
Situation:
A teacher has just called in sick. You are going to teach
her
50-minute
spoken
English
class,
lower-
intermediate level, in five minutes. Your only teaching
aid is an empty glass.
The teacher thought about it for less than a minute and
then elaborated her idea for the lesson.
1.
I would start by showing the glass and asking
students to form groups and brainstorm for five
minutes, to come up with the names of as many kinds
of containers as possible. They would then group
them, according to their functions. For example, things
that contain food, things that are used to carry things,
things that are used to store things in and so on. I
would model how they should do this and suggest the
kind of language they could use. (10 minutes).
2.
Students would present their findings to the
class to see who had come up with the longest list. (10
minutes).
3.
For a change of pace, and to practise functional
language, I would do some dialogue work, practising
asking to borrow a container from a neighbour. First, I
would model the kind of exchange I want them to
practise. Then students would plan their dialogue
following this outline:
a)
Apologize for bothering your neighbour.
b)
Explain what you want and why you need it.
c)
Your neighbour offers to lend you what you
want.
d)
Thank your neighbour and promise to return it
on the weekend.
Volume 02 Issue 12-2022
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
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VOLUME
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Pages:
109-124
SJIF
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(2021:
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6.
015
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OCLC
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1121105677
METADATA
IF
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5.968
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
When creativity is viewed as a product the focus might
be on a particular lesson, a task or activity in a book, or
a piece of student writing. What are the specific
features of the lesson that enables us to say that is
creative? When viewed as a process the focus is on the
thinking processes and decisions that a person makes
use of in producing something that we would describe
as creative (Jones, 2012). It is these two dimensions to
creativity that I want to illustrate in here by focusing on
both the special attributes and qualities of a group of
creative teachers of English
–
this is the product
dimension if you like
–
and then to consider how these
attributes lead to classroom processes in language
teaching. I will also consider how schools can foster a
culture of creativity and the benefits it can bring for the
school as well as for teachers and students. But first let
me say something about my data sources. My most
recent interest in creativity in teaching was prompted
by reading a report of a UK research project that was
carried out in Kent by a team from Canterbury Christ
Church University (Cremin, Barnes, and Scoffham,
2009). This involved an initial survey of 20 schools
followed by a more detailed study undertaken in four
of the schools
–
two primary and two secondary
–
in
which the quality of creative teaching was
acknowledged to be outstanding. The teachers in
these schools were not TESOL teachers but the
research identified three interrelated dimensions of
creative teaching that are both product and process
related, and which also emphasized the school context
as a crucial factor in facilitating creative teaching. The
findings in the Kent study highlighted three factors:
•
The personal qualities of the teacher
•
The pedagogy the teacher adopts; and
•
The ethos of the class and school
I decided to look further into these dimensions of
creative teaching in relation to the thinking and
practices of teachers of English, by first asking a group
of English teachers who had participated in an essay
writing competition during one of my recent lecture-
tours to write about their philosophies of teaching.
(The teachers are identified by an initial in this paper). I
then selected from the teac
her’s stories those that
appeared to reflect a creative disposition. Following
this I conducted follow-up interviews
–
both spoken
and written
–
to probe further into the teachers’
thinking and to find examples from their classroom
practice that illustrated creative approaches to
teaching. In order to summarize the results of these
conversations and interviews and following on from
the Kent research we will discuss three different
dimensions of creative teaching:
1.
The qualities creative teachers possess
2.
How teachers apply creativity in their teaching
3.
How creativity can be supported in the school
The qualities creative teachers possess
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1121105677
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Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
We can probably all recall teachers we know who were
very creative in their approach to teaching. Of course
we have all encountered teachers who make use of
carefully developed lesson plans, who keep their
lessons focussed on accurate performance of tasks,
who are strict about getting homework in on time and
returning it with detailed corrections and suggestions.
Hopefully however we also have powerful and fond
memories of a teacher who sparked our imagination,
who inspired us by their individual and personal
teaching style, who motivated us to want to continue
learning and perhaps to eventually decide to become
an English teacher? What makes teachers like this
different? Creativity depends upon the ability to
analyse and evaluate situations and to identify novel
ways of responding to them. This in turn depends upon
a number of different abilities and levels of thinking.
