Creative? Me? Surely Not!

Since the beginning of my journey to become a primary school teacher, the word "creative" or "creativity" has been thrown around a lot.   The word has always left me feeling a little inferior as I have always believed that there is not a creative bone in my body and that it is a quality that you have or don't have.  But perhaps I have been using the term a little loosely rather than really thinking about what it means to be creative.  Having read a bit about creativity, it is reassuring that there actually is hope for me.  Ken Robinson (2001) argues that creativity can be taught and he defines creativity as imaginative processes with outcomes in the public world, that are original and of value.   And it can be found in all areas of life, not just the Arts.  I also took to the important elements of the creative process, which are finding the right medium, controlling the medium and freedom to experiment and take risks.  From this I realised that I just haven't found the right medium yet and thus my creativity must be suppressed! 

What I do know is that technology is not my medium (if it was I would have come to this course with a lot more knowledge - and you only have to check out my blog and my dumb questions on the forums!!).  I have fun playing with it (in the short term) and I will hopefully master a bit more than the basics for application in the classroom.  However, I am quickly bored with it. So my challenge is to find my medium because without that, I can't yet realise my creative potential. 

What does this mean for me as a teacher?  Perhaps it could mean embracing the Arts (which I presently have feelings of dread) to foster imagination, risk-taking and curiosity in my students - all of which are important aspects of creativity but also valuable attributes for functioning in the 21st Century. 

Reference:

1. Robinson, K., (2001). Being creative: out of our minds: learning to be                 creative. Capstone Publishing.