Creativity will abound in your classroom as you tap your students' hidden talents. Learn how to use creativity to teach reading, writing, visual arts, performing arts, social studies, science, mathematics, and physical and health education. Develop creative new approaches to field trips, learning labs, activities, exercises, assignments, and evaluation methods. Think beyond the textbook and challenge your students by making your classroom a creative classroom!

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Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

Are you a creative teacher? Today, we're going to analyze the traits that creative teachers share and explore how you can apply these traits to your classroom. Then we'll exercise our minds by using brainstorming to transform everyday classroom routines into creative learning opportunities!

Friday - Lesson 02

Can you encourage your students to be more creative? Today, you'll discover how to find your students' creative talents and even recognize students' hidden talents. You'll learn to be a creativity encourager and prepare yourself to help all students become creative thinkers and learners. We'll also examine how thinking relates to creativity, how to teach students about how they learn, and how to use questioning to initiate the creative process.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

Does your classroom learning environment encourage creativity? In this lesson, we're going to explore whether your classroom is nurturing or neglecting creativity. I'll provide you with the tools you need to make your classroom a creative classroom—a learning environment that inspires, encourages, and promotes creativity! We'll also explore how to create classroom rules and objectives that encourage creativity, as well as creative testing and grading.

Friday - Lesson 04

Can you create a space for creative learning in your classroom? Imagine a classroom where students learn about reading, writing, plants, animals, and mathematics at the same time, with learning taking place throughout the classroom. It's time to set up creative learning labs in your classroom, and in this lesson, we'll go over everything you need to know! You'll learn how to design creative learning labs for different learning styles, create themed-based learning labs, and best yet, find grants and other resources that can help you turn your learning lab ideas into realities.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

How do you encourage reluctant readers and motivate creative students? In this lesson, we'll go over many creative techniques you can use to transform reading reluctance into enthusiasm. We'll explore ways to liven up those everyday reading assignments and make books come to life through creative reading. We're going to open our books and teach students to read, respond, remember, and relate—using creativity as our tool!

Friday - Lesson 06

What happens when students can't write? In this lesson, we'll take a look at creative ways to eliminate your students' writer's block and encourage them to write creatively. After we get our students' pencils moving, it's time to fine-tune their writing skills with some creative assignments that will challenge them, encourage them, and make them enjoy writing, even if they can't yet write their names. We'll also explore freewriting, dramatizing, imaginative writing, and writing circles.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

How do you encourage creative thought through art? Even if you don't consider yourself to be an artist, you can teach your students to create art and use creativity. In this lesson, you'll learn how the process of creating produces creative art. We'll talk about how to help students turn those early art creations into classroom masterpieces as we explore creative ways to introduce drawing and painting. Then we'll turn our classrooms into art museums for displaying mixed media creations. After that, grab your easels because we'll be taking art into our writing, math, and history lessons, too.

Friday - Lesson 08

So what does it take to get a student interested in music and acting? In this lesson, you'll learn how to put students on stage—a friendly stage, a creative stage. We'll explore how to creatively teach music and drama through self-expression and how to provoke student interest in the performing arts across the curriculum. Some of the techniques we'll discuss include using self-expression in music—using mime, identifying with instruments, even thinking musical moods. And when we go into acting, you'll learn creative methods you can use to teach students to determine characters' emotions, create costumes, and create sets.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Is science creative? Through problem solving, scientists find answers by using some very creative techniques. In this lesson, you'll find out how to turn your creative students into creative scientists. We'll start by exploring the scientific method and how to use it in all your classes. We'll discuss using scientific knowledge in our everyday routines, like classroom discipline and testing, and then we'll take science out of the classroom as we explore some creative labs and field trips. Grab your lab coats, microscopes, and lab notes and prepare to think creatively!

Friday - Lesson 10

How do you make a connection to the world from inside your classroom walls? In a world full of facts and figures, there are creative ways to make these items real. In this lesson, you'll learn creative ways to teach students to analyze, interpret, and be active participants in the subjects they're studying. We'll start by relating social studies to your students' lives by using the social studies connections in your classroom: the school's chain of command, classroom rules, and collaborative learning. We'll also use critical thinking to analyze social studies textbooks, and we'll create social studies learning labs and field trips.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

Can math be fun and creative? In this lesson, we'll look at ways to make mathematical challenges fun through problem solving. We'll make math engaging, creative, and fun by organizing math field days, and we'll look at ways you can help your students relate their everyday lives to math through math learning labs, field trips, and much more!

Friday - Lesson 12

Can you imagine a classroom of students eager to participate in physical activity? Good, because imagination is the key! In our final lesson, you'll learn how to get students moving by helping them to use their imaginations. You'll learn about creative movement, creative team games, creative cooperative games, and creative assessment. You'll also learn creative ways to keep your students healthy as they promote healthy topics and flex their creative muscles. You'll also learn how to use conflict-solving techniques that will teach students to think of creative solutions for their problems.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Robin Sellers.

Robin Sellers holds a current teaching license. She has a Master of Arts degree in English with a concentration in technical and professional communication and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a certification in secondary education. Since 1995, she has taught at the secondary and post-secondary level. She encourages creativity in her classroom, teaches traditional curriculum classes in a computer lab, and incorporates technology including the Internet in her lessons. She also develops and teaches online curriculum courses. In 2003, she began teaching continuing education courses for teachers.

Requirements:

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).

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