Let me now try to describe eight aspects of teacher
ability and cognition that characterize some of the
qualities of creative teachers.
Creative teachers are knowledgeable
Creative teachers have a solid knowledge base. They
know their subject
–
English, teaching English, and
learning English
–
and they draw on their subject
matter knowledge in building creative lessons. A
knowledge base is important because without
knowledge, imagination cannot be productive.
Creativity doesn’t mean making unfocussed a
nd
unprincipled actions. It doesn’t mean making it up as
you go. Let me first give an example of creativity
without a solid knowledge base
–
which I characterize
as mis-placed creativity. I once worked with a native-
speaker teacher who had no formal education in TESOL
but had taught for 8 years in an EFL context by virtue
of the fact that he was a native speaker. He had
developed a technique he called “sponting”, which he
used as a feature of every class he taught. For example,
he might take a word to begin
a lesson: “English”. He
would ask students to come up with words that started
with E -N -G -L- I- S -H. Then he would take the ending
“ish” and ask for nationalities that ended in “ish”.
Suddenly he was comparing “Finnish” –
the nationality,
with “to finish”. Next he was asking students if they
knew what a finishing school was. And so it went on.
When I asked him to explain the theoretical rationale
for this activity and what it was supped to achieve he
could not come up with a convincing response. This is
what I mean by creativity not linked to a solid
knowledge base. It leads to activities that have no
legitimate goals or purpose. Compare that approach to
creativity with this teacher’s account of a lesson:
Drawing on knowledge of texts
When I teach, I may not have a detailed lesson plan but
I keep my goals firmly in mind and I know what I am
trying to teach, whether it is a reading lesson, a
speaking lesson and so on. And if I decide to do
Volume 02 Issue 12-2022
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
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VOLUME
02
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SJIF
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(2021:
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OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.968
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
something that I
hadn’t planned it’s because I suddenly
thought of a more interesting and engaging way of
practicing something. For example the other day we
were studying narratives and were looking at a text in
the book when it occurred to me that it would be fun if
students created a jigsaw narrative in groups. Each
group would prepare the opening section of a
narrative, and then pass them around so that each
group added the next section to the story. It turned out
to be a good way of reinforcing what we had been
studying, about the features of narrative texts
–
you
know about setting, characters, events, problem, and
resolution.
–
C
–
English teacher, Mexico.
In the next example, the teacher refers to differences
in the use of formal and casual speech:
Making use of sociolinguistic knowledge
One of the things that my students seem to find
interesting and even amusing is when I present a
different point of view from an idea presented in one
of the texts we are using. I guess this is just a matter of
confidence, but I feel it is good for learners to see that
ideas in print can be challenged. The most obvious
example of this is when texts we are reading have been
written by someone writing in a different cultural
context. For instance, the other day we were reading a
text, written in the USA, about taking part in a job
interview. The text said very clearly that the
interviewee should call any male interviewers “Sir” and
any females “Ma’am”. So I explained that in the
country I come from, that would be completely
inappropriate because those terms of address are not
familiar. This opened a very interesting discussion
about terms of address, formality and respect. My
intention was to highlight for the learners that such
matters are defined very differently in different
cultural contexts, and it is important to be sensitive to
the context. The same issues of formality and
informality occur in writing of course, so I was able to
refer to this conversation later when we started
working on letter writing.
–
S, university teacher, UAE
Having a solid knowledge base means that the teacher
has a rationale and purpose for the creative activities
he or she uses. They have not been chosen merely for
their novelty value but because they reflect the
teachers’ knowledge and understanding of tea
ching
and learning.
Creative teaching requires confidence
This attribute partly follows on from the preceding
one, since knowledge of subject matter can provide a
sense of confidence that enables the teacher to be
original and creative. One feature of confidence is that
it gives teachers a sense that they are in control of their
classroom and that is the teacher
–
not the book or the
curriculum- that can make a difference. Creative
teachers see their input to the lesson as being decisive
and so they have a sense of personal responsibility for
how well learners learn.
