Международная научно
-
практическая конференция
«Современные тенденции при обучении
иностранному языку в XXI веке»
308
CREATIVITY IN TEACHING ENGLISH
Zohidova M.F.
Tashkent Pediatric Medical Institute Foreign Languages Department
muxlis8989@mail.ru
Annotation.
Creativity requires a safe environment in which to play, exercise
autonomy, and take risks. As teachers, it
’
s up to us to establish this kind of supportive
classroom. Creativity is the interaction between the learning environment, both
physical and social, the attitudes and attributes of both teachers and students, and
a clear problem-solving process which produces a perceptible product (that can be
an idea or a process as well as a tangible physical object).
Key words.
Creativity, teaching English, create, practice, activity, motivation,
thinking.
RELEVANCE
Creativity is defined as the tendency to generate or recognize ideas,
alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems,
communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others
Nowadays mostly think that teaching without creativity is dull. It is like a
dish without spices, it has less flavor. You see, by using the metaphor of taste, I
’
m
being creative. So creativity is part of the thinking process itself. Even a peasant
is able to think creatively. It is what makes humans what they are.
Creativity is the interaction between the learning environment, both
physical and social, the attitudes and attributes of both teachers and students, and
a clear problem-solving process which produces a perceptible product (that can
be an idea or a process as well as a tangible physical object).
PURPOSE
The aim of this article is to look at different theoretical descriptions of
creative thinking and explore what language teachers may learn from them. I
hope that after reading the articles, you will be able to ask many more and much
more challenging questions about creativity and its use in the classroom.
RESEARCH MATERIALS
Language use is a creative act. We are capable of producing sentences and
even long texts that we have never heard or seen before. By giving learners
creative exercises, we get them to practice an important sub-skill of using a
language: thinking creatively. Creativity requires a safe environment in which to
play, exercise autonomy, and take risks. As teachers, it
’
s up to us to establish this
kind of supportive classroom. Here are some suggestions from psychologists and
educators for how to develop and nurture your students
’
creativity:
Международная научно
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практическая конференция
«Современные тенденции при обучении
иностранному языку в XXI веке»
309
1.
Be present with students
’
ideas.
Have more off-the-cuff conversations
with students. Find out what their passion areas are, and build those into your
approach.
2.
Encourage autonomy.
Don
’
t let yourself be the
arbiter of what “good”
work is. Instead, give feedback that encourages self-assessment and
independence.
3.
Re-word assignments to promote creative thinking.
Try adding
words like “create,” “design,” “invent,” “imagine,” “suppose,” to your assignments.
Adding
instructions such as “Come up with as many solutions as possible” or “Be
creative!” can increase creative performance.
4.
Give students direct feedback on their creativity.
Lots of students don
’
t
realize how creative they are, or get feedback to help them in
corporate “creative” into
their self-
concept. Explore the idea of “creative competence” alongside the traditional
academic competencies in literacy and mathematics. When we evaluate something,
we value it! Creating a self-concept that includes creativity.
5.
Help students know when it
’
s appropriate to be creative.
For
example, help them see the contexts when creativity is more or less helpful
–
in a
low-stakes group project versus a standardized state assessment.
6.
Use creative instructional strategies, models, and methods
as much
as possible in a variety of domains. Model creativity for students in the way you
speak and the way you act. For example, you could say “I thought about 3 ways to
introduce this lesson. I
’
m going to show you 2, then you come up with a thi
rd,” or
show them a personal project you
’
ve been working on.
7.
Protect and support your students
’
intrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic
motivation fuels creativity.
Several
studies
have shown that relying on rewards
and incentives in the classroom can undermine intrinsic motivation to complete
a task
–an effect called “overjustification.” To avoid this, Beth Hennessey, a
professor of Psychology at Wellesley College, suggests that educators try to limit
competitions and comparison with others, focusing instead on self-improvement.
Experiment with monitoring students less as they work, and provide
opportunities for them to pursue their passion when you can.
8.
Make it clear to students that creativity requires effort.
The creative
process is not a simple “aha” that strike
s without warning. Tell students that truly
creative people must imagine, and struggle, and re-imagine while working on a project.
9.
Experiment with activities where students can practice creative
thinking.
Many teachers have suggestions for creative activities they
’
ve tried as
warm-ups or quick breaks.
“
Droodles,” or visual riddles, are simple line drawings
that can have a wide range of different interpretations, and can stimulate
divergent thinking. “Quickwrites” and “freewrites” can help students to let go
of
their internal censor. As part of reviewing material, you could have kids use
concept cartooning
, or draw/design/paint visual metaphors to capture the
essence of complex academic information.
Международная научно
-
практическая конференция
«Современные тенденции при обучении
иностранному языку в XXI веке»
310
RESEARCH RESULTS
Creativity is often paid lip service, but in reality, most schools are currently
experiencing a
“creativity
gap”
–
with significantly more creative activity
occurring outside of school. Numerous psychologists argue that creativity is not
just an enrichment or add-on in the classroom: It is a definable, measurable, set
of psychological skills that enhance learning and will be necessary in the 21st-
century workforce. A well-accepted definition of creativity is the generation of a
new product that
’
s both novel and appropriate in a particular scenario. (A product
could be an idea, an artwork, an invention, or an assignment in your classroom.)
There isn
’t just one way for a person to “be creative,” or one set of characteristics
that will differentiate “the” creative person. Instead, many experts think of
creativity as a set of skills and attitudes that anyone is capable of: tolerating
ambiguity, redefining old problems, finding new problems to solve, taking
sensible risks, and following an inner passion. Creativity also directly enhances
learning by increasing
motivation
, deepening understanding, and promoting joy.
Intrinsic motivation is essential to the creative process
–
and relies on students
pursuing
meaningful
goals. “Create” is at the top of
Bloom
’
s taxonomy
for a
reason: By noticing broader patterns and connecting material across academic
disciplines, creative thinking can facilitate deeper cross-curricular learning.
CONCLUSION
Before I became an English teacher, I never thought of myself as creative.
but the very act of teaching English (and perhaps any other subject) has allowed
creativity to come out. We become creative whether we like it or not, constantly
adjusting the lesson, activities and interchanges according to the learners and
classroom dynamics. I find myself drawing things on the board and I never used
to draw before. The learners love it and find it amusing (maybe because it
’
s so
bad). But the message gets across. An activity that isn
’
t working gets modified or
the focus gets changed to one micro-aspect of the activity to fit the learners
’
level
or understanding.
In addition to bringing changes in teaching and learning activities, creativity
also shows that the person is competent to become a professional ideal teacher.
The teacher
’
s creativity will help students grasp the lessons quickly as well as
improve their motivation in learning.
REFERENCES:
1.
Buranova D.D. Teaching methods of foreign languages and its relation to
medical sciences.
Педиатрия соҳасида ёш олимларнинг ютуқлари I
-
қисм,
Республика илмий
-
амалий анжумани. 2017. 39
-41.
2.
Davletyarova N.I., Mamatkulova N. F. Some characteristics of diminutives
in English and Uzbek language. Turkey International scientific-online conference:
Theory and analytical aspects of recent research. Turkey. 2023. 134-138.
