Creativity Step 7

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

Step 7: I use creativity in the context of my wider life

Outcomes

To achieve Step 7, learners should be aware and reflect on how they use creativity in the context of their wider life.

In the previous step, learners showed that they were aware of how they use creativity to complete their work. This step builds on this by expanding thinking about creativity into wider life as well.

Learners need to be able to:

Identify how creativity is used in wider life
Share the benefits of using creativity in wider life

Introduction

Creativity has three parts to it, as we saw in Step 6:
1. Using imagination – this is all about being to think of something that does not exist, and to be able to capture and share it in some way. This is what we explored in Steps 0-2.
2. Generating new ideas – this is about being able to harness imagination to create make something new, or to improve it.
3. Turning those ideas into something – this final step is about enacting those ideas and turning them into something – whether an action or a product.

Creativity has uses in lots of different areas of life. For example:
1. When you plan on going somewhere, you are imagining what it would be like to go there, and whether you would enjoy it or not.
2. When you change a routine that you have at home, you are generating new ideas and working towards making it better.

Skill Starter

Creative Insights

Play two combined sports games (which can be familiar to the group) such as football-tennis, benchball, rugby-cricket.

Pause during the game and ask learners to recall an occasion where they/ their teammates have been creative.

Learners should answer the following questions:

How did you use your imagination?
What new and original ideas did you come up with?
What were you working towards doing or making?

30 mins

Group activity

Discussion

Teach & Apply

It is helpful to know when we are being creative so that we can make links between different areas of our work and lives. Good ideas often come from unexpected places. By recognising when we are being creative, we can take ideas from one area of our lives and use them in other areas as well.
Explain how creativity plays a crucial role in generating, developing, linking, combining and improving ideas for example: “passing a rugby ball along the line to get around the defence”.
Demonstrate to learners that they have used creativity in different sessions, for example: “last week you used creativity to imagine and design a new school sports kit”. Where else have you used creativity in the last week?

Optional Activity

Paper Snowstorm

Give each learner a piece of paper to share feedback on when / how they have been creative: “I used creativity today when… ”. This can be done anonymously or with names.

Learners then carefully scrunch up their paper into a ball and keep hold of it.

Split the group into two teams, each with their own half of the space. Teams compete to get as many paper snowballs in their opponents’ half as possible.

At the end, they each retrieve 1 paper snowball each to read out to the group. Support with questioning, where needed.

25 mins

Group activity

Active

Reflection & Assessment

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

Encourage learners to draw on what they already know and use their memories and previous experiences to spark creativity.

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

Ask learners to individually keep a log and write down when they have had opportunities to use creativity.
Ask learners these key reflection questions:
- What is creativity?
- How can creativity be used in different areas of life?
- How can you learn from being creative in different areas?