Volume 02 Issue 12-2022
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1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.968
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Kemmis and McTaggart (1988) add that action
research means to plan, act, observe, and reflect more
carefully, more systematically, and more rigorously
than one usually does in everyday life. Though I present
this article as a pedagogical experience, I see action
research as paramount in systematically collecting the
data that help me organize my thoughts in planning
and carrying out classroom activities. In the last fifteen
years, teachers and educators have increasingly relied
on action research methodology to collect reliable data
and provide valuable insights to classroom teachers,
and it has proven to be an excellent source of archival
data (Zuber-Skerritt, 1991). In carrying out classroom
activities, I used Elliot’s (1991) action model, in which
the teacher plans, acts, observes, and reflects upon the
pedagogical experience. This cycle includes the
planning of exercises and pertinent observation as the
teacher helps students improve their oral and written
production skills and increases their motivation to
learn. Observing, acting, and reflecting on these
activities create a proper space for a pedagogical
experience to take place and for students to
communicate their feelings and enhance their abilities
in the target language.
Several activities were planned according to the time I
had with the participants. The purpose was to
introduce students to creative methods supported by
theory. In the workshops carried out in this teaching
experience, students found exercises that led their
language skills in various directions, as well as strategic
steps with which to use their knowledge. Besides that,
students found techniques to support their views in
order to have a solid foundation in their foreign
language practice.
The exercises were created to let students write/speak
with focus and direction, to develop their ideas and
descriptions, to discover their voices, and to apply
grammar rules in a fun way. I consider my activities
such as chain games and teamwork to comprise a great
space for students to communicate their feelings
through exercises so as to develop their thinking and
enhance their abilities in the target language. My
intention was to design activities that offered students
the opportunity to communicate their feelings,
develop their thinking, and enhance their abilities in
the target language. Thus, participants were given an
opportunity to develop their creative potential and to
synthesize and apply knowledge and skills by creating
and participating in the teaching process. Activity 1:
Boosting Vocabulary Through Screenwriting Instead of
writing essays or short texts, I decided to expand on
my previous work (Amado, 2010) to boost students’
vocabulary as well as to develop their writing skills with
screenwriting. According to Argentini (1998),
screenwriting is a document that outlines every aural,
visual, behavioral, and lingual element required to tell
a story. The way students visualize the story they want
to write, based on their experience or their
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Publisher:
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Servi
imagination, is relevant in the process of acquiring
smoothness in writing. With this form of creative
writing, Al-Alami (2013) suggests that students start
with the creation of an idea; then the student fleshes
out that idea into actions, dialogue, characters, and
scenes. Would it not be positive if students had an idea,
and from that simple idea, wrote more pages? With
screenwriting, students visualize a story, and they can
turn a simple sentence or idea into a properly
formatted
screenplay.
In
order
to
practice
screenwriting in class, I allowed students to see a
movie and then read three scenes of the screenplay.
They had to underline or circle unknown vocabulary.
They could infer the new vocabulary they learned
because they had previously watched the movie. The
words they underlined were cohesive devices and
unknown words such as clockwise direction, nun,
chapel, whispering, kneeling, lights in the windows
flick on, stretcher, pulls up in BMW, moves off, among
others. These are just some of the words that could
evidence how much vocabulary students learned when
watching the movie and inferring what those words
meant. Pupils learned grammar and my corrections as
well. Some of the comments the students made were:
“It was great to watch a fil
m and then read some of the
scenes;” “I had never read the screenplay of a movie;”
“I didn’t know many of the words, but I could infer
them easily since I saw the film and the scenes of the
screenplay were my favorite.” All these comments
motivated students to go on reading scripts instead of
the usual texts teachers give students such as essays,
worksheets, and so on.
By stimulating creative strategies in the classroom, I
ensured English learning had a purpose in every
activity. I was able to expand my knowledge with the
students’ contributions and learned that these
activities have helped participants to expand their
creativity. Hence, these techniques could surely be
repeated in any group of students the teacher will be
confronting. With the instructional use of creativity in
the English class, many insightful, accessible activities
emerged and I could observe that pupils experienced
new learning techniques to tell more about
themselves. Participants at first were reluctant to
participate, but later responded positively to the
methods. The classes and the students’ contributions
provided for a vivid and imaginative experience. They
also were a challenge, confronting students with the
need to follow English language rules.
