When starting a topic, ask your students how they would like to go about their learning. They may have ideas that can inform your planning – and they are more likely to be enthusiastic if they can see their suggestions have been taken on board.
It’s easy to get into the habit of giving explicit instructions on how to present work (e.g. ‘I would like a half-page of writing to explain what you did, followed by a coloured, labelled diagram to illustrate it…’). Instead, give your students the chance to present work in their own way. You can still specify what should be communicated, but allow them to surprise you with their interpretation.
Do your pencils keep disappearing? Is your reading corner constantly in a muddle? Don’t put up with it; ask your students to come up with the solutions instead. The children may find innovative ways of solving the problem, and they are more likely to stick to rules if they have made them themselves.
Always encourage children to explore ideas, even if they seem silly at first; some of the best innovations come from apparently ridiculous suggestions that weren’t rejected too quickly.
In the course of everyday literacy lessons, children are expected to tailor their writing to specific purposes and genres. Giving children the opportunity to write for their own reasons every once in a while means that they have chance to be more creative and to take pleasure in their own writing.
Create opportunities for your students to teach younger children in ways that they have designed themselves. Children often come up with innovative methods for communicating ideas, and at the same time, the process of teaching reinforces their own learning. If you are feeling really brave, you could try organising a science fair.
Working with Lego® and other construction toys helps children to unlock their creativity and to solve problems. It can also reinforce maths skills. Could you squeeze a session into your curriculum?
Next time you find yourself short of time to create a display, try allocating the task to a group of students. Just let them know what you want to communicate and, after a planning time, let them set-to it. Display items can be sticky-tacked into place and you can go round with the staple gun afterwards.
Try to plan some Design and Technology sessions which allow children to tackle real-life problems; particularly those that they have already identified themselves. For example, how could we find a way to store and transport our class set of footballs? What about that disused strip of land at the back of the playground? How could we have stopped Brian’s finger getting trapped in the door?
Instead of your usual brain gym break, try a visualisation activity instead. Ask the children to close their eyes and think of a problem they are experiencing (perhaps their homework is never completed on time or they may have a difficulty with friends). Ask them to visualise solving the problem (like an internal ‘movie’), even if it means doing things that they wouldn’t normally do, or which seem bizarre. Ask them to continue their chain of thought until it reaches its natural conclusion.
Who knows, you might create the next generation of breakthrough innovators – and at least you’ll be able to find your pencils.