What type of teaching method is best for children, adolescents, and teenagers in public and private schools in your opinion? In our experience, almost every respondent to that question somehow includes creative learning and practice as part of the base curriculum for young students. But why is that? One of the leading British contemporary theorists, Karamjeet K Dhillon has some insightful ideas and experience regarding creative practice-based learning and community curriculum planning and development to help us answer that question.
One of the key reasons why teachers should practice creative learning teaching and learning methods is to encourage creativity, real-time problem-solving, and critical thinking skills among students. It not only helps students excel during academic tests and assessments but also helps them tackle real-world challenges and problems effectively. Additionally, creative-based learning as part of the base curriculum has long been advised by education experts, community workers, and advocates for better education policy.
Among those advocating for creative learning for K-12 students is Karamjeet K Dhillon with nearly two decades of professional experience while serving as an expert in project development, organizational change management, program evaluation, and community curriculum programming. She studied at the University of Glamorgan, Wales for her bachelor's and pursued a master's in education and a Ph.D. at Wayne State University, Detroit.
Karamjeet K Dhillon has some great ideas and insightful tips for aspiring teachers, expert curriculum planners, and educational institute leaders on how to incorporate creative practice-based learning as part of the curriculum for K-12. She attended the Teacher College at Buren University, London, which is why she stands as an expert with an opinion on the matter. Here are a few methods she believes could be instrumental in developing creativity and inventiveness in K-12 students.
Explain Creativity With Practical Examples
There are several ways you can tell your students about creativity and how and why it matters in the classroom and outside of it. Of course, it would depend on the level of understanding and intellect of your students depending on which class they are in. You can bring a series of practical examples, questions, queries, and problems that have more than one solution or approach to it.
This will help students learn creativity from different perspectives. While most often misunderstand creativity for artistic talent and expression, problem-solving and practical questions can help develop a better understanding of creative practice and its impact on students.
Adopt a Growth Mindset
As a useful practice, teachers should encourage students to take unorthodox approaches and unique methods to solve problems or deliver artistic works. When students take unusual approaches and try new methods, they might often fail before resorting to successful techniques and ideas to solve problems or deliver artistic work. Teachers can help students understand the importance of failures and motivate them to handle failures as learning points. It helps curate a growth mindset where students in K-12 do not consider failure as the ultimate stop to the practice of acquiring solutions.
Currently, Karamjeet K Dhillon is working on a creative practice-based learning method and visual research program that relies on creative thinking, artistic expression, and choreography. She is the inventor behind the "The Dhillon Framework of Creative Movement”, which is a movement aimed at students, young adults, and aspiring artists. The workshop involves several stages of photography, critical thinking, choreography, and collaborative teamwork to help develop the critical skills required to solve real-world problems as creatively as possible.