The author’s interest in teachers’ creativity was
triggered by his noticing that most of the participants
in his teacher training and workshops had very limited
insights into ELT methodology, classroom activity,
media, and resources. For example, a talk about the
use of games in English classes often provoked an
argument. Some trainees strongly disagreed with the
use of games in English classes because it was time-
consuming. Later discussion and feedback opened
their eyes to the relevance of games in a classroom
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situation. It seemed that their attitude had been
generally rooted in ignorance due to low motivation in
nurturing professional development. In peer teaching
sessions of in-service teacher training, the activities the
trainees brought to the class predominantly involved
merely listening to the teacher. Most pre-service
teacher training students who had had teaching
practice at schools voiced issues consistent with this
upon returning to campus.
In-service teacher training, within their teaching career
participants are also expected to continue with
professional development, such as by actively taking
part in workshops and conferences, extensively
reading professional journals and proceedings in the
field, and seriously participating in the events held by
professional organizations. As far as the author is
concerned, the teachers of English are weak in this
matter, especially in their use of resources and
participation in professional forums. The majority of
them do not enjoy reading books and lack familiarity
with journals and proceedings. Neither are they
encouraged to attend professional development
training forums and workshops.
Creativity in ELT can find itself expressed with regards
to
methodology,
media,
resources,
material,
classroom activities, or in some combination these.
Nowadays, with the rapid advancement in ICT,
teachers are challenged to make use of computer and
internet in ELT. Research has reported that English
teaching and learning has become more practical,
“appetizing”, efficient, and effective with technology.
However, it requires a lot of open-mindedness and
curiosity in the part of teachers. Besides open-
mindedness and curiosity, at times, creativity needs
imagination and/or problem-solving skill too. The
following are actual, more detailed examples of
teacher’s
creativity in ELT.
First of all, the use of dubbing to help students learn
English sounds. Teaching pronunciation using drills so
far has not been fruitful. Even though during the
teaching and learning process student involvement
was apparent, in fact, the learning outcome was less
than what was expected. It seemed that a new, more
subconscious teaching technique was necessary to
help them learn.
Using film dubbing, similar in form to karaoke in music,
as a way of indirectly getting students to develop
phonic skills. Within the context of dubbing, the
individual was to memorize and concentrate on the
verbal and non-verbal behavior of the film artist whose
voice he/she was dubbing. The process required a
degree of reflection in that the dubber was to produce
“professional” voi
ce
–
one sounding like that of the
original speaker. The “Dubbing Group” students
learned in a fun and exciting context which resulted in
their developing better pronunciation skills, even
though statistically the result showed insignificant
difference com
pared to that of “Drill Group” students.
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Publisher:
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Servi
Since too many to mention here, the last example is
derived from the author’s experience as a certified
TEFL TESOL Trainer of Trainer. As a variation, when
introducing descriptive texts, once in a while the class
was challenged to go through a cooperative learning.
Tools/aids/media, namely several pieces of large
drawing papers, color markers, and copies of text had
been prepared. The class was split into groups of 3
–
5
students. Each group was given a copy of text, a paper,
and markers with different colors. It was timed. They
drew a picture after or while reading the text. On
completion of the task, the picture was stuck on the
wall near their joining seats. Usually, a little noise and
laughter broke down at this point. Two or three
members of each group with notes should leave to visit
“neighbors” for information sharing.
CONCLUSION
I have focused here on just one aspect of teaching.
There are many other important dimensions to
effective teaching. But adding the concept of creative
teaching to our understanding of what it means to be
an effective language teacher has benefits for
teachers, for learners, as well as for schools. For
learners, creative teaching helps learners develop their
capacities for original ideas and for creative thinking. It
also improves the quality of the experience’s learners
receive and can help learners develop increased levels
of motivation and even self-esteem. For the teacher it
provides a source of ongoing professional renewal and
satisfaction
–
since when learners are engaged,
motivated, and successful, teaching it motivating for
the teacher. For the institution it can lead to increased
levels of satisfaction for both teachers and students as
well as contribute to the quality, effectiveness, and
reputation of the school. To summarize, creative
learners need creative teachers and teachers need to
work in schools where creativity is valued and shared.
