How to design tasks which promote creative thinking skills: Part 1

Introduction

Between April and November 2022, Claire Steele and Sarah Smith from eltonix will be running a series of six webinars looking at different aspects of creativity in the language classroom. Alongside our regular webinar schedule, Claire and Sarah will give a monthly 60-minute online workshop on a range of related themes, including:

1. What is creativity in the classroom? Watch a recording of this webinar
2. Task design promoting creative thinking skills - part 1. Watch a recording of this webinar below
3. Task design promoting creative thinking skills - part 2. Watch a recording of this webinar
4. Creative feedback. Watch a recording of this webinar
5. Creative ideas for your continuing professional development. Watch a recording of this webinar
6. Being creative with low resources. Watch a recording of this webinar

About this webinar

Have you ever found yourself staring at coursebook materials and wondering how to make the tasks more creative, engaging and meaningful for your students?  In our second webinar on Creativity, we’ll explore how to promote creative thinking skills in task design.

We firstly need to know what a meaning-focused task is. Then, we will walk you through the process of creative task design/adaptation by breaking this down into useful steps to help you plan. We will also explore how tasks can encourage creative thought by revisiting the three elements of creativity (please see our first webinar on Creativity for a reminder of these): encouraging students to observe, applying certain constraints and fostering a sense of wonder and curiosity. 

In this informative and practical webinar, session participants will:

• consider the criteria for meaning-driven tasks
• look at how to adapt coursebook materials to encourage creative thought
• learn the steps of planning and creating different task types.

Recorded 26 May 2022

Watch the recording below

About the speakers

Claire Steele

I’m Claire and I have worked in EFL/ESL as a teacher, trainer, manager and consultant worldwide, but mainly in the UK, Australia, Colombia and Greece. I have always been interested in inspiring students and teachers, so teacher development has always been my area of interest and career path. I’ve been very privileged to have worked with teachers all over the world in their contexts. I’m interested in student-centred learning, fostering creativity and critical-thinking in the classroom, reflective practice, and adapting materials to create a more dynamic and engaging learning experience. I also actively support inclusive classroom practices for all English teachers and students. I am co-founder and director of eltonix (www.eltonix.com)

Sarah Smith

I’m Sarah and I have worked as an EFL/ESL teacher in Senegal, Japan, Ecuador and Turkey. I was a teacher and mentor in Thailand and France and am now based in Greece where I initially worked as an academic manager and a teacher trainer. My areas of interest are teacher training and development, reflective practice, student-centred learning, holistic child development, incorporating life skills in the classroom and encouraging a sense of progress through learning to learn techniques. I am also an advocate for inclusive classroom practices which provide a safe learning environment for all teachers and students. I am co-founder and director of eltonix (www.eltonix.com)

Watch the first webinar in this 'Creativity' series 'What is creativity in the classroom?'