Unleashing Creativity In Future Changemakers

The world is gradually veering towards out-of-the-box thinking and reasoning skills, in every aspect of life. With the breakdown of the traditional system of thinking, learning and knowledge imparting, creative thinking skills are the ‘new kid on the block.’ Schools and higher education systems are stressing on curriculums that encourage creative intelligence and thinking.

Understanding Creative Thinking Process, Creative Intelligence & Components of Creativity

Creativity is the ability to present, think or put forth ideas in an unconventional way which also has a recall value. It not only promotes imagination and creative thinking, but also makes room for sharper focus and helps young students express their feelings.

While curriculums and pedagogies are being aligned toward a creative mindset, it’s important to remember that young minds need constant stimulation to feed their creative spark and give wings to their ideas. The key components of creativity include innovation, flexibility, fluency and the ability to elaborate on an idea or project.

The intelligence of anyone–an adult or a child—cannot be measured on IQ alone.

Rather it’s an assimilation of individual potential, creativity and emotional intelligence. These are the key hallmarks of creative intelligence. A study published in Educational Researcher and Education Nest found that exposing children to museums and other cultural institutions can help them develop a high level of cultural tolerance, historical empathy, better memory, and stronger critical thinking skills. Creative intelligence supports divergent thinking, problem-solving skills, the ability to experiment, hand-eye coordination, understanding the needs of others, enhancing social skills and learning how to cope with feelings. In a nutshell, creative intelligence helps hone the emotional and mental well-being of students.

We at Genesis Global School provide a challenging and stimulating curriculum designed to encourage creative thinking among the children and make them future-ready.

Now, let’s talk about some of the ways to encourage the creative thinking process among the young learners:

• Allow the young learner sample time and space to think, feel and express themselves. This will cement a trust factor between the parents/teachers and students and make them more comfortable in sharing their thoughts.
• Feed their curious spark by asking them questions and encouraging them to share observations, opinions, and feedback. This makes the students feel valued and boosts their confidence.
• Teach them to multitask and to develop a multi-solutions-oriented mindset. Simply put, the young learners develop risk-taking abilities, learn to manage risks, and learn to view failures as learning lessons, and not as a setback.
• Children should be encouraged to read, discuss whatever they read and asked how they could do things differently if they had written something.
• Encourage activities and projects that encourage collaboration, flexibility, adaptability, and a spirit of innovation.

To meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond, it’s important to move beyond the four walls of the classroom and tap into not only the external ecosystem but the internal one that has unexplored potential. Students are the changemakers of the future and therefore, they should be encouraged to open their minds to limitless possibilities and ways of doing things. This is why creativity, and its related process are the stepping stones to a bright future, for mankind.