When carrying out this pedagogical intervention,
students followed a systematic process from activity to
activity that allowed for clarity and better organization.
From starting with a simple creative exercise like the
chain game, participants ended up giving their own
speech and creating their own activities as well, based
on the theory previously given. Teaching systematically
provides participants with better tools for their final
products. English teachers can use their creativity to
make classes much more original, and go outside the
formal bonds of teaching. There are many more
methods, exercises, and activities to explore and
teach. For this reason, teachers need to expand their
horizons in an EFL context to see what will probably be
efficient for future generations.
CHAPTER II. DEVELOPMENT OF CRATIVITY IN THE
CLASSROOM
Innovative approaches in ELT
In most of the class rooms in India, conventional
teaching methods, materials and teaching techniques
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based on prescribed texts and syllabus are used
homogeneously in spite of vast differences in class
rooms and level of students. The traditional methods
which largely depend on lecturing and rote learning
reduce English language learning to mechanical
memorization and miserably fail in developing
language competency among the students. These
stereotyped methods and teaching material makes the
learning a monotonous activity and creates distaste
among the students by reducing them to mere passive
receptors of language rather than active participants in
the learning process.
Therefore the necessity to deviate from the traditional
methods and materials to use of innovative material
and techniques of teaching has been strongly felt.. By
using novel teaching techniques like miming and
dramatics, creating participating activities and using
authentic materials such as songs, cartoons,
advertisements, sports commentaries, episode from
films, local folk literature, etc, the teachers can involve
learners in the learning process by providing them
direct experience and participation
By using authentic teaching material that is connected
to the experiential and background knowledge of the
students as well those available around him, an English
class room can be made interactive, interesting,
enthusiastic and learner friendly.
The methods for teaching the English language can be
innovated on any or all of the following ideas:
•
Technology based innovative teaching and
learning strategies
•
Using learners experiential knowledge for ELT
•
Using innovative tasks for ELT
•
Creating activities in the class room for initiating
communication
•
Use of innovative material like songs, cartoons,
jokes, anecdotes, malapropism for ELT
•
Use of social networking sites for learning English
•
Project based ELT
•
Local and practical ways for ELT
•
Creating indigenous pedagogic contents through
class room situations
•
Creating indigenous themes to initiate discussion
in a class room
•
Involving students in different roles for ELT
•
Teaching pronunciation through music
•
Using animated short stories in English language
class room
•
Using text book innovatively for initiating
communication in a classroom
•
Use of blended learning strategies in English
language teaching and learning
•
Using quizzes, puzzles and riddles to create
interest in a class room
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•
Using debates, extempore, group discussions,
interviews, group work and pair work in a class
room for ELT
•
ELT through bogging, E-mails and SMS
Dealing with using innovative approaches in
mixed classes
Among the many challenges facing teaching
instructors today is the mixed-ability class. According
to Chapman and King (2003), a mixed-ability classroom
consists of a group of students with differing levels of
learning abilities, interest, and skills. EFL teachers have
grown to identify this as one of the greatest aspects
that invariably determines the level of teaching and
understanding of what the students undergo in the
long run. In support of this, Hedge (2000) noted that
teaching a classroom of mixed-ability students is a vital
and genuine iIssue that instructors experienced daily.
He also went on to reckon that the mixed-ability
problem demanded serious attention from experts in
the educational field. While each learner has their own
unique way of learning English coupled with different
linguistic knowledge and the individual pace of
learning; there seems to be an overarching need for
the instructor to apply methods that would engage all
the students in the same measure. This is especially
because a dilemma normally arises for the instructor
on who to concentrate on. Should they concentrate on
the advanced learners and neglect the weaker ones?
