Creativity Step 0

Creativity: The use of imagination and the generation of new ideas.

Step 0: I imagine different ideas.

Outcomes

To achieve Step 0, learners will have to be able to imagine different situations.

This is the first step in Creativity – the ability to imagine things that do not currently exist. It provides the foundation for everything that follows.

Learners need to be able to:

Understand what is meant by imagination
Know how we use imagination

Introduction

Using your imagination is about being able to think about something and being able to see it in your head. For example: “Let’s use our imagination. Can you close your eyes and imagine you are looking at a football player: what colour shirt are they wearing? We’re pretending there’s a football player there.”
Sometimes we use imagination by ourselves; we can also use our imagination with others – for example, we talk or act things out. Our imagination is crucial because it allows us to think about new ideas and to go beyond what exists today.
We might use our imagination at lots of different times, but normally our mind has to be relaxed and not trying to think about other things.

Skill Starter

Imagin-action

Read stories, watch videos or sing songs that encourage learners to use their imagination and join in with actions. For example, read a sports article/book, sing ‘I’m forever blowing bubbles’ or listen to match commentary, imagining they are there. Where relevant, learners can join in with actions and sounds.

10 mins

Group activity

Active

Teach & Apply

When you are creating ideas, the most important thing is to try to create as many as possible at the beginning. If you only come up with one idea, then it is very unlikely to be your best idea.
Our imagination allows us to think about new ideas and to go beyond what exists today.
We might use our imagination at lots of different times, but normally our mind has to be relaxed and not trying to think about other things.
Some of us find that we use our imagination best when we’re with other people, and some of us find it easiest to use our imaginations alone.

Optional Activity

Visualisation Station

Start by asking learners to remember the last match or training session they had and picture that experience in their head.

Then ask learners to imagine their next upcoming session or match. How would it be different? What do they want to improve this time? Add in variables to imagine different settings, for example a change in weather or location.

What challenges do they imagine facing? After the match or session, reflect on the impact of visualising it. How did they feel during the experience? Was it similar to what they had imagined?

20 mins

Group activity

Discussion

Reflection & Assessment

Embed these strategies across your teaching and coaching to help learners apply what they’ve learnt.

When playing games, reading, watching videos or singing songs, stop to ask learners to imagine what could happen next.

Use these ideas for ways of assessing this skill step to help you check learners’ understanding and confidence.

Use coach observation to see how learners play and pretend with each other. Do they join in?
Ask learners these key reflection questions:
- What does imagination mean?
- Why do you think imagination is useful?
- Can you give examples of when you have used your imagination?