Sparking Student Creativity

Book excerpt: Teaching isn't merely transmitting knowledge to students; it’s also about teaching students to approach learning in engaging and unexpected ways. In Sparking Student Creativity: Practical Ways to Promote Innovative Thinking and Problem Solving, author and researcher Patti Drapeau explores and explains research related to creativity and its relevance in today’s standards-based, critical thinking–focused classroom. The book vividly and comprehensively shows: how creative lessons can meet and extend the expectations of curriculum standards such as the Common Core State Standards; how to incorporate creativity and assessment into daily classroom practices; how to develop a "Creativity Road Map" to guide instruction; and how to design lessons that prompt and support creative thinking. In addition, the book includes 40 “grab and go” ideas that infuse lesson plans with a spirit of exploration. No matter what grade levels or content areas you teach, Sparking Student Creativity will help you to produce creative lesson components that directly address critical content, target specific standards, and require thoughtful products from students as they grow into independent learners and become successful students and adults.