The converse of this would also be disadvantageous to
the advanced learners, since they will not be able to
participate based on their true potential. Following this
situation, this study attempts to explore the challenges
of mixed-ability classes and strategies that Are utilized
by EFL teachers to overcome these matters. Teachers
are also faced with the shortage of training programs
and strategies to prepare them for such situations at
the workplace. These strategies have been floated to
be very crucial and instrumental in ensuring there is
success in the learning experiences of the students.
The fact of the matter is that most instructors lack the
professional development, planning time, or the
capacity to consistently implement differentiation
(Loiacono & Allen, 2008). Instructors in mixed-ability
classrooms need to be afforded continuous training to
better manage the challenges of their diverse learners
(Butterworth, 2010).
Most classes are comprised of a large number of
students, and it is the responsibility of the teacher to
control the students and to deliver the lesson
effectively. Since the responsibility of taking care of the
individual needs of each student lies on the shoulder of
a single teacher, it has become a very tedious process.
It has become difficult to administer their lesson plans
in a mixed-ability class since every student has a
different level of understanding (Northcote 2006). A
good example is seen when a teacher is explaining a
concept in class. The students with a high-ability of
understanding get bored as the instructor tries to
Volume 02 Issue 12-2022
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(ISSN
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VOLUME
02
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SJIF
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(2021:
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(2022:
6.
015
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OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.968
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
make further explanations to the students with
moderate to low levels of knowledge absorbing
capabilities. The most challenging part of English
language teaching in a mixed-ability class is the fact
that the teachers are expected to guide students at
their individual pace, regardless of the proficiency
differences. Failure by the teacher to address the
needs of every student often makes the active
students maintain their active state whilst their more
passive counterparts remain passive, with no positive
development (Hedge, 2000). There is always a huge
disconnection between these two types of students
and thus, no progress in learning is recorded. This
means that the teacher should employ different
teaching methods and techniques to meet each
individual stude
nt’s needs; this is a challenging task, as
it is usually not practical, especially with large numbers
of students to handle. In most cases, the teachers turn
to employing average teaching methods in a bid to
achieve a healthy balance in the middle ground. This
leaves the slow learners struggling while the
academically advanced students get lost since the
learning process effectively neglects their needs
(Winebrenner, 2001). Moreover, other research
suggested that all learners, including those recognized
as gifted, need educational experiences that help them
achieve their maximum potential (Burney, 2008;
VanTassel-Baska, 2005) Teaching gifted learners in a
diverse-classroom has revealed success, but is not
consistent in having all learning abilities involved
(Tyler, 2006). There are several strategies that
influence teachers in mixed-ability classes to think in a
different way to help their students attain academic
success. These strategies are also meant to help them
cope with the many challenges they face. The
recommended strategy for addressing teaching in a
diverse-classroom is differentiation. This strategy has
grown in status becoming a recurring theme in
classroom instructional strategies (Tomlinson &
McTighe, 2006; Winebrenner, 2001). Instructors can
divide their pupils into various groups, incorporating
different student-centered methods to improve on
their study and to motivate them to participate more
in their preferred learning method. Some of the
student-centered methods include; game competition,
in-class activities, exttra homework, and dramatization
(Pedersen & Kronborg 2014). To help address the
challenges in mixed-ability classes, the teachers should
incorporate other strategies like open-ended plans,
contingency plans, appeal to all senses, self-access
centers, and personalized tasks to their teaching
methods. To enhance the effectiveness in the teaching
of language in these classes, there should be good
management of classroom activity coupled with
effectiveness of presentation and the use of teaching
aids such as audio-visual material in the learning
process.
In addition, teachers should also be involved in the
training programs and equipped with the ideal
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leadership skills to help them deal with any challenging
situations that arise in their learning environments. To
further empower them, they should be equipped with
the relevant knowledge to better their understanding
of the different abilities and needs of their students
(Boaler, 2008). This will help them to use effective
strategies in the classrooms to create a thriving
learning environment that satisfies the needs of all
learners
giving
them
unforgettable
learning
experiences. The use of all these strategies will help
increase student interest and help the teachers to
identify the individual weaknesses of each student to
assist them accordingly. Tomlinson (2001) suggests
that teachers only need to differentiate instruction
types in diverse-classrooms to strike a healthy balance
and enhance the learning process.
Increasing the usage of educational digital tools in the
ELT
In the context of digital language teaching and
learning, greater emphasis has been placed on the
learning half of the process. Recent developments in
the field of computer-assisted language learning
proved the positive effects of technology used in
promoting learning. An open argument, though,
relates to the significant difference in the way learners
and teachers have access to technology in educational
settings. Learners’ access may take place in either or
both of these
two ways: “learning from” and ”learning
with” technology –
where the former underlines the
instrumental use of technology and the learner’s
relative passivity in the process, while the latter hints
at a more active participation or interaction from the
learners. Quite the opposite is the case with teachers:
“teaching with” technology generally implies an
instrumental approach to the use of technology in
language classes, while “teaching from” technology
reflects the interactive, immersive experience of
teaching from within a learning environment. Whether
using online, blended, or class-based learning, teachers
are faced with the challenge of combining a more
informal learner-centered approach
–
giving learners
control over their learning process
–
with the prevalent
practices of teacher-centered modes
–
based on set
goals and standard forms of assessment. In order to
balance learner autonomy, personal choice and the
affordances of LMS tools, teachers (as all the
stakeholders in the learning process) need to master
the complex triangulation of the pedagogical,
methodological and technological levels. In this
setting, moreover, we have recently witnessed the
digital shift of educational publishers, who have sort of
re-invented themselves as educational technology
providers. The shift from hard copies to software
solutions has opened new possibilities, facilitating
tech-
savvy teachers’ work while moving
The most technophobic teachers out of their comfort
zone.
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Publisher:
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Digital tools challenges students to write more formal
assignments rather than informal. Digital tools educate
students about issues such as plagiarism and fair use.
Digital tools encourage students to be more creative
and show more personal expressions. According to
Purcell, Buchanan and Friedrich (2013) points out that
technologies today makes students use: poor spelling
and grammar. Furthermore, today’s technology makes
it easier for students to shape and improve students
writing. However, it can be difficult depending on the
student’s abilities and dis
abilities, but sometimes it
makes no impact on the students if they choose to not
show any impact or interests. Digital technologies
provide students with many opportunities to practice
writing through participation. Mobile technologies
allow one to write, capture, edit and publish while on
the go, anytime and anywhere. Writing is no longer
limited or restricted to time or location. According to
Purcell, Buchanan and Friedrich (2013) argue that
digital tools make writing more meaningful and less
intimidating for many students. Middle school teachers
worry that their students are losing the ability to
develop, organize and express complex thoughts
(p.24). However, many middle school teachers and
high school teachers acknowledge that students
struggle more when writing in public learning
environments. In addition, Purcell, Buchanan and
Friedrich (2013) point out that English teachers
acknowledge that students are more likely to make
shortcuts with digital tools when writing, and use poor
spelling or grammar when writing fast and careless.
Nowadays, iPads are often an integral part of the
classroom. Eriksson and Olsson (2015) argue that this
digital tool is counted as part of the digital toolbox that
the teacher uses to teach in the classroom. However,
Jönsson and Gjedde (2009) explain that the teachers
use digital tools to support their teaching in the
classrooms because the work often involves social
networking, and mobility for the students allows
collaboration between whoever is using the iPads. This
means that instead of the students learning from their
technologies, they are learning with it. Jönsson and
Gjedde (2009) states that “…people employ different
strategies for learning, and that these strategies relate
to internal strengths and capabilities…” (p.
6).
Moreover, they argue that teachers invest their time
and efforts to master new technologies all the time, so
that they can extend the scope of the new
technologies they use in their classrooms to improve
the learning environment. Jönsson and Gjedde (2009)
mention that using digital tools affects language
learning differently depending on the how students
use the tools. Since school system is responsible for
providing students with skills, knowledge and
confidence in the language, it is necessary to examine
whether the chosen digital tools for their language
learning are effective or not. Take for example Google
Apps for Education and the software tools within this
tool. This effectiveness depends partly on the
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students’ social economical background, acco
rding to
Jönsson and Gjedde (2009).
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